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| Backpack | 26.46 Miles |
8,135 AEG |
| | Backpack | 26.46 Miles | 2 Days 30 Mns | | |
| 8,135 ft AEG | | 21.7 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | This trip was a condensed 3 day/2 night trip along the Escalante Route. We entered the canyon on the Tanner Trail, took the Escalante Route west and then exited the canyon on the New Hance Trail.
Day 1:
With a slightly late start, we left Lipan Point and headed down the Tanner Trail at 10:00 AM. The weather was clear and sunny with temps in the 40's. The first mile of the trail was covered with ice and snow that made traction a necessity. This was my first time using Black Diamond's Blitz spikes (fore-foot only) and they performed well. Our pace was slowed by the ice and we managed to cover just a single mile within the first hour. After that the ice gave way to a great trail that descended into the canyon. Camp was set at Tanner beach, where the Colorado was running a beautiful blue-green shade. There is a pit toilet there as well as several dispersed areas for single tents. Total mileage for the day was 8 with a descent of 5070'.
Day 2:
This was our longest day of the trip and the goal was to hike the entirety of the Escalante Route down to Hance Rapids. Weather was slightly cloudy which helped keep things relatively cool throughout the long stretches of sun exposure. The first 3 miles of trail meander near the Colorado before turning south and heading higher in elevation. Around this point the trail splits into a high route and a low route. I'd recommend taking the high route to check out the ruins of a stone building on top of the hill that overlooks Unkar Creek Rapids. Shortly thereafter the trail skirts the edge of a ~600' cliff with amazing views of the Colorado.
From this point on the main climb of the day started. We hiked up along a red ridge before cresting over and dropping down to Escalante Creek. This is a great spot to take lunch, but don't be tempted by the immediate access to the Colorado. Once you reach the river, hang a left (down stream) and you'll find Escalante Beach. It's a beautiful crescent-shaped beach that we only noticed once we had continued hiking and the trail climbed back up the canyon wall. Next time, I guess. We were soon greeted with the mouth of 75 Mile Canyon and a breath taking view down to the floor below. From here the trail skirted the eastern rim until we reached a point at the end where we could safely drop into the slot canyon. Being surrounded by narrow and towering walls was a nice change of pace after spending the morning in the expanse of the main canyon. Once we exited 75 Mile we were back in the pattern of dropping down to the river, and climbing up from the river.
The next big feature of the day was the Papago Wall. After dropping down to the river again (surprise!) we were a little disappointed by the wall's diminutive size. Reports that we had read, and videos that we had watched, all hyped up the climb up the Papago Wall, but it was a quick and easy task for everyone in the group. The Papago Slide, however, lived up to the hype and was a nice descent to navigate down to our camp at Hance Rapids. Like Tanner Beach, there were several small sites hidden amongst the vegetation as well as one large one. I really enjoyed pitching my tent on a soft and sandy surface compared to the rough patches I've become used to here in Arizona. Total mileage for the day was 12.4 with a climb of 2798' and a descent of 2548'.
Day 3:
Our final day of the trip was the shortest with regards to miles, but the toughest when it came to elevation gained. The New Hance Trail starts in the wash of Red Canyon before heading up the canyon wall at roughly mile 1.5. Save yourself some time and head straight to the wash from camp rather than trying to bushwack your way to the trail like we did. This was a long grind of a hike but the ever-changing views kept me motivated. I've never hiked on another stretch of trail that had such vivid colors from the rocks, sand, canyon walls, and vegetation. The trail was very easy to follow until roughly the 3 mile/5000' point and then it became more of a route where I relied on cairns and footprints to guide me. Most of the final stretch is up the higher reaches of Red Canyon where you come close to hitting the saddle before turning south and switchbacking up the final ~1000' to the edge of the rim. Traction was needed for the last ~1/8 of a mile. When we left Lipan Point on Friday morning Sunday's forecast was calling for a 60% chance of rain in the canyon and snow on the rim. Much to our surprise and satisfaction this was completely wrong and we were able to hike out on a clear and sunny morning. Total mileage for the day was 6 with a climb of 4734'. |
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