“Backpacking: An extended form of hiking in which people carry double the amount of gear they need, for half the distance they planned to go, in twice the time it should take.” Unknown author
As part of my cross country drive in March, I will be backpacking, hiking and snowshoeing between California and Colorado. After discovering that mid-late March is a very busy time for Utah and Arizona trails (read: no permits), I learned about Coyote Gulch in Utah. Since I visited Zion twice last year, was unable to secure backcountry permits for several other areas (Havasupai, Parai Canyon, Canyonlands, etc) and much of Bryce Canyon is still covered in snow and ice (we’re not equipped for winter backpacking on this trip), Coyote Gulch will make up the backpacking portion of our trip.
Itinerary
(modified 03.12.2016)
I have just started the planning process. If you have any suggestions, please comment below. I am currently looking for suggestions regarding where we should snowshoe or hike in the Denver area.
Driving Route – Google Maps
- Day 1 (Thu)
- Drive to St. George UT (leave CA late afternoon or early evening, 5 hrs driving)
- Day 2 (Fri)
- Drive to Escalante Ranger Station (3 hours, arrive when they open at 8 AM)
- Finish drive to Red Well Trailhead (1.5 hrs)
- Start Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Hike to Red Well Trailhead to Jacob Hamblin Arch
- 6 miles || 3 hrs hiking
- Camp at Jacob Hamblin Arch
- Hike to Red Well Trailhead to Jacob Hamblin Arch
- Day 3 (Sat)
- Continue Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Day hike Jacob Hamblin Arch to Escalante River and back
- 13 miles RT || 7 hrs hiking
- Landmarks
- Camp at Jacob Hamblin Arch
- 13 miles RT || 7 hrs hiking
- Day hike Jacob Hamblin Arch to Escalante River and back
- Continue Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Day 4 (Sun)
- Finish Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Hike Jacob Hamblin Arch to Red Well Trailhead
- 6 miles || 4 hrs hiking
- Hike Jacob Hamblin Arch to Red Well Trailhead
- Drive to Bryce Canyon (arrive around noon?)
- Drive to “the points”
- Hike Peekaboo Loop – Protrails
- 5.35 miles || ±1825
- Finish Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Day 5 (Mon)
- Hike Bryce
- Fairyland Loop – Climb-Utah.com || NPS.gov || Protrails || NOAA Forecast
- 8.1 miles || ±2150
- Fairyland Loop – Climb-Utah.com || NPS.gov || Protrails || NOAA Forecast
- Drive to SLC (4.5 hrs, @ SLC airport by 5 PM)
- Hike Bryce
- Days 6 (Tue)
- Day Hike/Snowshoe SLC area.
- Blanche Lake – VisitUtah.com || BackcountryPost.com || NOAA Forecast
- Drive to Steamboat Springs (5.5 hrs)
- Misc Info:
- Other possible hikes in SLC:
- Day Hike/Snowshoe SLC area.
- Day 7 (Wed)
- Hike near Steamboat Springs
- North Walton Peak Loop?
- Drive to Breckenridge (~2 hrs)
- Hike near Steamboat Springs
- Day 8 (Thu)
- Hike Quandary Peak – SummitPost || Protrails || 14ers.com || NOAA Forecast
- If I have enough energy after hiking, drive east a few hours
- General Info
- Avalanche Danger – http://avalanche.state.co.us/
- Colorado 14’ers in Winter – http://www.summitpost.org/colorado-14ers-in-winter/337648
- Road Closures – http://www.cotrip.org/travelAlerts.htm#?roadId=
- Other possible hikes:
- Lost Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness – Examiner.com || Backpacker.com || USDA || NOAA Forecast
- Boulder Region Winter Trails IndexIndian Peaks Wilderness Trails – Everytrail || Protrails
- Top 5 Winter Hikes Near Denver – https://www.theoutbound.com/articles/top-5-winter-hikes-near-denver
- 10 Best Winter Hikes in Colorado – http://www.westword.com/arts/the-ten-best-winter-hikes-in-colorado-7481625
- Mt. Bierstadt – SummitPost || Alan Arnette || Fourteeners.org TR || Climber.org TR || Western Maps (GPX File) || NOAA Forecast
- Day 9 (Fri)
- Drive Denver area to St. Louis (~13 hrs)
- Day 10 (Sat)
- Drive St. Louis to Gettysburg (~13 hrs)
- Day 11 (Sun)
- Drive Gettysburg to NH (~8 hrs)
Gear
I’ll be supplying gear for myself and for 1 other hiker on this trip. It’s great to be in a position to be able to do this and I am very thankful for the companies that have provided HikingGeek.com with the gear that will be used/tested on this trip. Here’s a quick look at what we’ll be using. A more comprehensive list will be posted with my trip report. Where appropriate, I’ve either linked to a HikingGeek.com review or links where you can read reviews and/or buy the items:
- Katabatic Gear – Helios 55 Backpack || Flex 22 Quilt
- Tubbs Snowshoes – Flex VRT Snowshoes || Snowshoe Gaiters
- Jacks R Better – High Sierra Sniveller Quilt
- Darn Tough Vermont Socks – Various models, more details later
- YakTrax – Run Traction Cleats
- Peak Design – CapturePRO Camera Clip & PROpad || Peak Design Shell Rain Cover (Small)
- Hoka ONE ONE – Men’s Tor Summit Mid Hiking Shoes
- MyFootShop.com – Spring Plate – Carbon/Graphite Fiber Insole
- Seek Outside – Divide 4500
- WoolX – Lightweight Merino Wool Baselayers ||
- WoolPro – Juno Merino T-Shirt || Agena Merino Longsleeve II Zond Merino Arm Warmers
- Minus33 – Kodiak Expedition Full Zip Hoodie
- Kahtoola – K·10 Hiking Crampons
- Hillsound – Trail Crampons || Trail Crampon PROS || Armadillo LT Gaiter
- ICETrekkers – Diamond Grip Traction Cleats
- Black Rock Gear – Original Down Beanie
Resources
Here is some of the info that I am using to plan my trip.
Coyote Gulch
- Trail Info
- Weather
- Contact
Escalante Interagency Visitor Information Center
PO Box 511
Escalante, UT
84726
435-826-5499
Arches National Park
- ModernHiker Trail Info (maps, gpx files, weather links)
Previous Itineraries
Driving Route – Google Maps
- Day 1 (Thu)
- Drive to St. George UT(leave CA late afternoon or early evening, 5 hrs driving)
- Day 2 (Fri)
- Drive to Escalante Ranger Station (3 hours, arrive when they open at 8 AM)
- Finish drive to Red Well Trailhead (1.5 hrs)
- Start Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Day 3 (Sat)
- Continue Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Day 4 (Sun)
- Finish Coyote Gulch Backpack
- Drive to Moab for Arches National Park (5 hrs) access
- If we arrive in Moab early, we could complete one of the short Arches NP hikes below
- Day 5 (Mon)
- Hike Arches
- Possible Hikes
- Devil’s Garden
- 8 miles || ± 1200 ft || 4.5 hrs
- Delicate Arch
- 3.2 miles || ± 670 ft || 1.5 hrs
- Windows Loop Double Arch
- 3.1 miles || + 314 ft || 1.5 hrs
- Devil’s Garden
- Possible Hikes
- Drive to Denver (5.5 hrs, @ Denver airport by 9 PM)
- Hike Arches
- Days 6 & 7 (Tue & Wed)
- Day Hike/Snowshoe Denver area
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