# Escalante River early or mid May



## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

Anyone out there interested in an Escalante run? I would love to do a ducky or kayak trip down the Escalante as long as it's flowing... I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've been told that as long as the gauge is at 50 cfs in town, then it's runnable.

I am free from May 5th-16th. I may be working a trip for a Middle School here in durango, but it's by no means a certainty, and I need to plan pretty far ahead for work purposes. 

let me know if you're interested!
E


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

I'd be interested. I have to instruct guide school the 5th thru the 10th of May, but maybe the following weekend? Do we have to do the whole 70 miles or is there a partial? I wouldn't be able to do a 7 day trip until the end of May.



ecjohnson said:


> Anyone out there interested in an Escalante run? I would love to do a ducky or kayak trip down the Escalante as long as it's flowing... I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've been told that as long as the gauge is at 50 cfs in town, then it's runnable.
> 
> I am free from May 5th-16th. I may be working a trip for a Middle School here in durango, but it's by no means a certainty, and I need to plan pretty far ahead for work purposes.
> 
> ...


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

Very possibly. I have to be in Flagstaff on the 17th to rig for a Grand trip. I have that whole time off, so whatever will work. I think it's at least a 5 day trip, plus shuttling hole-in-the-rock road... the washboard road from hell. logistics are a bit of a bitch, but it's worth it I hear. 


TakemetotheRiver said:


> I'd be interested. I have to instruct guide school the 5th thru the 10th of May, but maybe the following weekend?


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

I just sent an email to a friend. He ran it a little while ago, and they hiked out Coyote Gulch. I need to look at a map. We could hike out earlier. Or we could run the section from town to the Highway 12 bridge. It's shorter, but I think what Calf Creek contributes in flow makes the lower section easier to run. I'll look into it and let you know.
E


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## desertrat (Aug 20, 2007)

*Crack in the Wall*



ecjohnson said:


> He ran it a little while ago, and they hiked out Coyote Gulch.


I have never boated the escalante but have spent a lot of time backpacking in that area. Hiking up Coyote Gulch with boats would take forever. The standard route out is up an 800' sand dune, over Crack in the Wall (3rd class), and then a couple miles crosscountry to Forty Mile Ridge road. You would want to go super light and consider bringing a short rope to haul gear/boats up Crack in the Wall.


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

Oh yeah, Coyote is a loooong slog with boats. I've spent a lot of time hiking there also. That's a good idea about crack in the wall. We'll see. I want to know if the section from town to the highway 12 bridge is boatable. I should really just find someone to meet us at the mouth of the Escalante with a house boat... however horrible I would feel for using Reservoir Powell. 



desertrat said:


> I have never boated the escalante but have spent a lot of time backpacking in that area. Hiking up Coyote Gulch with boats would take forever. The standard route out is up an 800' sand dune, over Crack in the Wall (3rd class), and then a couple miles crosscountry to Forty Mile Ridge road. You would want to go super light and consider bringing a short rope to haul gear/boats up Crack in the Wall.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm down for that- why a houseboat though? why not just a speed boat and motor out? I know someone who would almost certainly meet us with a speed boat.


ecjohnson said:


> Oh yeah, Coyote is a loooong slog with boats. I've spent a lot of time hiking there also. That's a good idea about crack in the wall. We'll see. I want to know if the section from town to the highway 12 bridge is boatable. I should really just find someone to meet us at the mouth of the Escalante with a house boat... however horrible I would feel for using Reservoir Powell.


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

Any kind of boat would be sweet. I was just thinking houseboat with a bunch of cold beer, ice cream, frozen margarita's... and of course a a water slide off of the boat. Motoring off would be the quickest way for sure. 



