Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Utah / Grand Staircase-Escalante

Coyote Gulch (Hurricane Wash to the Escalante River)

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Escalante District (Hole-in-the-Rock Road, near Escalante)

Coyote Gulch is a side canyon of the Escalante River with, in the NPS’s words, “two arches, a natural bridge, and several waterfalls,” plus a stream that runs most of its length. The NPS calls it the most popular backpacking destination among the Escalante canyons and says, “If solitude is one of your primary objectives, consider another route.”

It’s in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, reached from the Hole-in-the-Rock Road south of Escalante.

The hike

The NPS lists four ways in. From Hurricane Wash, 33 miles down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, it’s 12.3 miles one way to the Escalante River; from Red Well, 30 miles down the road plus 1.5 miles, it’s 13 miles. Two shorter routes come off Fortymile Ridge: the Water Tank route by Jacob Hamblin Arch, which the NPS describes as “600’ of exposed friction climbing to the canyon bottom” and, in its trailhead list, as “100+ feet of class 5 friction climbing,” and Crack in the Wall, which includes a sand dune and a 700-foot climb. This page follows Hurricane Wash, where the trailhead sits across the road from a roadside parking area.

Hurricane Wash is dry at first. The NPS says the stream begins about 3.5 miles from the trailhead, and from there “your feet will get wet,” since most of the route involves stream crossings or walking in the water. CleverHiker puts the Hurricane Wash confluence with Coyote Creek about 5.5 miles from the trailhead and Jacob Hamblin Arch about 1.5 miles beyond.

The NPS notes a good spring flowing from the canyon wall just downstream of Jacob Hamblin Arch. Farther down canyon are the natural bridge, which CleverHiker calls Coyote Bridge, and the waterfalls area at Big Spring Alcove, where an earlier NPS source listed a composting toilet (not mentioned on the current Coyote Gulch page). CleverHiker describes a second spring on the north wall just under a mile from the Escalante River, where a cascade spills on the left heading downstream. The canyon ends at the Escalante River confluence.

CleverHiker recommends March through May and October to mid-November. Mid-June through September brings “oppressive heat,” little wind, and a receding creek, and bugs peak in July and August. Flash floods are the main danger: the NPS warns that storms miles away can flood the canyon even under clear skies.

For a longer canyon trip that starts in Utah, see Paria Canyon. Nearer Escalante, the Boulder Mail Trail crosses Death Hollow.

Tips

Camping

Free backcountry permits are required for all overnight stays in the Escalante District, available at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center or at an entry trailhead. The group limit is 12; larger groups must split and camp at least half a mile apart. The NPS says “all human body waste solids shall be contained and carried out” in a portable toilet or an engineered bag system such as Wag Bags, Restop II, or Biffy Bags; plain plastic or paper bags aren’t allowed. Fires and pets, including pack animals, are prohibited. CleverHiker says sites are first come, first served and land managers ask you to reuse existing sites. Don’t build cairns.

Inside Intel: CleverHiker says the most popular camps are between Jacob Hamblin Arch and the natural bridge, and suggests camping at least a mile west or east of the arch to avoid crowds in peak seasons. The guide calls the middle-section sites the most reliable, though floods sometimes wipe them out.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Camp between the arch and the bridge:

After a day of walking in Coyote Creek, a good pad turns one of the canyon's reused campsites into a real bed. See the sleeping pads testers recommend.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.