Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic |
Esparza
Trad climber
Westminster, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 27, 2018 - 12:40pm PT
|
Hello fellow humans, heading out on a 9 day road trip (with my 18 yr old son and his buddy) to Escalante area this coming Friday. Was checking out Google Earth and curious if any nice, "off the grid" spots to camp off of Forest Road 087. Also seems that it may be possible to take one of the side Forest Roads (which branches off of FR 087) into Bryce Canyon without having to drive all the way back out and around to highway 63. I have a 4x4 truck! "Secret Spot" info is tough to get (I know as a surfer haha). With that said, I would appreciate any input... can direct email me below as well.
Thanks In Advance....
Mike
grippedclimer at gmail dot com
|
|
Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
|
|
|
Mar 27, 2018 - 01:15pm PT
|
I camped back off a forest road west of Bryce that was pretty nice. There were signs of open range cattle grazing, though no actual cattle were seen by me. I can't remember the road#, just that it was south off 12, and west of Bryce, but not by a lot of miles.
There were several nice spots, with views of mountain to the north, and even a small crag which may have had some climbing on it(I didn't walk all the way to the crag, as it was taking me longer than I expected).
If you are able to stop in to one of the Escalante Visitor Centers, they were very helpful to me, and could probably give details on what sorts of sites are back there.
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Mar 27, 2018 - 02:23pm PT
|
If you are looking for awesome non-technical canyons in Escalante, checkout Peekaboo and Spooky Canyons. On the drive out Hole in the Rock Road from the highway, be prepared for easy going except a hundred yard stretch of deep sand that will bury you to axles in a standard car unless you are absolutely flying and coasting over it with momentum. We got lucky with a Jeep towing us through it after getting buried after midnight. On the way out next day, I just gunned it down hill, and swam through it (low clearance Prius, fine on all the rest including roads labeled 4x4 high clearance only).
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
|
Mar 27, 2018 - 02:49pm PT
|
One more bit of beta that may or may not be obvious to folks looking for dispersed camping in USFS lands: get a fire permit if you are going to build a fire!!! You can get it at any field office as long as you show them you have the tools to put out a fire and that you aren't an idiot. Then you can pay attention to what the rules are for each jurisdiction in terms of current conditions and fire permissible or not.
|
|
Esparza
Trad climber
Westminster, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2018 - 03:09pm PT
|
Awesome... Thanks for the feedback and great photos. I am guessing there are plenty of spots off that FR 087 for one night (driving from So Cal). I imagine there may be some snow up there still and/or possibly wet? We are planning on hiking to the Escalante River via Hurricane Wash and Coyote Gulch. Then, either explore more down the road or head out towards Paria/Buckskin... I think there will be humans everywhere...
I was back on "hole in the Rock" road this past October and checked out those slot canyons (spooky and peekaboo)... Kind of an un-planned trip as i got frustrated by the Zoo of humans in Zion... ended up taking off to Escalante which was a great decision! Prior to leaving Zion we were able to get back into Kolob Canyon which was epic (campsite 5 and 6 are superb) and only a handful of human sightings :-).
|
|
Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
|
|
|
Mar 27, 2018 - 05:39pm PT
|
I used to sell outdoor gear to the main resort store at Bryce Canyon & I often found snow & cold there in late March early April.
Here's a link to a current snowpack report for the higher parts of the area, which is the upper Sevier River drainage. I doubt there is much snow at Bryce, but it does get high around there & not all the back roads are gravel. Drop down to the east into the Escalante area & you are likely out of the snow.
https://www.ksl.com/?nid=978
On the link, note the SWE: Represents the snow water equivalent found at selected SNOTEL sites in inches The snow will be somewhat deeper than the SWE measurement.
Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m)
|
|
| Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!