Coyote Gulch Packing List: 4-Day Utah Backpacking Trip 

Over this four-day trip we will hike a total of about 13 miles. That's 3 miles on the first day, 5.5 miles onthe second day, 2.25 miles on the third day, and 2 miles on the last day. Almost all of these miles are over mostly flat terrain as we walk up Coyote Creek which will have low impact on the joints, but high impact on your experiences and memories.

We will have wet feet for half of the trip and the entire time we are in the gulch. My recommendation is to bring tennis shoes or trail runners and if you don't want to wear those same shoes in the water as we walk up the creek, you can also bring strappy sandals like Tevas or Chacos. If you will be wearing tennis shoes or trail runners in the water, make sure to bring a few changes of socks (at least 2 pairs per day). On my last trip I wore trail runners the entire time both in and out of the water and they worked great. I also had some camp shoes for in camp when my shoes were drying. Big hiking boots are not the best choice for this trip. Camp shoes (lightweight like Crocs, soccer sandals, slides, or flip flops) are optional, but DO NOT plan to hike in these types of shoes (even in sport-mode) because you will need good traction in the creek and you don't want to get blisters. On the last day we hike out of the gulch on a steep rock face so you will want your tennis shoes or trail runners to have decent grip on the bottom of the shoe.

Yes, absolutely break in your shoes before Coyote Gulch. This is one of the most important pieces of trip prep, and it's frequently overlooked. Breaking your shoes in before the trip will help prevent blisters because the Coyote Gulch trail surface can be demanding on your feet as you are in and out of water, climbing on rocks, hiking through sand, all with extra weight on your back. Breaking in your shoes will help them form to your feet and be more comfortable. Also test them out in the water with different socks in advance to see how they perform and what works best for you.

Bringing neoprene socks is optional. There are a couple reasons to bring Neoprene socks instead of wool or regular socks. To keep your feet warm in cold water and to prevent blisters. The water in Coyote Gulch shouldn't be too cold in early June, but if your feet tend to get blisters when they are wet in wool or regular socks, neoprene socks might work better for you. On my last trip to Coyote Gulch two of the adults had neoprene socks and liked them. I personally have never tried them so I might bring one pair to try them out on this trip. I've only tried using lightweight merino wool socks inside my trail runners and that worked great for me with no blisters.

If you decide to bring neoprene socks, get some that are 1mm or 2mm because anything thicker than that will be to warm and will be hard to fit inside trail runners. Also try them out in advance to see how you like them and to make sure they don't cause blisters, etc.

Using personal waste WAG bags is required by the National Park Service. Rangers actively check for this. All solid human waste must be packed out of Coyote Gulch to keep this area as clean and pristine as possible and so it doesn't smell like an unflushed toilet for the next guy. Our ward will be providing personal waste WAG bags for everyone on the trip, so you do not need to bring any of these. There is, however, one composting toilet in Coyote Gulch at Big Spring Alcove so if you time things perfectly you can use that toilet and maybe you don't have to go number two again in a WAG bag!

There is only one composting toilet in Coyote Gulch at Big Spring Alcove. Both times I hiked past this area there was a line of hikers waiting to use the toilet so they didn't have to use a personal waste WAG bag. If you time your toilet needs perfectly you can use this toilet on day 2 and if you don't need to poop again until day 4, you won't need to use a personal waste bag and pack that out with you.

Each person on this trip needs to bring the following for themself:

• 2 breakfasts
• 2 lunches
• 2 dinners
• Snacks

The above meals will be eaten while we are inside Coyote Gulch (See above itinerary). These items need to be non-perishable as they will be inside our packs for a day or two before we eat them. For breakfasts and dinners, we will be boiling water so dehydrated meals, instant oatmeal, hot coco are good items to bring. For lunch we will not be boiling water because we will be eating lunch on the side of the trail, not in camp. Also see suggestions for each of these items above in the packing list. The ward will provide all other meals.

