Utah canyon country: 90 trails to the wonder of wilderness

451 Pages·2015·41.62 MB·English

by  Copeland, Craig;Copeland, Kathy

UTAH CANYON
COUNTRY
90 TRAILS TO THE
WONDER OF WILDERNESS
WILDERNESS PRESS
Hiking from here to WOW: Utah Canyon Country
1st EDITION 2008
3rd printing 2012
Copyright © 2008 by Craig and Kathy Copeland
All photos and original maps by the authors
Book and map production by C.J. Poznansky
([email protected])
Cover and interior design by Matthew Clark
(www.subplot.com)
ISBN: 978-0-89997-452-1
Manufactured in China
www.onepercentfortheplanet.org
The authors are members.
Published by: Wilderness Press
c/o Keen Communications
PO Box 43673
Birmingham, AL 35243
[phone]; FAX [phone]
[email protected]
www.wildernesspress.com
Visit our website for a complete listing of our titles
and for ordering information.
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Authors of opinionated guidebooks always welcome readers’ comments.
Write them at [email protected]
Cover photo: The Wave (Trip 10) Back cover photos: Mill Creek Canyon (Trip 53); Grand Gulch
pictograph (Trip 75); Split Level Ruin (Trip 75)
Title page photos: (large one) Corona Arch (Trip 50); (top middle) Grand Gulch (Trip 75);
(bottom middle) Fisher Towers (Trip 59); (top right) Fortymile Gulch (Trip 26);
(bottom right) Upper Calf Creek Falls (Trip 31)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means
electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.
YOUR SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Hiking and camping in the wilderness can be dangerous. Experience and preparation
reduce risk, but will never eliminate it. The unique details of your specific situation and
the decisions you make at that time will determine the outcome. Always check the weather
forecast and current trail conditions before setting out. This book is not a substitute for
common sense or sound judgment. If you doubt your ability to negotiate canyon country,
respond to wild animals, or handle sudden, extreme weather changes, hike only in a
group led by a competent guide. The authors and the publisher disclaim liability for any
loss or injury incurred by anyone using information in this book.
CONTENTS
Trip Locator Map ................................................. 2
Introduction: From Here to Wow 5 / Land of Waking Dreams 5 /
Trips at a Glance 6 / Taming Godzilla 8 / Ghosts in the Fog 9 / The Ancestral
Puebloans 11 / Rock Art 12 / Outdoor Museum 14 / The Colorado Plateau 15
/ Tough Hombres 18 / Rodentville 19 / It’s Alive! 21 / Wilderness Ethics 22 /
Hiking With Your Dog 24 / Maps 24 / Carry a Compass 25 / Physical Capabil-
ity 26 / Leave Your Itinerary 27 / Canyon-Country Climate 27 / Flashfloods 28
/ Have a Swig 29 / Thermonuclear Protection 30 / Sundown 31
The Hikes .......................................................33
Zion National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Paria Canyon – Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness ..........................76
Kanab ..........................................................100
Bryce Canyon National Park.......................................117
Hole-in-the-Rock Road /Grand Staircase – Escalante NM .............140
Capitol Reef National Park ........................................207
San Rafael Swell .................................................234
Arches National Park .............................................260
Moab...........................................................272
Canyonlands National Park .......................................314
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area .............................360
Cedar Mesa .....................................................368
Comb Ridge Canyons ............................................425
Information Sources ..............................................436
Index...........................................................438
The Authors.....................................................442
Sipapu Bridge (Trip 76)
2 UTAH CANYON COUNTRY
UTAH CANYON COUNTRY TRIP LOCATIONS
Grand
Junction, CO
Salt Lake Price r
City e
UTAH 6 v
CANYON COUNTRY Ri
TRIP LOCATIONS 4466 70
70 n
e 4477 5599
eARCHES 4499 5588
4455 24 rG NP 4488 55665577
4422--4444 55005511 5522--5544
CAPITOL 4411 6611 5555 Moab
0 5500 mmiilleess 24 REEF NP 6600 6644
0 8800..55 kkmm 336633773388 Hanksville 66663322
Torrey 3399 CANYONLANDS
4400 95 NP 6655--7700
15 33223311 1332003355 ad o River M77o11nticello191
