On our previous visit Steve and I hiked the length of Coyote Gulch, a tributary of the Escalante River, entering through Hurricane Wash and exiting through Crack in the Wall. This time we opted for a different, shorter route to visit some of the highlights of Coyote Gulch, entering at Jacob Hamblin Arch (sometimes called the Sneaker Route, Water Tank Trail, or Jacob Hamblin Trail). We walked about two miles cross country through a vast expanse of sand and slickrock to reach the rim of Coyote Gulch. Peering down we could see the lush vegetation and stream 100 feet below us. I was expecting this descent to be much worse than it was and we didn’t have any problems getting down aided by a rope. We had brought a rope with us, but didn’t need it on the descent as there was one good rope there (and one other rope we steered clear of - it looked like a cheap, discount rope purchased at Walmart and not good for anything - we were definitely not trusting that). On return the rope was gone and Steve climbed up and set up our rope for Norah and me (it was not as necessary climbing out, but I was still glad to have it).

What a contrast being in Coyote Gulch versus the stark terrain we had just crossed. It is definitely an oasis with the water and vegetation that you would never know was here just looking across the landscape. We turned left to make the short walk to Jacob Hamblin Arch and immediately were treated to gorgeous views with the soaring sandstone walls softly hued by the reflected light in the canyon. We reached Jacob Hamblin Arch and marveled at its size. At 150 feet tall and 100 feet wide it is an impressive arch. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to photograph with the angles and light and I could not even come close to capturing the scope and beauty of the arch.

We turned around and headed back downstream. Roughly 1.2 miles from the arch we encountered “Swiss Cheese Falls”. The name is somewhat of a misnomer - it is really a small cascade of water over some rocks eroded in an interesting pattern. I didn’t have my tripod, so I didn’t get a long exposure - but this a nice spot for photos. Not too far beyond Swiss Cheese Falls (about half a mile), we came to Coyote Natural Bridge. It’s not as big or impressive as Jacob Hamblin Arch, but still a cool geological feature in Coyote Gulch. We knew there was more beauty and features downstream yet decided this would be our turn around point for the day. We took a long break to eat lunch and take various pictures of the bridge. We retraced our steps back to the Jacob Hamblin entry/exit point and climbed out for the trek back to the water tank. The parking lot was not very busy and we decided to just camp there for the night, plus this allowed us easy access to Sunset Arch. In general we were pleasantly surprised at how few people we saw (a handful) during the day - it certainly was fortuitous to visit on a weekday. When we drove by the Hurricane Wash parking area a few days later on our way out it was packed and we were sure Coyote Gulch was teeming with people on the weekend.

We decided with a name like Sunset Arch, we should wait a few hours to hike so we could catch golden hour at the arch. The hike to the arch is easy - about three miles round trip and basically flat. There is no trail or route - it’s a choose your own adventure as you pick your way among the desert flora and sand. Sunset Arch is a free standing arch that seems to pop out of nowhere and to our surprise, after spotting Sunset Arch we could see another arch just beyond it. We weren’t aware it was there and later found it to be called either Moonrise or Sunrise Arch. Of course we would have to visit that one too - can’t pass up a 2-for-1 arch opportunity. We poked around for a bit, took our pictures, then started the hike back to our truck at Water Tank. These were fun little arches to visit because of their location and solitude and were a nice add on to our hike in Coyote Gulch.