TakemetotheRiver said:


> I'm down for that- why a houseboat though? why not just a speed boat and motor out? I know someone who would almost certainly meet us with a speed boat.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

We can put lots of cold beer, ice cream, and margarita's on my mom's speed boat. As for a water slide, I'll hold the raft upside down over the side and give you a push. More like slip and slide. 


ecjohnson said:


> Any kind of boat would be sweet. I was just thinking houseboat with a bunch of cold beer, ice cream, frozen margarita's... and of course a a water slide off of the boat. Motoring off would be the quickest way for sure.


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

hahahaha... perfect. That's also a great hot day on the San Juan (or anywhere) activity... slip n' slide off the beach into the water.

I'm game for a speed boat. Soooo much easier than hiking out of the river with boats and all other gear. 




TakemetotheRiver said:


> We can put lots of cold beer, ice cream, and margarita's on my mom's speed boat. As for a water slide, I'll hold the raft upside down over the side and give you a push. More like slip and slide.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

Let's make it happen. You plan it- I have too many in the works at the moment. 


ecjohnson said:


> hahahaha... perfect. That's also a great hot day on the San Juan (or anywhere) activity... slip n' slide off the beach into the water.
> 
> I'm game for a speed boat. Soooo much easier than hiking out of the river with boats and all other gear.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

OK- so my mom is game to meet us with her boat any weekend in May.



TakemetotheRiver said:


> Let's make it happen. You plan it- I have too many in the works at the moment.


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## ecjohnson (Nov 6, 2007)

I'm happy to plan it. 
I hear you on planning right now - I guess it's that time of year.

Having a boat to haul us off the lake is going to be awesome. That's Rad, so much easier. If we do it in kayaks instead of duckies, we'll be able to go faster - get some more hiking in, get me to Flag on time. I wonder if I can just drive straight to the Ferry the evening of the 16th... 

I'll start putting together a plan. I guess I just need the dates of your guide school once they solidify.


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## grandyoso (Aug 20, 2006)

*Escelante/dolores/piedra/animas?*

If you guys need anymore, i know a couple people (Duckies) that might be interested . I am also thinking about coming down with my 13 ft to the southwest late may early june to run some other stuff. Any Suggestions?
IAN


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't think I would be comfortable ina kayak yet- I just started that this winter, but I could duckie it and you could kayak. I'm sure there's others who want to go too.

Ideally the weekend of the 23rd would be better for me, but you're leaving the 17th, right? I don't have another 3 day weekend in May. Can we do it over a regular weekend?



ecjohnson said:


> I'm happy to plan it.
> I hear you on planning right now - I guess it's that time of year.
> 
> Having a boat to haul us off the lake is going to be awesome. That's Rad, so much easier. If we do it in kayaks instead of duckies, we'll be able to go faster - get some more hiking in, get me to Flag on time. I wonder if I can just drive straight to the Ferry the evening of the 16th...
> ...


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## skibuminwyo (Nov 8, 2005)

I know I am a total newbie to the site, but if I am still in this part of the world, I would love to hit it. I've been down the Colorado and San Juan into Lake Foul, might as well add one more river to the list. I'll know here pretty quick if I will still be on this side of the Mississippi this summer.


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

Thats the way to do it,having a boat pick you up!Takeme it is a good beginner run,i think the hardest rapid is 3-,but you are there for the scenery and solitude.It is ideal for ducky's,you can be more comfortable and carry more gear[since you have a boat,and no carry out from hell],I have heard there are bony shoals to drag over,easier to get in and out of a duck.


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## pbkev20 (Feb 14, 2008)

*Count me in...*

I would love to go on this trip. I am available anytime after May 8th. Count me in!


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

I love that there are always people on here who want to and will commit to going down a river any time, anywhere, on short notice!

Ethan and I have been talking about this trip and while the Escalante would be awesome, we may have to postpone it until June because it requires at least 7 days.

Instead we are going to apply for a San Juan trip, possibly a Dolores or Dirty Devil in May. Not sure which one yet but of course any and all are welcome to come along.

That's all I know about it right now... more after the Salt trip this weekend.
SYOTR


pbkev20 said:


> I would love to go on this trip. I am available anytime after May 8th. Count me in!