1188 2200 22882299 3333,,3344 Color 77227733
2211--2233
11 22 Z33I--O88N NP 891144B1111R6699Y,, C1177E 11N 33 P MSE NSTGOAEACRNTIsARAUIcOLCNaMANAlDaNEASnNT22LEtEe44T --- 2277CAGNNLREYANON 77447788558811778855,,88880077--6622887788339944889977660077-- Bluff
89
St. George Kanab 99--1122 Page 1155 UTAHSan Juan River
ARIZONA
90 TRAILS TO THE WONDER OF WILDERNESS
trip number / trip name / page number
1 Snow Canyon (34) 18 Red Canyon (126)
2 LaVerkin Creek (39) 19 Willis Creek Canyon (130)
3 The Subway (46) 20 Pine Creek (136)
4 Angels Landing (51) 21 Golden Cathedral (146)
5 West Rim (56) 22 Twentyfive Mile Wash (150)
6 Observation Point (61) 23 Peek-a-boo & Spooky (154)
7 Cable Mountain (65) 24 Coyote Gulch (158)
8 Zion Narrows (71) 25 Crack in the Wall (162)
9 The Wave (76) 26 Willow & Fortymile gulches (166)
10 Wire Pass (81) 27 Davis Gulch (170)
11 Buckskin Gulch (84) 28 Escalante River (174)
12 Paria River Canyon (89) 29 Phipps Arch (179)
13 Yellow Rock (100) 30 Lower Calf Creek Falls (183)
14 Lick Wash (104) 31 Upper Calf Creek Falls (188)
15 Rainbow Bridge & Beyond (110) 32 Boulder Mail Trail (192)
16 Fairyland (117) 33 Little Death Hollow (199)
17 Peekaboo / Queens Garden (121) 34 Silver Falls Creek Canyon (203)
LOCATOR MAP 3
35 Upper Muley Twist (207) 61 Dead Horse Point (319)
36 Spring Canyon (212) 62 Lathrop Canyon (322)
37 Navajo Knobs (216) 63 Murphy Hogback (325)
38 Cassidy Arch (221) 64 Upheaval Canyon (329)
39 Golden Throne (227) 65 Big Spring & Squaw (334)
40 Sheets Gulch (231) 66 Peekaboo (338)
41 Goblin Valley (234) 67 The Needles (343)
42 Bell & Little Wild Horse (240) 68 Chesler Park / The Joint (344)
43 Crack Canyon (244) 69 Devils Kitchen (344)
44 Chute Canyon (247) 70 Druid Arch (344)
45 Chute of Muddy Creek (250) 71 Salt Creek Canyon (350)
46 Black Dragon (256) 72 Dark Canyon (360)
47 Devils Garden (260) 73 Sandthrax Slickrock (365)
48 Fiery Furnace (266) 74 Lower Grand Gulch (373)
49 Delicate Arch (269) 75 Grand Gulch: Collins to Kane (376)
50 Corona Arch (272) 76 Natural Bridges NM (383)
51 Dragonfly Canyon (275) 77 Mule Canyon South Fork (398)
52 Slickrock Trail (278) 78 Kane Gulch (392)
53 Mill Creek Canyon (282) 79 Fish & Owl Canyons (396)
54 Behind the Rocks (286) 80 Bullet Canyon (402)
55 Amasa Back (293) 81 First Fork Slickhorn (405)
56 Morning Glory Canyon (298) 82 Third Fork Slickhorn (409)
57 Colorado River Canyon (303) 83 Road Canyon (413)
58 Professor Creek (306) 84 Lime Canyon (417)
59 Fisher Towers (310) 85 Honaker Trail (421)
60 Horseshoe Canyon (314) 86-90 Comb Ridge Canyons (425)
4 UTAH CANYON COUNTRY
Canyon country invites play.
INTRODUCTION 5
FROM HERE TO WOW
Your time is short, but the canyons are endless. So we’ve simplified the task.
Here are the 90 southern-Utah trails most likely to make you say “Wow!”
No okay trails. Not even any pretty good trails. And certainly no trudgemills.
Just the dayhikes and backpack trips that will get you from here to WOW—the
wonder of wilderness—as swiftly as possible. Plus our boot-tested opinions: why
we recommend each hike, what to expect, how to enjoy the optimal experience.
We hope our suggestions compel you to get outdoors more often and stay
out longer. Do it to cultivate your wild self. It will give you perspective. Do it
because the backcountry teaches simplicity and self-reliance, qualities that make
life more fulfilling. Do it to remind yourself why wilderness needs and deserves
your protection. A bolder conservation ethic develops naturally in the canyons.
And do it to escape the cacophony that muffles the quiet, pure voice within.
LAND OF WAKING DREAMS
Humans can't survive without dreaming. Deprived of our nightly flights of
imagination, our sanity disintegrates. Likewise, deprived of mystery, our soul
withers.
Some think they need only answers. But the need for mystery is greater than
the need for any answer.
And just as sleeping summons our dreams, hiking is an invocation to
mystery. Especially if we’re hiking in the most mysterious land of all: the vast,
earthen sculpture known as southern Utah.
The soaring arches, bulging walls, towering spires, and fiery colors eventually,
inexorably lull hikers into a state of contemplation in which we ponder and are
strangely soothed by life’s enduring mysteries.
We’re aware of the scientific view. We’ve heard about the processes that
shaped this topography. What geologists tell us makes sense. We don’t question
how. We wonder why. We seek a transcendent explanation.
