Don’t let the name of this trek fool you into thinking it is in the exact same chunk of wild country as our late April walk in the Grand Staircase backcountry. This October 14-19 Red-rock Canyons of the Wild Escalante trip is nearly 100 miles from our April Grand Staircase route, and is in the actual canyons of the incomparable Escalante River, perhaps the ultimate red-rock canyon country wilderness!
Those of you who’ve backpacked with us before know that our Yellowstone Backpacking treks are in many ways our specialty. But we’ve also guided in Canyon country since the early 1980’s. One area we avoid, though, is the Grand Canyon, simply because the back-country use there and the competition for permits is too intense, unlike the situation in Yellowstone, where the wild back-country is relatively un-populated by humans. The same can be said for the Escalante Canyons: they are a magnificent realm of canyon and mesa and river and stream set in the colorful Colorado Plateau high desert — and this wild-land provides every bit as scenic and rewarding a backpack experience as does the Grand Canyon, but without the crowds.
As noted in the previous blog, this entire landscape is threatened by the Trump Administrations’ partnership with cattle growers, miners, oil drillers, off-road vehicle abusers and just about anyone who hopes to cut, dig, drill, scrape or ride thrillcraft across and through this fragile desert landscape. For the time being, though, the Escalante Canyons are still wild. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience that wildness next October!
