Southern Utah Traverse: An 800 Mile Hike from Nevada to Colorado

From late April to early June this year, Kate “Swept Away” Pickett and I completed an approximately 800 mile (1,287 km) hike across southern Utah.

We began our journey on the Nevada border WSW of Enterprise and finished seven weeks later at Hovenweep National Monument on the border with Colorado. Along the way we traversed canyons, plateaus, badlands, and mesas, being wowed on a daily basis by the endless array of red rock wonders and archeological gems.

Both Kate and I had previously spent large chunks of time exploring Utah on foot, both on the Hayduke Trail, along with a bunch of other shorter excursions. That being the case, a big factor in putting this trip together, was the opportunity to experience parts of the state that neither one of us had previously visited. One of these places was the incredible Canaan Mountain Wilderness, located between Hurricane and Kanab.

Another place that was high on our ambulatory agenda was Bears Ears National Monument. Both of us had hiked through the northern sections of this protected area, but this was our first time visiting some of the archeologically rich southern sections such as Cedar Mesa’s Collins Canyon, Grand Gulch, and Bullet Canyon, along with the incomparable Comb Ridge.

Highlights

Selecting a handful of highlights from a long hike across Utah is like trying to pick the best pub in Ireland – a nigh on impossible task that’s nonetheless fun to research. Here are some places that immediately come to mind (from west to east):

• Snow Canyon
• Red Mountain Wilderness
• Gooseberry Mesa
• Canaan Mountain Wilderness
• The Barracks
• Great Chamber

• Bryce Canyon NP – Under the Rim Trail, Peekaboo Loop, and Fairyland Loop.
• Powell Point
• Death Hollow
• Egg Canyon
• Upper and Lower Muley Twist Canyons

• Cliff Point on the Waterpocket Fold
• Stevens Canyon
• Fold Canyon
• Coyote Gulch

• The Lizard Route out of Halls Creek
• Grand Gulch and Bullet Canyon
• Comb Ridge
• Hovenweep National Monument

Route Notes

Our route was a combination of cross country travel, 4WD tracks, rock scrambles, river wading, dirt roads, established trails, and a minimal amount on pavement. More often than not, directional choices were dictated out of geological and historical curiosity, rather than expediency.

We split the hike into eight stages, which generally coincided with our resupply points (see below). In the coming weeks I’ll do a stand-alone post for each stage (or two), which will include maps, photos, basic route descriptions, and random musings. The stage breakdown (with approximate distances) was as follows:

• Stage 1 – Utah/Nevada Border to Ivins/St George / 60 mi / 3 days / Via Dixie National Forest and the Red Mountain Wilderness.

• Stage 2 – Ivins/St. George to Mount Carmel Junction / 135 mi / 7 days / Via Snow Canyon State Park, Red Cliffs Conservation Area, La Verkin, Gooseberry Mesa, Canaan Mountain Wilderness, and the Barracks.

• Stage 3 – Mount Carmel Junction to Bryce Canyon Village / 83 mile / 4.5 days / Via Diana’s Throne, Red and Peekaboo Canyons, Great Chamber, Skutumpah Canyon, Grand View Trail, Under the Rim Trail, and the Peekaboo Loop.

• Stage 4 – Bryce Village to Escalante / 80 mi / 3 days / Via Fairyland Loop, Pine Lake, Powell Point, Water Canyon Trail, and Canaan Peak.

• Stage 5 – Escalante to Burr Trail Road, Capitol Reef NP / 70 mi / 4.5 days / Via the Boulder Mail Trail, Death Hollow, Boulder Creek, Long Canyon, Egg Canyon, Lampstand, and Upper Muley Twist Canyon.

• Stage 6 – Burr Trail Road to Bullfrog Marina / 140 mi / 9 days / Via Lower Muley Twist Canyon, Red Slide, Waterpocket Fold, Stevens Canyon, Fold Canyon, Escalante River, Bobway Canyon, King Mesa, Coyote Gulch, Stevens Canyon, Baker Route, Halls Creek, Lizard Route, and the dry as a bone northern reaches of Lake Powell.

