I'm planning a backpacking trip for some time early August in Southern Utah for myself and two friends. We hail from WA, CO, and ME.

None of us have been to Utah before and we'd like to do something that's about 5-6 days long that's beautiful and doesn't involve very difficult route finding.

Areas of interest for us include: Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, and Zion.

We're really in the early stages of planning so any leads or recommendations of trips you've really enjoyed are highly appreciated! Thanks

August is the wrong time to go to southern Utah; spring or fall is much better. My first trip there was in July; it hit 104 F at Arches; Bryce was more reasonable.

Bryce won't really keep you busy for 5-6 days. After a few hours there, it starts looking mostly the same, in my opinion.

As Buz said, August is not the ideal time for what you want to do. But if you have no other choice, I'd say stay as high as possible in Zion.

Canyonlands would be ideal, but it will probably be too hot then.

Check out Parunuweap Canyon, it's 18.5 miles long (not a 5 day trip, but with side canyon exploration it could become that) in Zion. It's a non-technical canyon and you'll be walking through water, so that'd help beat the heat. I haven't actually done this route before, but I've heard great things about it.

Here's a link with some info on it... http://climb-utah.com/Zion/parunuweap1.htm

Deep Creek Canyon (also in Zion) is another option, at 23 miles.

http://climb-utah.com/Zion/deepcreek.htm

If it were me, I'd stick to backpacking in or near water that time of year, like other folks have said, it's HOT in southern Utah in August! You may have to contend with monsoons though, so keep an eye on that before getting committed to a canyon.

Hope that helps, enjoy!

Bob Sihler wrote:Bryce won't really keep you busy for 5-6 days. After a few hours there, it starts looking mostly the same, in my opinion.
As Buz said, August is not the ideal time for what you want to do. But if you have no other choice, I'd say stay as high as possible in Zion.

Canyonlands would be ideal, but it will probably be too hot then.

Actually, this is probably true of any place that would be comfortable at that time of the year. A better use of 5 to 6 days in August in southern Utah would be a bunch of dayhikes and getting to see some of the different places that the area has to offer. Even that, though, would be better done in the spring or fall.

If you are determined to do a backpack there in august, maybe following a stream down a canyon might be a semi-reasonable choice (I can think of a few possibilities). Having a stream to cool off in (especially if there are lots of crossings) might help make it bearable and the trees that come with streams would also be welcome. Of course, the downside is that canyon walls tend to limit the breeze.

How about Escalante Canyon ?

Isn't there a lot of good hikes (cooler elevation) around the town of Escalante ??? I need to take my wife over to see the falls.

Zion is a nice 5 day trip. Though, like others have said, a few short trips would probably be in order, rather than one 5 day hike. In my personal opinion, it's a great time of year to be there. You may run into some rain storms (read: flash flooding), as we did last August, but we still had 3 great days of hiking in 4 days there.

Bryce is definitely too small for 5 days, but Canyonlands could be good. I've just not spent enough time there to comment.

And yes, all of southern Utah will be warm in August. Just bring plenty of sunscreen, water bottles, and know where you can fill them. You'll be fine. As many of the hikes there can go in and out of water, I personally like it hot so I can dry off. And if you feel like getting into some canyoneering, the hot temps will be almost necessary.

lcarreau wrote:How about Escalante Canyon ?

Isn't there a lot of good hikes (cooler elevation) around the town of Escalante ??? I need to take my wife over to see the falls.

You've really got to get up above escalante (The Box, Boulder Mountain, etc.) for it to be cooler in the summer. A backpack down the Escalante River (Death Hollow?) might not be too bad, though; the stream crossings would cool you off. Calf Creek Falls is nice, but there are lots of other great places near Escalante as well (heading out there next week).

I'm actually planning a 5 day trip in mid august in Zion myself. Due to it being hot, I'm planning just lots of a day hikes in river canyons either in Zion or within short driving distance.

I'm planning on doing the Zion Narrows, Orderville Canyon, the Subway, and Kanarra Creek.

