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← Next International Plan: EBC in 2020
The Magnetic Power of the Grand Canyon →

Planning an Escalante River Run: From Highway 12 to Lake Powell

Posted on April 16, 2019August 22, 2024 by Backcountry Fever

The desire to float the Escalante River came from my first trip to Coyote Gulch with a group of scouts back in 2016.  Standing at the confluence of those two waterways to get a closer look at Steven’s Arch, I couldn’t help but wonder what the full length of that canyon looked like from Highway 12 all the way to Lake Powell.  I remembered coming up the Escalante River by boat a few years earlier with some friends who invited us to spend a week on their houseboat. 

Lots of thoughts were running through my mind as I stood there in that knee-deep flow. Where does this start?  How far away is Lake Powell?  I wonder if you could… oh, the wheels were rollin’!

When I got home, I immediately went to my maps and started connecting dots.  Researching this also brought me to discover the river hike from Highway 12 back into Escalante, which has since been added to my bucket list.  It wasn’t until this year that I noticed posts on Instagram from people floating this river as an awesome spring runoff begins. 

That’s when I got serious about what it would take to accomplish an adventure like this.

I joined the Utah Packrafting Community on Facebook and started following all the planning questions and trip reports.  The spiderweb of links led me to this detailed trip report where I began mapping out the route with its unique characteristics to explore and potential hazards to navigate.

I’ve subscribed to USGS WaterAlerts for station 09337500 and added two more SnoTel sites to watch that impact this river flow (Widtsoe #3 and Sunflower Flat).

I’m already thinking it’d be fun to do a reconnaissance run of the river from Coyote Gulch down into Lake Powell… slide in to see Cathedral in the Desert before it goes underwater again and exiting out via Hole in the Rock Road. Then maybe swing over to Reflection Canyon while we’re that deep down this road.

I know there’s a lot more experience to gain before attempting a full-length river trip like this, but we’ll see how things unfold as more time goes by! So instead of keeping a private file of my plans, I will keep this post updated as more details come into focus.

← Next International Plan: EBC in 2020
The Magnetic Power of the Grand Canyon →

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My 13th time on this summit, but 1st to enjoy some watermelon at the top 🍉 Thanks to Jocelyn, the "Watermelon Girl", who lugged that all the way up and was gracious enough to share it 😁

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mounttimp #timpanogos #timp #11er #hikethewasatch #summitshot #peakbagger #summervibes #watermelon #watermelongirl #goodvibrations

29 2
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18494366443068269
My 13th time on this summit, but 1st to enjoy some watermelon at the top 🍉 Thanks to Jocelyn, the "Watermelon Girl", who lugged that all the way up and was gracious enough to share it 😁

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mounttimp #timpanogos #timp #11er #hikethewasatch #summitshot #peakbagger #summervibes #watermelon #watermelongirl #goodvibrations

Summit Shack in Sight!

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mttimp #timp #wasatchfront #wasatchmountains #11er #summitshack #mountainlife #hikemore #hikerlife

19 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18350512492156368
Summit Shack in Sight!

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mttimp #timp #wasatchfront #wasatchmountains #11er #summitshack #mountainlife #hikemore #hikerlife

Veered right a bit of the South saddle (red line) for a more adventurous route up to Timp... but once we got up on the ridge, we saw we could have done an even more interesting way (yellow line) cutting into that cliff band and zigzagging along the shelves as seen in the 4th picture (taken from South Timp).

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mttimp #timp #timpanogos #mountaineering

30 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18083925961775519
Veered right a bit of the South saddle (red line) for a more adventurous route up to Timp... but once we got up on the ridge, we saw we could have done an even more interesting way (yellow line) cutting into that cliff band and zigzagging along the shelves as seen in the 4th picture (taken from South Timp).

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #mttimp #timp #timpanogos #mountaineering

Only a few patches of snow remain between Aspen Grove and Emerald Lake.

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #timpanogos #timp #aspengrove #emeraldlake #snowfun #springhiking #wasatchmountains #goatworthy

35 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18330819139163410
Only a few patches of snow remain between Aspen Grove and Emerald Lake.

#mounttimpanogos #mttimpanogos #timpanogos #timp #aspengrove #emeraldlake #snowfun #springhiking #wasatchmountains #goatworthy

For those interested in doing Deseret Peak... the snow is still in the couloirs, but only for a little while longer!

#deseretpeak #twincouloirs #mountaineering

27 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18047137721625663
For those interested in doing Deseret Peak... the snow is still in the couloirs, but only for a little while longer!

#deseretpeak #twincouloirs #mountaineering

The best way to slide down a snowy slope in Spring conditions is like this...

#glissade #glissading #springtimefun #mountaineering #slipperywhenwet #letsgooo

17 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17851034010437154
The best way to slide down a snowy slope in Spring conditions is like this...

#glissade #glissading #springtimefun #mountaineering #slipperywhenwet #letsgooo

Didn`t get much mountaineering in this Spring, so trying to catch the last bit of something before the snow`s all gone.

#mountaineering #snowhike #wolverinecirque #abovebrighton #brighton #springadventures #springhike #westillhavesnow #utahhiking #mtmillicent #mtwolverine #patsymarley #ridgehike

25 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18071868488494094
Didn't get much mountaineering in this Spring, so trying to catch the last bit of something before the snow's all gone.

#mountaineering #snowhike #wolverinecirque #abovebrighton #brighton #springadventures #springhike #westillhavesnow #utahhiking #mtmillicent #mtwolverine #patsymarley #ridgehike

Not too many cold weather weekends left to go winter camping!

#coldweathercamping #wintercamping #wintercamp #uintas #sledsintow #stillwinterhere #winterfun

16 0
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 18363244447130614
Not too many cold weather weekends left to go winter camping!

#coldweathercamping #wintercamping #wintercamp #uintas #sledsintow #stillwinterhere #winterfun

Bagged Bierstadt today! Thought I could get Evans too, but took one look at The Sawtooth and went "nope"! I was also by myself... either way, that stretch looked intense even without the snow.

Get the full trip report at BackcountryFever.com/CO

#bierstadt #mountbierstadt #mtbierstadt #mtbierstadtsummit #winterroute #snowshoeing #snowshoeadventures #hikecolorado #hikeco #colorado14ers #colorado14er #14er #14ers #14ersummit #peakbagging #summitchaser

28 1
Open post by backcountryfever with ID 17901033000080878
Bagged Bierstadt today!  Thought I could get Evans too, but took one look at The Sawtooth and went "nope"! I was also by myself... either way, that stretch looked intense even without the snow.

Get the full trip report at BackcountryFever.com/CO

#bierstadt #mountbierstadt #mtbierstadt #mtbierstadtsummit #winterroute #snowshoeing #snowshoeadventures #hikecolorado #hikeco #colorado14ers #colorado14er #14er #14ers #14ersummit #peakbagging #summitchaser
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