Escalante – Basecamp Adventure Hiking.

Combing luxurious camping and great hiking in a true wilderness setting.  This National Monument offers complete solitude with a colorful landscape and unique canyons waiting to be explored.

Type of Trip:  Day Hiking from a Base Camp w/ Support Vehicle
Dates:  March –June and mid August - November
Duration:  5 days/4 nights (can be shortened or lengthened by one day)
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Total Distance:  Varies trip to trip (usually about 40-60 miles)
Elevation Gain/Loss:  500ft
Orientation Time:  4pm the day before the hike
Orientation Location: Flagstaff – at our store (1051 S. Milton Ave - Suite F).
Trip Departure: 6am
Trip Return:  4pm 
 
(B) = Breakfast   (L) = Lunch   (D) = Dinner

Cost of trip if camping:  
4 Days - $985 per person
5 Days - $1250 per person
 

Cost of trip if staying in lodge:  
4 Days - $1299* per person
5 Days - $1499* per person
* single supplement $180
 

** This trip can be customized to fit almost all physical levels, duration and starting points**

This adventure is one of our guide’s favorites.  This five-day trip explores some of the best day hikes Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments has to offer (without carrying a heavy backpack).  Each day hike will embark on a new journey, while returning to base camp every night.  Here you will find a delicious meal waiting next to the campfire.  Some of the highlights include: a desert oasis, ruins, arches, natural bridges, slot canyons and sleeping under a star filled sky.    On this off-the-beaten path adventure we travel into the “canyons” of Escalante…the last place in the lower 48 States to be mapped.

Day 1: 
Depart Flagstaff early for your scenic drive through Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.  You will see the many colorful layers of the Painted Desert, Navajo Reservation, and Lake Powell.  We will stop for hikes in the Cottonwood Narrows, Grosvenor Arch, and possibly Bull Valley Gorge before getting to our base camp in time for a beautiful sunset.  (3-15 miles of hiking)  (L) (D)

Day 2:
After an early breakfast we are off for a full day of exploring endless side canyons and hidden secrets.  Highlights include:  Escalante River to Maverick Bridge and Phipps Arch.  We will visit ancients dwellings and play in a few swimming holes. About 8 – 12 miles of hiking  - (B) (L) (D)

Day 3:
Today’s journey will bring us to some of the most interesting slot canyons in the world.  You better have plenty of film for this day.  We will also examine some interesting rock formations and caves.  Highlights include Spooky and Peek-a-boo Canyons, as well as Dance Hall Rock and the “secret” caves once occupied by humans.  About 7 miles of hiking - (B) (L) (D)

Day 4:
Today we stretch the legs for a magnificent hike through hidden passages of the Escalante River basin.  This route was once heavily used by Fremont Indians and followed by cowboys’ years later.  We will explore ruins, huge panels of rock art, old cowboy camps and one of the most talked about features in all of Escalante…the Golden Cathedral.  The day will end with a memorable trek across sand dunes and slickrock.  This will help you understand why it is called “Egypt.”  About 10 miles of hiking – (B) (L) (D)

Day 5:
Before saying goodbye to this special place we will travel into a hidden garden of hoodoos and sandstone.  This outstanding natural feature is a human maze of slickrock formations waiting to be analyzed.  About 3-5 miles of hiking  - (B) (L) 

Adding a sixth day will allow more time to see other highlights such as; Hell’s Backbone Rd, Hog’s Back Ridge, Hole-in-the-Rock, Davis Gulch, Willow Gulch, Coyote Gulch, Zebra Slot Canyon or the “Tunnel.”