Check out Ceder Breaks NM, Bryce (but as said before, it wont keep you occupied for that long). Grand Staircase is another good idea. Also southern Utah has some nice mountains like the Henrys. Getting above the Grand Staircase is a very good idea that time of year!

You've really got to get up above escalante (The Box, Boulder Mountain, etc.) for it to be cooler in the summer.

It is true that the drier ones will be miserable, but on some of the hikes in Escalante where you will be swimming much, hot weather is good.

Death Hollow is good in hot weather and Boulder Creek is a good one too since you will be in the water most of the time. Fortymile-Willow is good then too. Deer Creek and the Gulch should be OK as well.

Ashdown Gorge from Cedar Breaks is a good summer one. High elevations keep it cool (it starts at something like 10,400 feet).

For Zion Narrows and Parunuweap (Zion area), the hotter it is outside, the better.

Other than the two above, most of the good summer stuff in Zion requires ropes to see. Lower Kolob is reasonable without too much technical experience, but most of the best summer stuff requires ropes.

I would plan on wet swimming hikes only. Any dry hike in the desert (including all the national parks) in August is going to be miserable. Forget about even thinking about Canyonlands then as there aren't any canyons with swimming.

One thing to really use caution about is flash flood season. When the weather is good, it's fine in the wet narrow canyons. When it's raining they can turn deadly.

Thanks for the input everyone!

In case folks are wondering, I think we've decided on starting out with a 1 to 2-day trip through Zion Narrows. Followed by a 2 days of day hikes - Angels Landing and Observation Point are definites. Might add another short hike or two in there. Then a trip to Bryce for a 2-day backpack of the Under the Rim trail.

Looking forward to it and definitely interested in any other "must do" suggestions people have for day hikes or sites to see along the way that we might have missed. This is a first trip to Southern Utah for all of us.

Followed by a 2 days of day hikes - Angels Landing and Observation Point are definites.

Both will be miserably hot in the afternoons, so start several hours before sunrise. Ashdown Gorge or Parunaweep will be much more pleasant. Also consider Orderville Canyon (all three mentioned require a good weather forecast) or the Subway, though you have to wait in line for a permit.

Subway from the bottom doesn't require ropes, but doing it from the top does. If coming from the top, it is possible to do Orderville without ropes, but this is certainly not recommended. It's best to bring a rope and harness for a couple of short drops and it's not the place to break an ankle. Make sure to visit Orderville from the bottom regardless. Though you will miss some of the best parts, either canyon is nice when doing it from the bottom and no special skills are needed.

Then a trip to Bryce for a 2-day backpack of the Under the Rim trail.

There will likely be no water in August (except for near the southern trailhead), so beware. Carry at least a gallon a day or cache some before hand using one of the connecting trails. Near Bryce, also consider Willis Creek and Bull Valley Gorge. They are nice in summer. So is the Table Cliff Plateau.

Enjoy the Narrows! I've only done it from the bottom, so I'm jealous.

I'm going to agree with Scott on hitting Subway. I did it a few years back from the bottom, and it was a blast! (Despite breaking my foot while hiking out...) I think doing it from the top would be even better, but either way you'll see some great sights!

As for Angel's Landing, you can finish it and be on to something else pretty quick, but it is totally worth it. Round trip for me was under 2 hours, and I'm kind of a big boy. If you want to take your time, the 4 hours they have posted is a VERY leisurely pace. I actually wasn't as impressed with the Observation Point hike, but it was a good view at the top.

If you want to get away from most people, hike up the Hidden Canyon trail (from Weeping Rock), and then just keep going when the trail ends. If you're up for some adventurous scrambling, you can go quite a ways. This would actually make a good second half of the day after Angel's, and it's shaded and cool for much of the time.

Enjoy your trip!

I'd second the idea of doing the Bull Valley Gorge/Willis Creek loop. Very enjoyable narrows and you'd be in the shade for most of the hike.