This is probably one of my favorite hikes so far - Angel Slot Canyon near the Dirty Devil area. Fairly easy (but may first be intimidating) rappels that are juicy beefy! True slot canyon squeezes that require some technical maneuvering… Oh and hey, it’s not too long! It’s another 3-4 hour, or in our case… 5-6 hour hike that’s less than 3-4 miles round trip.
Fall approaches with rain and cool weather. We found one last hurrah at Dirty Devil - near Hanksville, Utah (and the Robber’s Roost and North Wash canyoneering area).
Our first canyon - Angel Cove! The site is south of Hanksville, off some dirt paths. GPS is greatly helpful out here where dirt roads are king. There are only a few signs and people are fairly scarce in these neck of the… dessert. Here’s a handy route for reference: trimbleoutdoors.com.
The Lake Mary - Grizzly Gulch hike is beautifully scenic hike that will take you through three to four ski resorts. It passes through several lakes, Mary included, and takes you through the old abandoned mines of the Grizzly Gulch trail.
What better way to end a trip then a relaxing day down the river?
Labor Day Monday, we rented a couple of duckies, inflatable kayaks, and went with Red River Adventures down the Moab Daily.
After a quick dip in the river and setting up our camp site before it got too dark, we went back to Arches National Park to hike Delicate Arch during the golden hour.
Booking a kayaking venture on the day of during Labor Day weekend? Utter fail. Backup plan? Arches National Park!
Post-Canyonlands Needles hike, we were much too tired and hurt to complete the any sort of long hike at Arches. But, we fared pretty well through the short hikes to sight-see most of the highlights through the park.
Woken up by the bright burning sun - we chowed down on some quick breakfast and headed into Canyonlands - Needles section before it was even 8.30am. Yes, that’s earlier than when I leave for work…
Elephant Hill Trailhead - Gateway to Chesler Park, Joint Trail, Druid Arch, Elephant Canyon. That’s us!
We first attempted Orderville back in June and July - too much water! However, when we hit it up a couple weeks back - it made for a great hike in the summer heat with some awesome water play.
Check around the web before you attempt this one as the water levels can get quite high. It’ll be good to see what others have experienced and what extra equipment you might need if you can find information from trips just before heading down.
No wet suits, but swimsuits/quick-drying clothing, dry bags and water shoes (with good outdoor adventure socks) are definitely recommended! We also brought rope and a couple of harnesses (plus belay devices and locking biner, of course) for rappelling that we used in a couple of spots: not necessary but helpful.
Coordinate a shuttle or driver as you end up more than 10 miles from the start point - note that the end point is the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop in Zion National Park and the start point is outside the paid park grounds but you will need a backcountry permit, nevertheless.
Yet, another first for the summer: Zion National Park!
A last minute trip that resulted in many injuries, but well worth the pain. Let me start from the beginning before I get too far ahead of myself, however.
Last Sunday, I obtained two bright, burning red shoulder burns from the hot weather we have finally fell into season. I blame that six+ hour hike to the Mount Olympus summit, but it was worth every ache and pain.