• Stage 7 – Bullfrog Marina/Halls Crossing Marina to HWY 163 (near Bluff) / 140 mi / 7.5 days / Via Moqui Canyon, Collins Canyon, Bullet Canyon, Grand Gulch, Kane Gulch Ranger Station, Fish Canyon, Owl Canyon, and Comb Ridge Rd.

• Stage 8  – HWY 163 to Hovenweep National Monument / 95 mi / 3.5 days / Via Comb Ridge (Sites included Wolfman Panel, Double Stack Ruins, Procession Panel, Cathedral Ruins, Monarch Cave, Cold Spring Cave, and a couple of secret squirrel panels), Tank Mesa, Dry/Hot/Crappy road walk on HWYs’ 191 & 262 (or marginally better adjacent dirt roads), and Black Steer Canyon.

Maps & Resources

• The number one resource for the trip was Kate. She’s a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to Utah’s geological and archeological history. Two of her main areas of interest are Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Cedar Mesa, and we ended up spending quite a a lot of time exploring both regions. Speaking of which, some of the books we found most helpful for these areas – both navigationally and inspirationally – included Steve Allen’s, Canyoneering 3: Loop Hikes in Utah’s Escalante”; David Roberts’, In Search of the Old Ones and The Lost World of the Old Ones; Craig Childs, House of Rain, and R.E. Burrillo’s, Behind the Bears Ears.

• The primary online resource for the route was a hiker by the name of Jamal Green. For the past two decades, Jamal has been putting together long distance hiking routes throughout Utah, and his website and YouTube channel, are a treasure trove of logistical and cartographical information. In the words of my old friend, Paul “Mags” Magnanti (who did his own cross-Utah route in 2017), “it’s hard to imagine anyone has hiked more extensively around Utah than Jamal.”

• Two other useful websites for folks interested in planning a cross-Utah ramble are the aforementioned Pmags.com, and Doingmiles.com. The latter contains loads of information on a bunch of different hikes, not only in the States, but other places around the world as well.

• During the planning stage, I pieced the route together on the Gaia GPS site, using a combination of the USGS, Nat Geo, Gaia Topo, Public Land (US), and Satellite map layers.

• On the navigation front, we used a combination of the Gaia app on our iPhones (downloaded layers were USGS, Nat Geo, and Gaia Topo), overview paper maps, and my trusty old Suunto M3.

Water

As with any long hike in Utah and the Four Corners region, water was one of the primary considerations when planning the trip. Of the various map layers, USGS proved most useful in identifying potential sources (e.g., tanks, springs, windmills). Jamal Green’s website was also helpful in this regard.

Because there were various sections of the route where we couldn’t find any pre-trip beta, we erred on the side of caution whenever in doubt. We both had a maximum capacity of 9-10 liters, which we employed on a few different occasions. That said, overall, the H2O situation was as good as we could have hoped for during the journey. On that note, we were assisted by a couple of timely storms, which allowed us to obtain sufficient water from potholes and streams that would have otherwise been hit or miss.

Resupply

A combination of mail drops and buying as we went. We also left a cache at Burr Trail Rd, to split up the long stretch between Escalante and Bullfrog Marina.

• St George – Box
• La Verkin – Buy (Davis Food & Drug Supermarket)
• Kanab (Hitched in from Mount Carmel Junction) – Box
• Bryce City Post Office – Box
• Escalante Post Office – Box
• Burr Trail Road – Cache
• Bullfrog Marina – Box
• Blanding Post Office (hitched in from Kane Gulch Ranger Station) – Box
• Bluff Post Office (short hitch in from Jct. Comb Wash Rd/HWY 163) – Box

In the case of St George, Kanab, and Escalante, we had friends/family who were kind enough to receive and hold boxes for us.

Favourite Food Stops

• La Verkin – River Rock Roasting Company (Excellent baked goods, coffee, and pizza).
• Kanab – Lots Motsa Pizza (AYCE pizza and salad for $6.99), Big Al’s Shakes, Brown Box Cafe (late night ice cream), and Wild Thyme Cafe.
• Escalante – Escalante Outfitters (Fantastic pizza, sandwiches, and desserts)
• HWY 12 (between Escalante & Boulder) – Kiva Koffeehouse – Filling and tasty breakfasts.
• Blanding – Destination Awake (Great coffee, fruit smoothies, baked goods, breakfast burritos, and welcoming vibe).