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## pbkev20 (Feb 14, 2008)

I am going to do it sometime around the second week in May so anyone that is interested let me know.

-Kevin


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## bradslob (Apr 20, 2006)

I did it a few years ago and had a sweet set up. Met the group in Bullfrog. I had a shitty little bass boat with a 20hp motor. Me and a friend took the boat to a canyon at the end of the river. Maybe willow gulch, I'd have to check it. anyway we drove a sand wedge anchor and tied the motor boat and hiked out. The rest of the folks drove around and picked us up at the trailhead on the hole in the rock road. Spent a night in Escalante, then put in the next day. 5 days on the river and then got a ride in a boat form a fisherman to my boat and out we went. You just need access to a small fishing boat. 

The alternative is to hire a shuttle boat from Bullfrog which is some bucks, or get friends to work you into their water skiing vacation. 

Hiking out Coyote Gulch is doable but seemed a bit epic to me. 

Also I'm a kayaker, but a duckie is definitely the tool for this river. No real whitewater and a lot of getting in and out of the boat. No play. You can carry quite a bit in a ducky. I brought 60lbs of gear and a large dog. 

The trip was worth it, some of the most beautifull and remote country in Utah. I'd be interested in doing it again, I've been watching the snowpack, and its not as high as I expected given the snow in Durango, but there will probably be a window this year.


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## bradslob (Apr 20, 2006)

Also, I'm a kayaker, but really this is a ducky trip. The year I did it I saw a group with a small cat and kayaks. They were fairly miserable. 

There's lots of shallow water, no rapids of note at our flows which were 100-800 cfs on our trip. Lots of bumper pool type of paddling. 

I rented ducky's from Rory here in Durango, it was money well spent.


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## cayce weber (Jun 27, 2007)

A couple of years ago we ran the dirty 














A couple of years ago we ran the Dirty Devil from Hanksville to Poison Spring. We took our longhaired Dachsund. We think this might be a first.


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*Beta later*

Good trip. Calf Creek Bridge to Dominy Sump. We (me and 3 river goddesses) did it in 2005 on a 200% snowpack, and a perfect water level (40-50 cfs at the Escalante town gage is low end, and you'd better check the SNOTEL sites, etc. to be sure you'll have water the whole way down). We did it in seven days or so, with no layovers. 

We hired a shuttle boat (big Boston Whaler) from the Bullfrog Marina. If there are stiff winds along the Sump, typical in the afternoon, the waves can be exciting. Maybe too exciting for a small fishing skiff stacked with gear. 

Not much whitewater, but the maneuvering can be intense, where the river splits around sandstone blocks, etc. Short boats have an easier time. We had 2 Jack's Pack Cats, 1 medium-size duck, and a Jack's Cutthroat with a rowing frame, which got stuck pretty often (bring a pruning saw for fallen trees). It's narrow, rock-strewn water. 

Anyhow, it can be the trip of a lifetime, but does take some planning (and perhaps some flexibility as far as the dates).

Got a pot of spaghetti on the burner. I'll post some beta in a day or so.

cheers, Chip


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## raferguson1 (Feb 13, 2007)

*Boat shuttle on Lake Powell?*

So what do you guys know about the shuttle boat pickup? We are likely to have a group of 6 canoes or so, strong paddlers. We are not trying to do this on the cheap, and I am told that Powell can get nasty when the winds blow.

My concern is that even a 20 foot powerboat may not carry a lot of hard shell canoes, mostly 12 or 13 feet long.

Richard




bradslob said:


> The alternative is to hire a shuttle boat from Bullfrog which is some bucks, or get friends to work you into their water skiing vacation.


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## peak (Apr 7, 2006)

Ferguson, are you planning on taking canoes down the Escalante river?


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*Canoes?*

I wouldn't take a canoe down, although I'm sure it's been done. Solo canoe, maybe, but a double 16-17 footer might be pretty weird. 