It is important to bring the right serving size for yourself. Freeze-dried / dehydrated meals typically come in serving sizes of 1, 2, or 3. If you don't bring enough servings, you can get hungry and if you bring too many servings you will have to pack out the extra servings causing extra weight in your pack. I personally always buy a 2 serving pouch when I'm cooking just for me. A 3 serving pouch might be appropriate if you are sharing with someone. A 2 serving bag might be too much food for a boy to eat by himself, depending on the boy. I recommend trying freeze dried meals at home so each boy can determine how much he will really eat and which meal types he likes. I like the dehydrated meals made by Mountain House, but there are a lot of other brands like Backpacker's Pantry, Peak Refuel, and Good To-Go.

My #1 tip here is to go for food with the highest calorie/weight ratio. Aim for foods > 100 calories/oz. Higher protein and fat content are also helpful. Here are some ideas:

• Pro Bars 125 calories/oz.
• Nature Valley Protein bars 135 calories/oz.
• Cashews or almonds 150 calories/oz.
• Peanut M&Ms 140 calories/oz. (normally chocolate is a bad idea because of the heat, but the thin candy shell really comes through here)
• Jerky 115-120 calories/oz.
• Costco Trail Mix 151 calories/oz.

Answer here

The short answer is: YES! We will be hiking a few miles across the desert with zero shade to get to and from Coyote Gulch. We will find some shade once we're inside Coyote Gulch, but there will still be plenty of sun which will also reflect off the water we are walking through. Make sure you bring SPF 30+ sunscreen and reapply throughout the day. You should also bring a hat with good coverage to minimize sunburn. It's also a great idea to bring sun-protective clothing like a long sleeved sun shirt or sun hoody to prevent your arms from getting sunburned. You can find some examples of hats and sun shirts here.

The hottest part of the trip will be on day 1 when we are hiking to and from the slot canyons and on day 2 & 4 when we are hiking across the desert without shade. High temperatures in early June are typically around 85–95°F in the desert above Coyote Gulch. Inside the gulch will be cooler plus we will be hiking through a creek which feels great in the heat. We also plan to hike across the desert in the early mornings before it heats up too much.

Average low temperatures in early June are typically around 45-55°F. Because it cools off in the evening you will want to bring a light jacket or hoodie to stay warm without a campfire (no campfires are allowed in Coyote Gulch). It's also a good idea to have a sleeping pad with a R-value of about 1.5-2.5 to keep the cold ground from hitting the bottom of your sleeping bag.

A number of boys have mentioned sleeping in hammocks, which should be fine except if there is any rain and for the first night there will not be trees around. The leaders think it is best that we plan for everyone to have a tent to sleep in. They can also bring their hammocks with straps as a backup if they don't mind the extra weight.

Taking trekking poles to Coyote Gulch is not mandatory, but it can be helpful. The last time I went to Coyote Gulch I let my son who had a broken collar bone use my trekking poles (be broke it a few days before our trip). I was able to backpack through Coyote Gulch without trekking poles, but this time I will be taking them because my balance isn't as good as it was 10 years ago. Trekking poles can be nice to keep your balance while walking through the river on slick rocks. If you take trekking poles, make sure they collapse down nicely so you can put them in your pack or tie them onto the outside of your backpack for times when we are hiking down into the gulch, or back out of the gulch.

Yes, once you drop into Coyote Gulch and get to Coyote Creek, your feet will be wet most of the time until you hike out of Coyote Gulch. There are some spots where the trial is on the side of the creek, but for the most part you are hiking in the water which feels great on a hot day. See other FAQs about what shoes to bring for the water.

The Crack-in-the Wall is one of the spots you can drop in or out of Coyote Gulch. It's a narrow vertical fissure in a sandstone cliff that is roughly 100 feet tall, narrow enough that you have to turn sideways to fit through, and there are actually three cracks stacked vertically — the tightest is about 18 inches wide. Most hikers can squeeze through, though larger backpackers may find it tight. Because you can't fit through with a loaded backpack, it is easiest to lower or pull up your packs over the edge using a rope. I recommend using a 50 foot, 1 inch nylon tubular webbing tape (CE UIAA Certified 4000lb) to raise or lower packs at Crack-in-the-Wall. Webbing is heavier and bulkier than paracord, but paracord and rope are not recommended because they scar and cut into the sandstone rock. To save on weight and space in a backpack, I have also heard of others using Glowire, Slick Cord, Parachute cord, or Guyline cord instead of webbing. I also recommend having a locking HMS-style carabiner to easily clip the pack to the webbing.

