Hiking - Golden Cathedral, Escalante 5/30-31/25

Itinerary:

Day 1

Carpooling (5.5 hr drive) - 10:30 am Lehi, 11 am Springville

Escalante Dinner - 3 pm (leave about 4pm)

• Drive East to Hole in the Rock road (5 miles)

• Follow Hole in the Rock road to Egypt road (16 miles) go left 

• Follow Egypt road for 9.4 miles, go right, .5 mile to Fence Canyon Trailhead           

• 5:30 to 6 pm: set up camp at the top of the hike (car camping)

Day 1

Wake up 5:30 am, breakfast on own (as early as you can)

• 6:00 am hike down Fence Canyon to the river (3.1 miles)

• Hike .8 miles with 5 (ish) river crossings to Neon Canyon

• Hike left up Neon Canyon to Golden Cathedral .75 miles

• Eat Lunch and enjoy

• 10:30 am hike back to trailhead

• Back at Vehicles 1:30-2 pm (1.5 hr drive out to highway)

• Stop for dinner on way home

• Home 7:00 pm (4 hr drive)

Directions: Golden Cathedral Trailhead (High clearance vehicle)

Activity: Backpacking Golden Cathedral - 9.4 mile round trip. This is an extreme hike! Crossing the desert is no joke. It is HOT, sandy and steep. Hiking poles may be helpful on the ascent and in the sand. The river crossing is no big deal. It was less than knee deep. We crossed in bare feet because it is only 5 feet wide. The route we are taking is the direct route and it is not found on Alltrails. I used Gaia to navigate. It took 3 of us nearly 6 hours for just the hike. 3 hours to get in and 3.5 hours to hike out. We spent about an hour at the cathedral eating lunch and recharging. Make sure you bring 2.5-3 liters of water with electrolytes and plenty of snacks with salt. The temps were 50's at night and 75-80 during the day. Expected temps for this trip are 58 at night and 91 during the day. The road in was not bad at all but still recommend high clearance vehicle.  All Trails Trip Report

Day 1 -  Backpack 2 miles into camping location.

Day 2 -  Early morning start, hike to Golden Cathedral with daypacks (5.5 miles round trip). Hike back to camp and out (2 miles)

Tips:

You will be driving on Hole in the Rock road about 1 1/2 hrs which is dirt with washboard. Recommend decreasing tire pressure to 20-25 psi

Gear: Thin T-shirt, thin long-sleeve shirt, fleece, thin puffy coat, rain jacket, shorts or thin hiking pants, running shoes, 3-4 L water bottles, water filter (can rent), 8-10 snacks, 65+ liter backpack with waistbelt, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, first aid kit, sleeping bag (20-30 degrees - down is preferred) (can rent), sleeping pad (can rent), tent (can rent), headlamp, pj's, toiletries, dehydrated or backpacking meals, WAG bag (2 gallon ziplock bags with kitty litter for pooping), cooking stove (No campfires), compass, treking poles

Rentals (for 2 days):

1. Tents (2 man - $13, 4 man - $22 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; 2 man - $14, 4 man - $18 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

2. Sleeping bags (0 degree - $22, 30 degree - $22 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; 0 degree - $14, 30 degree - $10 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

3. Sleeping pads (thermarest - $9 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; thermarest - $8 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

4. Backpacks (85 liter - $12 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; 65 liter - $14 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

5. Stove with fuel ($8 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; $8 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

6. Mess kit ($8 BYU Outdoors Unlimited; $10 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)

7. Water Filter ($6 UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)