The Corridors Hiking Trip
Intro:
This intricate section of the Escalante River and its side canyons offer exciting
hiking opportunities with plenty of Anasazi evidence, narrows,
grottos, overhanging walls and stunning vistas from wind carved
slickrock summits. In order to explore the country and accommodate
different interests and abilities we split into smaller groups
on the day hikes.
For a complete list of 2010 departure dates please visit our calendar |
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Rating:
Each day hike in the Escalante Canyon offers
the opportunity for difficult and demanding routes, however the
only required hiking and the basis for the rating is that into
and out of base camp. The hike into this base camp is rated moderate
to difficult. The 4.5 mile hike to base camp includes an elevation
loss of 600 feet. Agility is necessary for steep sections, scree,
slickrock and a narrows chimney. The day hiking can be quite
challenging if you chose or easier guided options are available. |
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| Itinerary:
Day 1 - We meet at the Burr Trail Outpost & Grill in
Boulder, UT at 9 am. We provide a duffel bag for your gear (25
lbs. max.) & drive to the trail head. Our hike into the Escalante
River starts down a long sand hill to the edge of the corridors
and a descent on a fin of sandstone into a maze of crack canyons.
We can explore some of these cracks then drop into a lush spring
fed forested canyon. Camp is across the river from the mouth
of this side canyon. |
| Day 2 - We climb an old stock trail onto a low slickrock bench.
Sandstone monuments stand beside archaic camps with ash darkened
sand, grindstones and agate tools. We drop into a deep canyon
and hike up the narrows to a waterfall. An adventurous group
can go above and chimney through the falls. This intricate, colorful
canyon winds between massive domes of red sandstone. An old stock
trail takes some back to camp, while others may opt for a return
on the river. |
| Day 3 - We hike downstream under deeply cut overhanging walls.
One overhang shelters an entire river bend where petroglyphs
were made on a rock floor. Red walls follow the river meanders
as we get to a cavernous cathedral. After viewing rock art as
old as 2000 BC and a mud & stone granary, we climb ancient
pecked steps to the upper contoured slickrock and head back to
camp. |
| Day 4 - On this day we climb to the summit of Navajo sandstone
monument in the middle of the corridors. We hike up a chute of
rubble to a slickrock saddle then into a crack canyon. The summit
is the most spectacular and revealing in the area. We take a
different route back to camp down a long slickrock fin. |
| Day 5 - We hike out of the Escalante Canyon on the old horse
trail. The circuitous route takes us over a 1000 foot high mesa
with incredible views of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument. Back to the vehicle and to Boulder by 6 pm (dinner
not included). |
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| Every trip is different because of weather, the group and, most importantly, spontaneity. Our trips are about exploring; this land is so vast and intricate that we always make new discoveries. The preceding is a sample description of what you may expect. |
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