Overview

Hype:

This route (not a trail) takes backpackers from the Escalante River below Scorpion Gulch to the Early Weed Bench trailhead. The route initially follows an old cattle trail that is visible on some topo maps but is only rarely visible on the ground, so it requires skilled navigation. The initial climb from the river up onto the plateau takes hikers up a 500-foot-tall sand dune that just plain sucks. The sand is loose, and it saps your energy. From the top of the sand dune, switchback southeast then northeast to get up onto the bench. Follow the bench north and west for almost 2 miles to a break in the cliffs where you can finish climbing up to the top of the plateau. Once on the plateau, head southwest until you get past the upper fingers of Scorpion Gulch then turn northwest and proceed to the trailhead. The last 9.5 miles have only rolling hills and no major elevation gains, but most of it is over loose sand that also sucks.

Trail Condition: Class 2 (Trail may have tree roots or rocks jutting out. Navigation skills may consist of following rock cairns and choosing turns at junctions. Elevation gains may be more substantial.)

Time: 6-12 hours

Length: 12.75 miles

Elevation Gain: +3,350 ft, -2020 ft

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Getting There

Navigate to 37.524216, -111.038424.

Exit the Escalante River at the bottom of the giant red sand dune.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Escalante, Utah

Coordinates: 37.522631, -111.039987

Interactive Guide Map

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May 15, 2023 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Luke Galyan, Tracy Kwan, Mark Burnham,

Story

On day 4 of my canyoneering trip, we got up fairly early and started hiking by 7:40. The hike out was a horrible, miserable, terrible, no-fun, grueling, tedious, painful ordeal. We first hiked up a giant sand dune. Then we walked a shelf around the whole plateau to find a way up the band of cliffs. Then we slogged across the sandy desert for 8 more hours. It got pretty hot in the afternoon. Mark was in a lot better shape than the rest of us and could have done the hike a lot faster, but we took a lot of shade breaks along the way. The exit his was about 12 or 13 miles, and it took us 10.5 hours, way longer than it should have. It likely took us so long because we didn't pack quite enough food to keep our calorie intake where it should have been. I guess that's the cost of packing ultra light! We got to the cars around 6:15.

On the way home, we stopped in Escalante for dinner. I got home about 1:15 AM. What a long and tiring trip. My GPS tracks added up to about 55 miles total over the 4 days, but that's likely a bit high because of GPS wiggles.

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Pictures