Looking for Utah hiking recommendations

[J Dos]

Greetings BPL’ers,

Wow, it’s been too many years since I’ve last posted. I’m glad to see some of the old active members still posting. Anyway, I have time off in mid-April and really want to hike in Utah. I haven’t been since I was a kid. I live in Santa Cruz, CA, so it’s about a 12-hour drive to Zion. I want to spend 10 full days in Utah, then drive home. I’ve heard that Grand Staircase National Monument is amazing, as well as Zion. I’d like to be out for a main hike for 5-7 days, then hit any highlights I can. A friend told me Zion is basically a series of great dayhikes.

I’m an experienced UL hiker with a base weight around 8 pounds. I will be solo. Most of my experience is in alpine/mountains/forest/coastal destinations. I have a variety of shelter options. I recently bought a Zpacks Arc Blast and think that should be enough pack to carry everything including water. Will water be an issue this time of year? I will continue to do independent research, but always appreciate feedback from the BPL community. Cheers.

[nunatak]

Here’s two good ones out of dozens I’ve done on the Plateau:

Dark Canyon. Down the Sundance trail, then the Youngs – Lean To loop. Back up the Sundance. 5-6 days, off trail adventure, solitude, no permits. Adequate water. Parts of it is also the Hayduke Trail. The other trailhead on North Long Point is likely inaccessible due to snow, hence the Sundance entry.

The Maze, Canyonlands. Down the North trail, into the Maze proper via Maze Overlook trail – thru the Maze and out via Water Canyon. Over to the Doll House, then thru Ernie’s Country. Back up North trail. 6-7 days. Water is no problem with a little research. Permit required. Mostly trail and established cairned routes. More people than Youngs – Lean To.

 

 

 

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Definitely backpack Coyote Gulch. Far better than Paria River.

[Lee W]

Escalante is great in April. If you’re in the Coyote Gulch area, as mentioned above, cross the Escalante River and you will open up an unbelievable amount of terrain with almost nobody around.

Take a look at Steve Allen’s book Canyoneering 3 Loop Hikes in the Escalante. It has some fantastic loops that would fit your itinerary. Don’t get suckered into the canyon bottoms all the time, get up on the benches above them too. Take a look at his “Overland Route” described in the back of the book. It’s a good way of connecting some of the canyons together and getting some good loops.

Lots of springs and potholes out there, so water access shouldn’t be a problem. You will probably have access to water multiple times each day.

[Lee W]

And yes, Zion is basically a series of great day hikes, many of which are packed with people like you wouldn’t believe!

[Garrett]

I highly recommend starting at the crack in the wall and climbing out Jacob hamblin when backpacking Coyote Gulch. The climb is super easy Imo, but lots of fun. Backcountrypost will give you a lot more info on trips in Utah than BPL.

Zion disturbs me to say the least… I saw how beautiful yet completely ruined it was by all the man made tunnels, roads, stores, and hotels. That said, I’m glad it’s there because it makes a good distraction from other highly scenic spots in southern Utah

[J Dos]

Thank you so much for the recommendations and links! I had automatic notifications turned off and forget to check the thread until today.

My timeline might be late May now due to work obligations. I’m thinking about a longer trip of 14 days but we’ll see. I have plenty of fun research to do over the next few weeks. This will help a ton.

[Dean F.]

The Young/Lean-To loop in Dark Canyon is only 3 or 4 days really, and that’s leisurely.  But I did have great weather and absolutely no water worries there in April a few years ago.  Of course, you could probably put together a nice, long hike there somehow and I highly recommend Dark Canyon.  Possibly just add an out-and-back to the river, or somehow add the Woodenshoe/Peavine Canyon loop and the Young/Lean-To loop together.  That would be a great place to spend a week and a half.

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