Coyote Gulch: a Busy Slice of Heaven

Posted On June 9, 2022

Trip dates: June 1-3, 2022

We spent the night in a cabin at Escalante Outfitters (a highly recommended spot with showers, laundry, and overall cuteness about an hour from the trailhead), then made our way to the Hurricane Wash trailhead after a tasty breakfast at equally adorable Escalante Mercantile. Hole-in-the-Rock Road down to the trailhead was a bumpy, slow ride that made my Subaru Outback sound like it was going to break apart, but it survived. We arrived at the trailhead later than we’d hoped (around 10:30 am) and it was getting pretty toasty out there. We grabbed our permit at the trailhead and started the hot, dry walk to Coyote Gulch. The first few miles are quite exposed with the occasional tree to stop at for a shade break.

The greener landscape made it evident that we were getting close to water, which meant we were getting close to the gulch.

Five miles in and we found water flowing. We hiked a few more miles to find a spot near Jacob Hamblin Arch. We met a woman who was wading through the water who’d been down Coyote Gulch three times and she said this was the least crowded she’d seen it. Which seemed likely, because we only saw one tent set up within view of the arch. The woman told us her family was camped just up the trail. We turned a bend in the river and passed her huge family of 20+ people. And I was immediately reminded that I was in Utah.

We continued less than 1/4 mile past them and set up camp on the other side of the arch, with a beautiful view of the arch across the stream from the tent. It looks quiet and peaceful in the photos, but pretend you can hear kid’s screams echoing through the canyon and you’ll have a more true-to-life experience.

Sunrise from inside the tent was a treat! We had a lazy morning and ate breakfast in “bed” as the sun lit up the arch in front of us.

We set out on a day hike (well, more like a day meander) further up the gulch. I spent the entire day walking through sand and water barefoot, except for when the sand was too hot for my sensitive lady feet. The towering red walls and constant swish of water made for a very magical hike. The water made the hot temperatures much more tolerable than they would have been otherwise.

We eventually meandered our way back to camp, where we packed up and headed towards the trailhead. We wanted to get out early so we could day hike Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch before it go to later in the day. We set up camp about three miles from the trailhead, where bats dive bombed the tent (SO NEAT) and the milky way made an appearance later in the night. I woke up as the sun was coming up and we were on our way to the trailhead by 6:30 am.

Although the hike in from Hurricane Wash is tough on a hot day, Coyote Gulch is a great beginner backpacking trip once making it to the gulch. Don’t expect much privacy (which makes it fun to find a place to poop in a wag bag), but it really is an incredibly beautiful place. If (or when?) I do it again, I’ll probably skip camping at Jacob Hamblin and go further down the gulch on night one. But if you can get our camp spot at the arch, camp there for a night and enjoy the view!