Anyone done it? How did it go? 

(If there are no replies from canoers, that tells you something.)


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## raferguson1 (Feb 13, 2007)

*Canoe on the Escalante*

My buddy is a devout canoeist, and has run the Escalante in a canoe multiple times. His first trip was an epic, but he now knows the river, and I am counting on his judgment about when to go, etc. We would be in solo whitewater canoes, mine is 13 feet long. He says the canoe should be 14 foot maximum, which would exclude tandem canoes. He is talking a 10 day trip, lots of hiking.

I understand that it is good to mark the water level each night with a stick, so you can tell if the river is dropping, and if you need to hurry before the water runs out. The season is short, by all accounts.

If you go on the web and search for a while, some people do run it in canoes. The rubber duckies that many people recommend are partly to make the take out work more smoothly, especially if you go out through the crack in the wall. 

Escalante River Canoe Trip

Richard




peak said:


> Ferguson, are you planning on taking canoes down the Escalante river?


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*Crux beta*

Cool! If you're going with someone who's done it, I can leave out the parts about the face-shredding russian olives, etc. and concentrate on the make or break stuff. 

For reference, our trip was 2005, May 3-10. Ten days would be really nice, if the water will stretch. 

First thing is to decide whether there'll be enough water. The key SNOTEL site is Widstoe #3 (see url below). The water year graphs are easy to read, and have longterm averages for comparison. This year, end of January, there was 7 inches of water in the snowpack. So the mountains in that watershed haven't gotten the big snowstorms so far. (In 2005, there was 21 inches: big diff.) 

<www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/wygraph-multi.pl?state=UT&wateryear=2008&stationidname=11m03s-WIDTSOE%20%233>

Another great source is the USGS gage records, which offer both real-time and longterm water levels. <http:waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis>

The Escalante town gage is #09337500. If there's enough to run on at Calf Ck. (40 cfs) you can usually count on more water below. The two gaged streams lower down are Boulder Creek #09339000 and Pine Creek #09337000. 

If you look at the Surface Water Daily Data series over several years (e.g. 2000-2007) and run a line across the graph at 40 cfs, you'll see that the necessary water level wasn't reached 2002-2004. Back to the SNOTEL graphs. Around Feb. 1, the Snow Water Equivalents were: 2002 = 3 inches, 2003 = 4.5 inches, 2004 = 5 inches. So the snowpack doesn't look good so far this year. 

The other thing to note is how steeply a given year's SWE line drops. In 2004 it went almost straight down, that is the whole damn snowpack melted and ran off in two weeks or less. If you started your ten-day run towards the end of that pulse, you'd end up dragging your boats. 

Given the preparation that goes into a trip like this, it makes sense to do this benchmark research far enough in advance that you don't end up watching the daily gage records and sweating out a last-minute decision. 

Another odd bit: in the course of our trip, the Escalante gage stayed between 40-70 cfs. After which it spiked at 300 cfs. That may sound great, but the water rose right up to the thorny russian olive limbs: no room to duck under. I talked to boaters whose faces and arms got shredded and their duckies punctured: they had bail out, roll up their boats, and carry them back upcanyon. 

On the shuttle to Bullfrog, we shared with another party: a big Boston Whaler and a zoomy ski-boat. I wasn't sure how they'd want to load, so we left our gear on our boats. They were in a big hurry, and tossed our loaded boats in the Whaler on top of the other group's boats (duckies and a hard 'yak). After ramping off waves for two hours, it was pretty snarled up. 

With canoes, it might work to raft them in pairs (with paddles) and tow them, if you can find a shuttle driver who's willing to do that— it's slower. But if you do have a private boat to shuttle, it might be a good idea. 

In any event, good luck—
Chip


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## peak (Apr 7, 2006)

Chip, tell us more about the river goddesses...


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*River Goddesses*

Here they are.








Deb, my very own river goddess, on a Pack Cat, and Mel, all bundled up in drysuit, with her duckie, under some really ugly rocks. 








