Hiking Fiftymile Creek
Hole In The Rock Road
Overview
Sun 97 | 70 |
Mon 95 | 74 |
Tue 95 | 71 |
Wed 96 | 70 |
Thu 96 | 70 |
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Sun 97 | 70 |
Mon 95 | 74 |
Tue 95 | 71 |
Wed 96 | 70 |
Thu 96 | 70 |
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Tucked away in the rugged and remote Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Fiftymile Creek is an often overlooked gem. This canyon, a tributary of the larger Escalante River and Lake Powell drainage system, has towering Navajo sandstone walls and sculpted narrow sections with riparian vegetation that adds a splash of green to the desert palette. There is even an extensive rock art panel and arch in the canyon. The hike into Fiftymile Creek is a classic Escalante experience: dramatic geological formations, challenging terrain, and a sense of timelessness found only in the most secluded corners of the Colorado Plateau.
Depending on the current level of Lake Powell, Fiftymile Creek can be a fairly long canyon. On my visit, with a lake level at 3,560', the round-trip distance from the trailhead to near the lake was a bit over 16 miles. The distance, coupled with terrain and some bushwacking, make this a very strenous day hike. It would be a more moderate overnight backpack. The best sections, to my eye, begin where the Lake Powell highwater mark is, about 5 miles one way from the trailhead.
Given the length and difficulty, this is an outing that is best suited to experienced desert hikers. If just going to the rock art panel and arch, then returning, it would be suitable to most and make for a great 3-4 hour hike.
Getting There
Head east out of the town of Escalante about 5 miles on highway 12 until the well signed Hole in the Rock road on the south side of highway 12. Reset the odometer as you turn onto this road.
- Mile 0 - Hole-In-The-Rock Road Turnoff ( 12S 453167E 4175716N / 37°43'39"N 111°31'53"W )
- 4.5 miles - Small parking area on the north side of the road. This is the trailhead for West Big Horn/Big Horn Canyon. ( 12S 457467E 4170148N / 37°40'39"N 111°28'56"W )
- 8.0 miles - Parking area after a cattle guard. This is the Zebra/Tunnel trailhead. ( 12S 460681E 4165896N / 37°38'22"N 111°26'44"W )
- 12.3 miles - Devil's Garden turn off on the right. The trailhead is about 1/4 of a mile down this road. No camping, but a pit toilet. ( 12S 463808E 4160175N / 37°35'17"N 111°24'36"W )
- 14.45 Miles - Left Hand Collet Road on the right. ( 12S 465665E 4157425N / 37°33'48"N 111°23'20"W )
- 16.6 miles - Egypt road on the left. This access the Egypt and Neon trailheads ( 12S 468045E 4154960N / 37°32'28"N 111°21'42"W )
- 24.8 miles - Upper Dry Fork Trailhead on the right (south). This has a large parking area and pit toilet. ( 12S 478657E 4148035N / 37°28'44"N 111°14'29"W )
- 26.1 miles - Dry Fork Trailhead Road on the left (north). The trailhead is at the end of the road in about a mile. ( 12S 480198E 4146661N / 37°27'60"N 111°13'26"W )
- 30.9 miles - Red Well side road on the left. Follow this 1 mile to its end for the Red Well Trailhead. ( 12S 485669E 4141593N / 37°25'16"N 111°09'43"W )
- 33.1 miles - Chimney Rock side road on the left (north). ( 12S 487309E 4138502N / 37°23'36"N 111°08'36"W )
- 34 miles - Hurricane Wash Trailhead on the left. ( 12S 488275E 4137666N / 37°23'08"N 111°07'57"W )
- 36.3 miles - Fortymile Ridge side road on the left. This road goes to the Stock Tank and Fortymile Ridge trailheads commonly used for Coyote Gulch. This is also the road to Sunset Arch. ( 12S 489827E 4135057N / 37°21'44"N 111°06'54"W )
- 36.9 miles - Dance Hall Rock on the left. ( 12S 490766E 4134519N / 37°21'26"N 111°06'15"W )
- 40.8 miles - Sooner Rocks. Good primitive camping in the area. ( 12S 494749E 4131425N / 37°19'46"N 111°03'33"W )
- 41.7 miles - Willow Gulch side road on the left. To reach the Willow Gulch/Sooner Bench trailhead, follow this road to its end in 1.4 miles. It requires medium to high clearance. ( 12S 496002E 4130621N / 37°19'20"N 111°02'42"W )
- 45.7 miles - Small spur road on the right that goes to a wash. This is the Cave Point and Fiftymile Creek trailhead. There is OK primitive camping here as well. ( 12S 498172E 4127122N / 37°17'27"N 111°01'14"W )
Route
Rock art and historic sites are fragile, non-renewable cultural resources that, once damaged, can never be replaced. To ensure they are protected, please:
- Avoid Touching the Petroglyphs: Look and observe, BUT DO NOT TOUCH!