Could aimless physics really be responsible for creating such a bizarre and
sensuous wonderland? Or was there intent? The intent to inspire play and elicit
joy among all creatures who wander here?
Romping like children—across slickrock, into labyrinthian canyons—we
sense nature’s intent. It ignites our curiosity, powers our limbs. But it remains a
mystery. And it keeps us returning, to steep ourselves in it rather than solve it.
Fall asleep, plunge into the recesses of your subconscious mind, and you
awaken not necessarily with answers, but refreshed. It’s the same when you
return from a southern-Utah sojourn, your boots covered in Navajo sandstone
dust, your mind empty and clear.
Canyon country is the land of waking dreams.
6 UTAH CANYON COUNTRY
TRIPS Trips in each category are listed according to geographic location: starting
in the southwest, near St. George, moving northeast to Escalante, north-
AT A
east to the San Rafael Swell, east to Moab, then south to Cedar Mesa.
GLANCE
After the trip name is the return distance, followed by the elevation gain.
1 Snow Canyon 6 mi (9.7 km) 460 ft (140 m)
2 LaVerkin Creek 18.2 mi (29.3 km) 1540 ft (470 m)
3 The Subway 7.8 mi (12.6 km) 1200 ft (366 m)
4 Angels Landing 5.2 mi (8.4 km) 1500 ft (457 m)
5 West Rim 12.2 mi (19.6 km) 2510 ft (765 m)
6 Observation Point 8 mi (12.9 km) 2147 ft (654 m)
7 Cable Mountain 15.4 mi (24.8 km) 2964 ft (904 m)
8 Zion Narrows 6 mi (9.7 km) 200 ft (61 m)
9 The Wave 6 mi (9.6 km) 300 ft (91 m)
10 Wire Pass 3.4 mi (5.5 km) 170 ft (52 m)
11 Buckskin Gulch 20.3 mi (32.7 km) 100 ft (24 m)
12 Paria River Canyon 38.4 mi (61.9 km) 1130-ft (345-m) loss
13 Yellow Rock 4.2 mi (6.8 km) 800 ft (244 m)
14 Lick Wash 8 mi (13 km) 330 ft (100 m)
15 Rainbow Bridge & Beyond 23 mi (27 km) 2640 ft (805 m)
16 Fairyland 8 mi (12.9 km) 1670 ft (509 m)
17 Peekaboo / Queens Garden 6.4 mi (10.3 km) 1145 ft (349 m)
18 Red Canyon 6 mi (9.7 km) 480 ft (146 m)
19 Willis Creek Canyon 4.8 mi (7.7 km) 300 ft (91 m)
20 Pine Creek 8.5 mi (13.7 km) 1300-ft (396-m) loss
21 Golden Cathedral 9.2 mi (14.8 km) 1260 ft (384 m)
22 Twentyfive Mile Wash 15.2 mi (24.5 km) 1030 ft (314 m)
23 Peek-a-boo & Spooky 4.8 mi (7.7 km) 565 ft (172 m)
24 Coyote Gulch 18 mi (29 km) 680 ft (207 m)
25 Crack in the Wall 5.2 mi (8.4 km) 880 ft (268 m)
26 Willow & Fortymile Gulches 7.7 mi (12.4 km) 430 ft (131 m)
27 Davis Gulch 8 mi (12.9 km) 755 ft (230 m)
28 Escalante River 15.5 mi (25 km) 760 ft (232 m)
29 Phipps Arch 8 mi (12.9 km) 840 ft (256 m)
30 Lower Calf Creek Falls 6 mi (9.7 km) 260 ft (79 m)
31 Upper Calf Creek Falls 2.2 mi (3.5 km) 657 ft (200 m)
32 Boulder Mail Trail 15 mi (24.2 km) 2500 ft (762 m)
33 Little Death Hollow 15.2 mi (24.5 km) 665 ft (203 m)
34 Silver Falls Creek Canyon 12 mi (19.3 km) 660 ft (201 m)
35 Upper Muley Twist 14.2 mi (22.9 km) 1060 ft (323 m)
36 Spring Canyon 9.7 mi (15.6 km) 1070-ft (326-m) loss
37 Navajo Knobs 9 mi (14.5 km) 2500 ft (762 m)
38 Cohab Canyon / Cassidy Arch 9.2 mi (14.8 km) 2530 ft (771 m)
39 Golden Throne 4 mi (6.4 km) 700 ft (213 m)
40 Sheets Gulch 4 mi (6.4 km) 250 ft (76 m)
41 Goblin Valley 8 mi (13 km) 275 ft (84 m)
42 Bell & Little Wild Horse 8.7 mi (14 km) 710 ft (216 m)
43 Crack Canyon 7 mi (11.3 km) 260 ft (79 m)