Here they are, Deb foreground, Martha on rock trying to point out the right way to her stuck (and severely overloaded) boat), then Mel. This was right below the wee falls shown in the next photo. 








This is the first portage, a five-foot drag over the boulder river right. But after all the mellow scenic shit, Mel and I had to run it. This is her about to flip. I tried it slower, and flipped at the entrance, in the corkscrew hydraulic. My cheap plastic Cabelas ammo cans leaked. (hint- unload before trying). Good place to stop and play, trying to run the little beast. Obviously not a bad swim. 








Here lies the super-mandatory portage, where the river is completely blocked, and squirts through foot-wide slots. For warning, there are usually things hanging on the willows: cracked helmets, panties, etc. Deb and I took out upstream left on a bar and did a longer (scratchy) portage. Mel tried to paddle right up to it, flipped in an overhang, and scared herself. Not a good place to fall out of your boat. You can see the tips of Martha's tubes poking out. I think she got out upstream and lined it around the boulder. 

The interesting thing about this river, is that these rockfalls take place fairly often, so you might come around a bend and— whoa! 

Chip


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## thalweg (Mar 27, 2008)

I'm also looking at early May. Anyone have an idea about how far down the canyon the current extends now? Thinking about paddling to the Hole in the Rock and doing a shuttle from there.


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*the 4-step program*

1. Check the SNOTEL data (the snow water equivalent graph) for WIDTSOE #3 via NRCS National Water and Climate Center | Home

2. Keep an eye on the USGS gage for Escalante. 40 cfs seems to be the crux for a good trip. 

3. Check the Bu Rec site for the Lake Powell elevation (assuming it'll go up a bit before you launch).

4. Find that elevation on a good detail map. 

Generally, there'll be a few miles of quicksand, mudflats, and shallows between there and the actual point that a powerboat can reach. The last morning we had a battle with an upstream wind and breaking waves, making 1 mile-per-hour tops, so don't judge the distance as if you'll be paddling with current. 

Good luck— It's a beautiful trip—


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## thalweg (Mar 27, 2008)

OK, from Explorer Canyon at just below 3600' it looks like a 14 mile paddle to Hole in the Rock.


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

*Protein powder*

If you've got upstream winds, and waves, the flatwater part could be a workout. 

In 2005 I think we got boat-shuttled from Willow Canyon, a couple miles downstream from Explorer Canyon, which strikes me as odd. I wouldn't think the water would have risen since then, to reach Explorer Canyon. 

Anyhow, the weird thing about paddling the drowned part of the Escalante is that you might have deep water under your boat, rollers, slickrock walls on both sides and not many places to land or camp for considerable distances. The sandstone that's been submerged and re-exposed is manky & rotten. Take care when scrambling. 

I wish I could recall the stretch between Willow Canyon and Hole in the Rock, but I was pretty disoriented by the powerboat shuttle banga-wanga speed run. 

General take: after seven or so days of paddling a river, to paddle the Sump, with its hideous bathtub rings and tumbleweed holocaust shorelines, is a serious down. I'd elect to be shuttled from as far up as the powerboat could reach.


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## bowdie (Apr 4, 2008)

Don't count on the Escalante offering more than 1 to 3 weeks of runnable flows. Smowpack for Escalante basin is < 100% (in fact, ~85%). Runoff typically peaks early to mid May. Each year is different folks. It's a matter of keeping an eye on the flows, remaining flexible, and driving straight to the put-in when conditions are optimal.

Chip offers good advice above.

FYI, the Boulder Creek gaging station is offline this season. Boulder Creek (~6 miles downstream from put-in) typically doubles flow of the Escalante. 

I run it twice in 2005: in May when Escalante gage read ~ 70 cfs and again in late June when Escalante gage read ~ 150 cfs! We will be lucky if the Escalante reaches comparable 2005 flows in the next decade or so. 

Pray or dance perhaps.


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