From Trails 2 Tales

I’ve been to Utah a few times, primarily to visit Arches National Park and to ski near Salt Lake City in the winter, but I had never really explored beyond those areas. I had a week of vacation available and was itching for some outdoor time hiking and camping. Seeing as it was April in Colorado and the nights were still cool, Utah seemed like a perfect fit. Utah is always a great option from Colorado as it is not a far drive, has many stunning national and state parks, and tends to be about 10 degrees warmer. I was able to convince a friend to join me and crafted up an itinerary that consisted of attempting to get permits to The Wave, Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Jacob Hamblin Arch in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park and Goblin Valley. We also came upon a bonus, unexpected apocalyptic-like area called Factory Butte between Capitol Reef and Goblin Valley that made for a fun photoshoot. This whole trip was done over 5 days, but each of these places could be explored much further. Read on below for more information about each of these places!

What is covered here:

1. The Wave
2. Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon
3. Jacob Hamblin Arch
4. Capitol Reef National Park
5. Goblin Valley
6. Bonus Stop – Factory Butte

The Wave

At the time that I went in 2021, the two options to obtain the permit were as follows: 1.) you can apply four months in advance through an online lottery with the US Bureau of Land Management, which will allow 48 people and/or 12 groups (whichever comes first) for a given date, or 2.) you can show up in person in Kanab, Utah and apply for a permit with the Daily Lottery, which will be given to 16 people and/or 4 groups (whichever comes first). I did not have a permit that I secured in advance, and decided to try for the Daily Lottery. When I got there, there ended up being 83 total groups!!! That comes out to roughly a 5% chance of being picked. Needless to say, we did not get a permit for The Wave. But I thought this would be helpful information for anyone wanting to go there.

Above photo by Christopher Ruel on Unsplash.

 

Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon

Jacob Hamblin Arch

Jacob Hamblin Arch was the highlight of this trip, which is a lot to say as all of the places we visited were amazing. However, we decided to do Jacob Hamblin Arch as a two-day, one-night backpacking trip, and this was unlike any backpacking trip I have ever done before.

Jacob Hamblin Arch is in Coyote Gulch in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and requires a bit of off-road driving to get there. The hike starts at the Hurricane Wash Trailhead and can be accessed further along the same Hole-in-the Rock Road off Highway 12 as the trailhead for Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons. When we went in April 2021, it was possible to approach with a standard 2WD vehicle, however it should not be attempted when the road is muddy. You may see that there is a Water Tank Trail as a shortcut to the arch but be aware this approach requires a rope and is therefore considered Class 5 climbing. Hurricane Wash Trail goes about 6 miles with about 500 feet of elevation loss. When you start, you are on a flat, sandy stretch with nothing but miles and miles of flat desert ahead of you. It is hard to believe you will be descending into a canyon with a river and towering arches. This is important to note because you will not have access to water until about 5 miles in. At the end of the 6 miles on the Hurricane Wash Trail, you will intersect with the Red Well Trail. At this point, head East for another couple miles to Jacob Hamblin Arch. We ended camping at about 6.5 miles in at a lovely campsite with a shallow river and trees that was sheltered on either side by the canyon walls. There are many dispersed camping sites through this area of the Red Well Trail. As with any hike, check local conditions on national and park websites before going to ensure road conditions are passable and that water will be available if you are hoping to filter your own.

The next morning we hiked to Jacob Hamblin Arch and spent some time exploring the area and taking photos before packing up camp and heading out. The arch is stunning from all angles. You can climb up along the rocks directly underneath it for a closer view, but do take care as the rocks can be loose in areas.

Goblin Valley

Want to feel as if you’ve arrived on another planet? Then Goblin Valley might be just the place for you! What makes Goblin Valley so unique is that it has thousands of rock spires, called hoodoos. These hoodoos are similar to the ones you would see in Bryce Canyon in Utah, only quite a bit shorter, making them known more locally as “goblins”. We spent about an hour here walking amongst the many hoodoos and taking photos. We likely would have stayed longer if it weren’t for the strong winds that day. Luckily we both had neckwear from Buff that allowed us to cover our faces and protect our mouths and eyes from the sand that was coming at us from all directions. This also made for some interesting photos!

Bonus Stop – Factory Butte

This unexpected location was along our drive between Capitol Reef National park and Goblin Valley, on the West side of the highway. It’s barely marked, but I noticed a large parking area and a handful of other cars in what looked like an apocalyptic waste land. If you happen to come across it, it’s worth stopping at if you enjoy photography! There is not much here in the way of trails and it was again very windy in the area, which only added to the mysteriousness of the place. However there were some cars and ATVs exploring further into the hills. We had fun taking pictures of ourselves and the cars.