The answer to this depends on where you will enter and exit Coyote Gulch. If you plan to use the Crack-in-the-Wall then you will want some webbing to raise or lower packs. I recommend using a 50 foot, 1 inch nylon tubular webbing tape (CE UIAA Certified 4000lb) to raise or lower packs at Crack-in-the-Wall (see the Crack-in-the-Wall FAQ above for more details). If you plan to use the Jacob Hamblin Sneaker Route from the Water Tank Trailhead, it is possible to exit Coyote Gulch using this route without a rope, but there is still risk of falling and many prefer to bring a 210 foot (65-meter) 8mm static canyoneering rope to use as a handline for more safety. I have never entered Coyote Gulch via the Jacob Hamblin Sneaker Route with a backpack, but it seems like that would be much harder than exiting there and you probably want a rope. I've only climbed up this steep rock face on the way to the Water Tank Trailhead. My son had a broken collar bone at the time (he broke it right before this backpacking trip) so we borrowed a 210 foot rope for him to use which was helpful. Most of the rest of the members of our backpacking group were able to climb out without the rope, but everyone had gloves to help scramble up the steep rock face.

A permit is required for overnight camping in Coyote Gulch. Day hikes in and out of Coyote Gulch do not require a permit. The permit is free and can be obtained at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center in Escalante or at one of the trailhead self-issue stations (Hurricane Wash, Crack-in-the-Wall, Red Well, Fortymile Ridge / Water Tank). Sometimes during peak season (Memorial Day Weekend through early June) the trailhead self-issue stations sometimes run out of permit forms so stopping at the Visitor Center is the safer bet during those times. Keep the permit copy on you while hiking because rangers do check.

Here are the distances and travel times for good road conditions from Escalante to the Coyote Gulch trailheads:

• Red Well Trailhead: About 30 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, then ~1.4 miles on a spur. This will take about 45 min to 1 hour.
• Hurricane Wash Trailhead: About 34 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road. This will take about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Fortymile Ridge / Water Tank Trailhead (for Sneaker Route): About 36 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, then ~4 miles on a rough spur (BLM 270). High-clearance 4WD strongly recommended. This will take about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Crack-in-the-Wall Trailhead: About 36 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, then ~7 miles on a rough spur road that continues past the Water Tank Trailhead. The last 3 miles of this spur are slow because of the ruts and deep sand and will require high-clearance 4WD. This will take about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.

Yes, Coyote Gulch is famous for its arches and arch-like features. It's one of the most arch-rich canyons on the Colorado Plateau outside of Arches National Park itself. The main arches in Coyote Gulch are Jacob Hamblin Arch, Coyote Natural Bridge, Cliff Arch, and Stevens Arch.

No, campfires are not allowed in Coyote Gulch. This is one of the firmest rules in the canyon, and rangers strongly enforce it. Standard backpacking stoves, however, are allowed (Jetboil, etc.) in Coyote Gulch so you can take one of these to boil water for your dehydrated meals, instant oatmeal, and hot coco.

The last place you will have phone service is in the town of Escalante. Plan to be completely off-grid for your entire Coyote Gulch trip once you leave the town of Escalante. If you will be using your phone for navigation in Coyote Gulch, be sure to download offline maps in advance. A Garmin Handheld Navigator like the GPSMAP 65 also works well for navigation. You can also take satellite communicators for additional security. Some examples of satellite communicators are Apple iPhones 14 or newer (make sure this is either a free service or a service you subscribe to in advance), Garmin inReach Mini 2, ZOLEO Satellite Communicator, Spot Gen4.

Dogs are not allowed in Coyote Gulch. Other pets like cats or pack animals such as horses, llamas, and goats are also not allowed in Coyote Gulch.