Permits

Along with the America the Beautiful Entrance Pass, overnight camping permits were required for Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, and Bears Ears National Monument.

In the case of Bryce, it was possible for us to camp just outside the national park boundaries for two nights. We also stayed another night in Bryce City. For Grand Staircase/Escalante and Capitol Reef we obtained permits at the Interagency Office in Escalante. We organised our permits for Bears Ears online via the Recreation.gov website.

Gear Choices

I’ll do a complete gear list in the coming weeks, but for now, here are a few of my favourite items from the journey (including some new ones):

• (New) ULA Ultra X Nexus Backpack – A good balance of weight, build quality, durability, and functionality. I’m a big fan of the external pocket system, and the padded hip belt was handy on a trip like this, where largish water and food carries were common. The pack fitted me well from the jump, and I personally found its comfort rating of 20-25 lb (9.1-11.3 kg) to be conservative (though this will vary from hiker to hiker). Tipping the scales at 19 oz (0.54 kg), it isn’t the lightest frameless backpack I’ve used, but after 800 Miles (1,287 km), it’s definitely the most comfortable under the strain of heavyish loads (Note: In anticipation of the big carries, I almost went with my Hyperlite Southwest 2400 (which has an internal frame). Ultimately I decided on the Nexus, after taking it on multiple long day hikes laden with 25 lb/11.3 kg plus).

• La Sportiva Ultra Raptor 2 – One pair of shoes for the entire 800 miles (1,287 km). I’ve been using the Raptors regularly for the past five or six years. Hands down, my all-time favourite trail running shoe for rugged environments.

• (New) MacPac Nitro Alpha Direct Fleece – I’ve had the Nitro for just over a year, but this was the first long hike I’ve taken it on. Double thumbs up. When combined with the Houdini windshirt, I was fine down to around freezing.

• Sony a6400 Camera – I’ve still got a lot to learn about optimising the 6400 for different conditions, but on a journey like this in such a singular place as Utah, the weight penalty was well worth it.

• (New) Darn Tough Oxford Crew Light Socks – Great hiking socks. Not too thin, not too thick. I think I’ve finally found a long-term replacement for the REI Merino Wool liners.

• (Old Favourites) – Patagonia Baggies, Patagonia Tropic Comfort Hoody (discontinued), Katabatic Alsek 22, and Thermarest NeoAir XLite (wide).

Acknowledgements

As is always the case with this kind of long hike, there are a bunch of folks who helped to make it possible:

• First and foremost, Kate, whose deep affinity for the Utah wilderness is matched only by her uninhibited sense of wonder and curiosity.

• Kelli, Thomas, Wendy and Kent – Thank you for the amazing hospitality pre and post hike. An extra shout out to Wendy for driving us out to our starting point west of Enterprise.

• Thank you to our friends Lynn and Fran in Kanab and Escalante for their kindness and hospitality.

• We only had to stick our thumbs out a handful of times during the trip, but when you’re hiking through areas in which hitching isn’t exactly the norm, you can’t help but feel extra appreciative. On that note, a special thanks to Chuck, Gary and Tabitha, Morgan, Chad, and the “daughter of Utah.”

• Joel, Sean, and Rachel – the crack archeological restoration team at Hovenweep National Monument.

• And, last but not least, Paul and Joan. Not only did Mags drive 2.5 hours to pick us up from Hovenweep (bearing a cooler full of fresh fruit, drinks, and yoghurt!), but he and Joan were also kind enough to host us in Moab for the next few days. We couldn’t have asked for a better end to the journey!

Related Posts & Resources

• Southwestern Horseshoe
• 12 Long Walks: Maps, Stats, and Journals
• Pmags.com – A Walk Across Southern Utah
• Acrossutah.com – Jamal Green’s website
• Doing Miles – Across Utah 
• Gear Review: Katabatic Alsek 22
• Gear Review: Patagonia Baggies Shorts
• Gear Review: Therm-a-rest NeoAir Xlite
• The Essential Guide to Frameless Backpacks

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