Day 1

Shuttle to the trailhead: 4-hour drive from St. George
Mileage: 3.5 miles
Elevation Loss: 300 feet

This Utah backpacking trip begins at the Red Well Trailhead, on the rugged Hole-in-the-Rock road, at the “headwaters” of Utah's Coyote Gulch. From the trailhead we hike a short distance before entering an open and dry wash, the upper section of Coyote Gulch. The day’s hike continues downstream and gradually the wash begins to resemble a canyon as short walls of Navajo Sandstone begin to appear on either side of the wash and we come to several pour-offs and short waterfalls. Just as the canyon begins deepening we’ll find ourselves in a beautiful cottonwood grove and our camp for the evening.


Day 2

Mileage: 6 miles
Elevation Loss: 200 feet

Continuing our hike downstream through stands of cottonwood and willows, the gulch deepens and narrows and encloses us in a towering corridor of sandstone. The creek is flowing continuously now and there are numerous crossings. As we progress, the day’s changing light plays on the canyon’s walls in a brilliant show of reds, yellows and browns. These imposing walls are the backdrop for features closer at hand: beautifully sculpted streambeds and intimate little cascades and waterfalls.

After a few miles of hiking, in an especially sinuous and narrow part of the gulch, we’ll hike by Jacob Hamblin Arch. Another half mile hike downstream brings us to Coyote Natural Bridge. We’ll walk directly underneath this unbelievable feature. Camp will be made in the vicinity of Coyote Natural Bridge.

After dinner we’ll explore the truly amazing Native American ruins nearby. Bands of Fremont people, a pre-columbian culture that lived contemporaneously with the Anasazi through 1300 AD, once called Coyote Gulch their home. They farmed plots of land and made their dwellings beneath the canyon’s walls. Our second night’s campsite allows us to see a fine pictograph panel at the base of the Navajo Sandstone, a small ruin littered with artifacts, and a Fremont Indian dwelling.


Day 3

Mileage: 5.5 miles and 4 miles optional day hiking
Elevation Loss: 200 feet

A casual morning and delicious breakfast will precede more beautiful hiking downstream. Several miles from camp we’ll hike beneath Cliff Arch, a spectacular arch several hundred feet above the canyon floor. The character of the canyon changes again as we progress, becoming wider with steep vegetated hillsides beginning to appear beneath the canyon’s walls. Larger pour-offs accompany a higher stream volume and sandstone terraces begin to appear above deep overhangs where the stream flows. Later in the day we’ll use these terraces for easier hiking and after traversing a sandstone slab we’ll arrive at the confluence of Coyote Gulch and the Escalante River. We’ll make camp here under steep cliff walls and, time permitting, we’ll have the opportunity to day hike upstream along the Escalante River to the remote and spectacular Stevens Canyon. Those so inclined are more than welcome to relax in camp rather than day hike.


Day 4

Mileage: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 800 feet
Shuttle to St. George: 4-hour drive

Following breakfast we’ll break camp and re-trace our steps one mile upstream where we’ll turn south and ascend a long sandy slope. It is a strenuous hike in soft sand to the “crack in the wall,” a narrow crevice we’ll use to escape the canyon’s upper-most cliff wall. From the top we’ll have a brilliant view of the Escalante River and Steven’s Arch. After the guide hauls everyone’s backpack over the rim with a rope we’ll hike two miles across the desert to the Fortymile Ridge Trailhead and our vehicle. Refreshing drinks and a comfy suburban signify the end of our Utah backpacking trip and will get us comfortably back to St. George.