Todo List
Tick List
Lower Calf Creek Falls - Escalante
Date: 05/27/2017
at the suggestion of the proprietor of our hostel, we went around 8am. We were able to park in the lot. The hike to the falls was probably only about 1-1.5 hr, and we basically had it to ourselves. I would estimate we passed at least 100 others on our way out and because the trail is narrow at many points, we had to stop and let others pass, which made the out hike pretty tedious. I also think the falls would be less appealing if you had to share them with 60-100 others.
at the suggestion of the proprietor of our hostel, we went around 8am. We were able to park in the lot. The hike to the falls was probably only about 1-1.5 hr, and we basically had it to ourselves. I would estimate we passed at least 100 others on our way out and because the trail is narrow at many points, we had to stop and let others pass, which made the out hike pretty tedious. I also think the falls would be less appealing if you had to share them with 60-100 others.
Peekaboo-Spooky-Brimstone - Escalante
Date: 05/26/2017
BF and I did this loop over Memorial day weekend 2017. This was our "intro" canyoneering experience after lots of hiking, so some of our troubles may be because we're beginners, but thought I'd share some additional info, since I think we were somewhat unprepared for the day. 1 - Vehicle access: We rented a Toyota corolla and made it down hole in the rock slowly, but just fine. We were able to get to the first parking lot (there were some RVs and other sedans there) but had to walk to the actual trail head. I tried to wave down some 4x4 drivers for a lift, but we didn't have anyone stop :(. 2 - Finding Dry Fork: We struggled a bit as first timers just finding the way, I didn't think the path was well worn at all until we hit the deep sand into the canyon. There were some misleading cairns and some spots where we couldn't find them, and we only ran across one other hiker on the way down...who was also totally lost. As a result, it took us a while to actually make our way down. We also encountered a diamondback rattler on our way in! Eek! 3 - The Canyons I am short (5'3") and a weak climber, so I was unable to pass the upclimb at the start of peekaboo and we did the loop backward. We joined forces with the other hiker because there were several places where we ended up needing to work together to continue. I have heard that it is easier overall to go up PAB and down spooky. The slots were a little more technical/challenging than I expected in this direction, but made for a really fun, physical day. Because we got a little lost on the way down, and it was late spring, climbing up that deep sand and the unshaded, hike back to the parking lot were probably the toughest part -- it was early afternoon and HOT. I would still recommend it as a good "introductory" adventure...definitely whetted our appetite for more, but would caveat that it will be a challenge for newbies.
BF and I did this loop over Memorial day weekend 2017. This was our "intro" canyoneering experience after lots of hiking, so some of our troubles may be because we're beginners, but thought I'd share some additional info, since I think we were somewhat unprepared for the day. 1 - Vehicle access: We rented a Toyota corolla and made it down hole in the rock slowly, but just fine. We were able to get to the first parking lot (there were some RVs and other sedans there) but had to walk to the actual trail head. I tried to wave down some 4x4 drivers for a lift, but we didn't have anyone stop :(. 2 - Finding Dry Fork: We struggled a bit as first timers just finding the way, I didn't think the path was well worn at all until we hit the deep sand into the canyon. There were some misleading cairns and some spots where we couldn't find them, and we only ran across one other hiker on the way down...who was also totally lost. As a result, it took us a while to actually make our way down. We also encountered a diamondback rattler on our way in! Eek! 3 - The Canyons I am short (5'3") and a weak climber, so I was unable to pass the upclimb at the start of peekaboo and we did the loop backward. We joined forces with the other hiker because there were several places where we ended up needing to work together to continue. I have heard that it is easier overall to go up PAB and down spooky. The slots were a little more technical/challenging than I expected in this direction, but made for a really fun, physical day. Because we got a little lost on the way down, and it was late spring, climbing up that deep sand and the unshaded, hike back to the parking lot were probably the toughest part -- it was early afternoon and HOT. I would still recommend it as a good "introductory" adventure...definitely whetted our appetite for more, but would caveat that it will be a challenge for newbies.
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