Escalante Canyon Outfitters
Escalante Canyon Hiking Adventures
 
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Escalante Canyon Outfitters
P.O. Box 1330
Boulder, Utah 84716
info@ecohike.com

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Navajo Gorges Corridors Escalante River Gorge Rincons Kayenta Passages Narrows
Lower Cross Escalante Little Rockies Canyons of the Little Rockies Wingate Canyons II Lower Wingate Waterpocket Fold Glen Canyon One

Little Rockies Hiking Trip
Introduction:
The Little Rockies, named by explorer John Wesley Powell, dominate the sky above upper Glen Canyon. The land between these two jagged red rock peaks and the Colorado River has more canyons per square mile than anywhere in the region.
The three Glen Canyon geologic formations (Wingate, Navajo and Kayenta) are eroded into a maze of canyons, gulches and gorges draining the slickrock between domes, turrets and fins. The main canyons are 1000 feet deep.
This beautiful wilderness landscape is ours to explore for five days as we camp on a small stream under tall tapestried walls. This 5 day trip is slated for the cooler months because of the low elevation (3600 to 4800 feet) where, except for in the canyon bottoms, the vegetation is sparse and spring comes early. By the end of March the leaves are out fully and wildflowers are blooming.
For a complete list of 2012 departure dates please visit our calendar

Rating:
As with all of our trips, each day hike from base camp 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 is rated easy and involves a 4 mile hike to base camp with 800 feet of elevation loss. In order to explore the country and accommodate different interests and abilities we split into smaller groups on the day hikes.

Itinerary: 
Day 1 - We meet at the Burr Trail Grill & Outpost in Boulder, UT at 9 am. We provide a duffel bag for your gear (25 lbs. max.) & drive to the trail head to start our hike. The beautiful drive is about 2 hours long and takes us southeast of Boulder on a spectacular road through Long Canyon, the Circle Cliffs and Capitol Reef National Park. At one point the road drops 3000 feet half of which is so steep it requires a series of 6 switch backs named the Burr Trail. Our hike begins at the edge of a 600 foot deep chasm where an old horse trail takes us into the depths of the canyon. At the bottom we continue our hike downstream past side canyons, petroglyphs and alcoves to a small stream where we make our camp.
Day 2 - As we hike downstream, all of the canyons join and deepen to 1000 feet. Springs erupt and they come together to become a stream lined with cottonwoods. We climb up to an amazing view and hike the winding ledges back to camp.

Day 3 - Beside camp is a mesa of Navajo Sandstone that is eroded into fins and domes; every side contains a network of narrow canyons. We hike, climb, chimney and squeeze through these canyons, topping out on brilliant orange slickrock high above where we enjoy spectacular views into the main canyons. A different route takes us back down into the canyon to camp.

Day 4 - This route takes us between giant domes of sandstone into a cluster of canyons that join and drain into another huge red canyon that was used by Navajo Indians to access the Aquarius Plateau.

Day 5 - We pack up our tents & gear and have a couple of options for the return hike to the van. We either hike downstream and climb up onto a long fin of sandstone that takes us all the way up to the mesa (1200 feet) or hike back up the canyon and return the way we entered. We return to Boulder between 6 pm and 7 pm. (dinner not included).

 
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.
Spring is a beautiful time of year to explore both the canyons and the slickrock country above. The weather is generally warm in the day and cool in the evening with a 30 to 40 degree temperature difference between the high and low. Layers of clothing are the key to comfort.