Wopper Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Planning on heading to southern Utah in late March or early April. Will be down there for approximately a week and hooking up with a non climbing buddy. Have read a book or two about the area and looking for additional input on fun, interesting, must do hikes. Quote
rr666 Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 A fun few hour hike is to head up to the top of Angel's Landing. for a tourist trail, you get quite a bit of exposure. Most of it is paved, but it is a quick trip to the top, great views. That trail makes the walk-off after climbing a piece of cake. Quote
cracked Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 In Zion, do the Subway hike/swim/canyon. I did it a few years back and it was one of the best trips I've done in my life! Quote
willstrickland Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 The Narrows in Zion is a classic (and crowded in season) hike that's really cool. There's a couple of rim hikes in Zion that are nice and give you plenty of options for mileage. These are way less crowded than the std hikes. The stuff in the Kolob section of Zion is usually deviod of people too. Most people at Bryce stay at the car-pullout viewpoints so if you hike down, especially that time of year, you're likely to be alone. Escalante/Grand Staircase is also really close and it's serious wilderness. Even in peak season there aren't many foks down there. Quote
willstrickland Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 cracked said: In Zion, do the Subway hike/swim/canyon. I did it a few years back and it was one of the best trips I've done in my life! Subway is rad , but in March a wetsuit might be advisable as it can be a wee bit COLD Quote
Szyjakowski Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Go to Fairyland cyn (south of Bryce) Same geologic phenomenon but free to enter and no crowds...... Quote
E-rock Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Wopper said: looking for additional input on fun, interesting, must do hikes. All I'll say is Zion has a lot that fits that description, Bryce has very little. An afternoon hike in Bryce canyon and you've see it all, though it is worth the one-stop visit. Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Ditto on Bryce looking sort of repetetive, although consistently fascinating. After stopping at the 10th pullout or so, them mudpiles start lookin' mighty similar. When in Zion, most certainly do the Hidden Canyon hike. It starts up the trail at the Weeping Wall (don't worry; 10,000 tourists may be standing there clicking pictures while another 3,000 hike the .25 mile up to the Weeping Wall, but as soon as you pass them, you'll likely have the place all to yourself). It also starts on pavement a-la Angel's Landing, but cuts off onto sandy switchbacks after climbing for a while. Then you go a ways on a path carved into the sandstone, with nice exposure, which winds around to the mouth of the canyon, which is small and spectacular, featuring some groovy little water pockets/slime pools, and lots of crazy-looking rock. There's also a mini-arch a ways back, which is sorta neat. Great views from the mouth of the canyon, too. Checkitout. Quote
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Oh, Lordy, speaking of beating the crowds; go check out the Kolob Canyon part of Zion (aka the North part of the park)! A nice departure from the tourist hell of the main park, and easily as spectacular. Quote
freeclimb9 Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 I've lived in this state long enough to realize that March is still winter here, and it's freaking cold in the shady canyons. Plan accordingly. If you're up for more adventure than Zion, or Bryce, offer, by all means check out Capitol Reef, or GrandStaircase-Escalante. There are many, many hikes to do off the Hole-in-the-Wall, HellsBackbone, or Burr Trail roads. Other trip ideas would be an exploration of the Grand Gulch Primitive Area near Natural Bridges National Monument (lots of Anasazi ruins and lower elevations). There are loads of canyoneering trips to do, also. One sweet springtime trip I did involved hiking from near Navajo Mountain (on the Arizona side of Lake Powell) to Rainbow Bridge for a few days then getting a ride from the Aramark-run scenic cruise ship to Wahweep marina. Quote
JayB Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Kelsey just came out with a "Technical Slot Canyon" Guide to the Colorado Plateau that you should be able to peruse for ideas that will get you away from most of the crowds. Freeclimb clearly knows what's up as far as where to go. All of the areas he mentioned (that I've been to) are amazing. Also - March is cold as all hell there. There have been a couple of threads about this in the past that you can also peruse for ideas and photos. Quote
genepires Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 If your buddy is up for some rappeling, then you can have a rad adventure by spending some time in the canyons as mentioned before. Most canyons there are basically hiking and rappelling. Few involve bits of downclimbing, usually chimneying, but you can choose easier routes to avoid that. (kolob and imlay canyons are serious routes) Here is a website that has tons of info on the topic of canyoneering in zion. The site also has info on other places. http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/ I would recomend: keyhole canyon - easy, short and narrow. good intro pine creek canyon - good fun, easy acccess, standard narrows - no rapping, just plain stunning hiking heard tons of good stuff about mystery canyon and subway too. Nice thing about canyoneering is that you rarely hike uphill. Most canyons will need wet or dry suits for march. But they are cheap to rent in town and they will let you know what kind of gear to get. I think a dry suit costs about $80 for three days. My friend Darin Berdinka has done more routes than I have, so if you are interested, try to get a hold of him. SOme canyons have quotas so maybe a reservation might be a good idea. Quote
rbw1966 Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Most (if not all) canyons in Zion require a permit anyways so you can learn conditions while getting one. Ditto on wetsuits. You'll be sorry if you dont bring one and hit one of the slots. For an easy half-day try Pine Creek. Quote
lummox Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 genepires said: I think a dry suit costs about $80 for three days. wet suit from a garage sale: $15. gas expense for a road trip to southern utah: $123. spending a week in a cold and damp canyon in utah while near naked and totally drunk chicks frolic on mexican beaches 1000 miles away for spring break: worthless. Quote
Wopper Posted October 28, 2003 Author Posted October 28, 2003 (edited) freeclimb9 said: I've lived in this state long enough to realize that March is still winter here, and it's freaking cold in the shady canyons. Okay - If you could pick any time of the year when would you go? Edited October 28, 2003 by Wopper Quote
freeclimb9 Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Wopper said: Okay - If you could pick any time of the year when would you go? Tomorrow. This is my favorite time of year for desert exploring. But March is good. Just cold in the shade. April is better. May has the best runoff volumes if you want to use boat transportation. And then there's all the biking --road and mountain and motor-- possibilities. Some guys prefer to go into the slot canyons in winter because you walk the ice rather than swim the mud. Quote
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