On our third day in Escalante we hiked Coyote Gulch. We did the Steve Allen route: from the Coyote Gulch trailhead we hiked across the slick rock and open plain towards Chimney Rock until we intersected Hurricane Wash. We followed Hurricane Wash to Coyote Gulch, which we hiked the length of and exited through Crack in the Wall. From Crack in the Wall we hiked across slick rock to the Forty Mile Ridge trailhead and then on the road back to the Coyote Gulch trailhead. Estimated total mileage was about 13 miles, which included a variety of terrain (scrub plain, slick rock, deep sand, dry river bed, river, etc). We had actually intended to do this as a backpack and set out with full packs, but near the end of the day a variety of factors led us to decide to go ahead and hike out.

I wish our pictures could really convey the immense beauty of Coyote Gulch - it was such an amazing place. I feel like I had whiplash at the end of the day after all the gawking I did. I would definitely put this in the top ten of my favorite places.

Rough hiking times (excluding breaks and loitering): from Coyote Gulch trailhead to Hurricane Wash - 1 hour, Hurricane Wash to Crack in the Wall - ~5.75 hours, Crack in the Wall to Forty Mile Ridge trailhead - 1 hour, road walk back to Coyote Gulch trailhead - 1 hour.