- Stay on the Trails: Stay on the most used trails when visiting sites, and don't create new trails or trample vegetation.
- Photography and Sketching is Allowed: Do not introduce any foreign substance to enhance the carved and pecked images for photographic or drawing purposes. Altering, defacing, or damaging the petroglyphs is against the law -- even if the damage is unintentional.
- Pets: Keep pets on a leash and clean up after them.
- Artifacts: If you happen to come across sherds (broken pottery) or lithics (flakes of stone tools), leave them where you see them. Once they are moved or removed, a piece of the past is forever lost.
To the Panel and Arch (3.6 miles)
From the trailhead, walk down the shallow canyon. Cow and hiker trails make the walking fairly easy. About 1.2 miles from the trailhead, the canyon cuts into sandstone at a dryfall. Follow a social trail and cairns on the left rim down canyon a couple of minutes to where it descends back into the canyon bottom and continue hiking down the canyon.
About 2.2 miles from the trailhead, there is an overhang/cave on the left. Some have said this shows signs of habitation from native peoples, but I didn't notice any. A few minutes down the the cave, a side fork join in on the right.
From where the side canyon comes in on the right, Fiftymile Creek slowly begins to change as water starts to intermittently flow and vegitation becomes more and more prevalant.
About 3.2 miles from the trailhead, an arch is visible high on the left rim, with a deep overhang just downstream from the arch. The wall directly underneath the arch is home to a large petroglyph panel. Some figures are 15+ feet off the ground! It is complex and large site. I visited in the early morning when it was in shade, then revisited it later in the day when it was in full sun. For viewing and photographing, I think full sun is better.
Arch to the Sandslide Exit (0.5 miles)
Continuing down from the arch, in about 1/2 a mile, a large sand hill comes in on the right. This is known as the sand hill exit, and allows access in or out of the canyon. It seems easy to climb by starting on the upstream side of the sandhill. There are many options.
Sandslide to Lake Powell High Water Mark (1.35 miles)
Fiftymile Creek is quite riparian now, with a fair bit of wandering through dense vegetation. Sometimes it seems easiest to stay in the watercourse, sometimes to try and cut corners.
About the high water mark, the canyon narrows dramatically, and, on my visit, there was the first waist-deep wade. If backpacking, I would consider camping just above high water mark.
High Water Mark to the Lake (depends on water levels; at 3,560', this was a bit over 3 miles one way)
At High Water Mark, the canyon settles into a rhythm. There are narrow sections with wading on many of the bends, with more open riparian sections in between. There are some beautiful and big undercuts along the way as well.
At about 2.8 miles, on my trip, the canyon opened more broadly and became silt-floored from lake deposits. Walking on the silt plain is easy until you get near where the lake recently dried up; then, in my experience, the silt plain gets muddy and becomes difficult going. I turned around a bit over 3 miles from the high water mark when the mud got to be over ankle deep and the lose of a shoe seemed immeninent.
Maps
Trailhead |
12S 498116E 4127094N 37°17'26"N 111°01'16"W |
Dryfall |
12S 499170E 4127944N 37°17'53"N 111°00'34"W |
Re-Entry |
12S 499328E 4128133N 37°17'59"N 111°00'27"W |
Cave |
12S 500442E 4128503N 37°18'11"N 110°59'42"W |
Rock Art and Arch |
12S 501388E 4129325N 37°18'38"N 110°59'04"W |
Sandslide Exit |
12S 502140E 4129333N 37°18'38"N 110°58'33"W |
High Water Mark |
12S 503067E 4130349N 37°19'11"N 110°57'55"W |
Gregory Natural Bridge |
12S 505399E 4131446N 37°19'47"N 110°56'21"W |