Coyote Gulch
Grand Staircase-Escalante, UT
Elevation Profile
Current Conditions
Bottom Line
Good window through Thursday, then a storm rolls in Friday night with 87% precip chance including thunderstorms — plan your exit before that hits. The USGS stream gauges loaded for this briefing are all California Central Coast stations, not Coyote Gulch drainages, so treat flow data as unreliable for your actual crossings; expect Coyote Gulch and Crack-in-the-Wall to be at or near typical late-fall low levels given zero snowpack and no recent precip.
59°/36°F · Sunny
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0" depth
Elevated flows · 5 gauges
No active fires within 50 miles
10h 17m daylight · Sunrise 7:02 AM · Sunset 5:20 PM
Full Briefing
The biggest planning factor this trip is the Friday night storm. You've got clean, sunny weather Wednesday and Thursday — highs of 59°F and 55°F respectively, light winds under 7 mph, overnight lows in the mid-to-upper 30s. That's ideal November canyon conditions. Friday starts to deteriorate with a 24% precip chance and partly sunny skies, then Friday night drops a storm with 87% precipitation probability including thunderstorms. If you're in the canyon Friday night, you need a campsite well above the wash floor. Flash flood risk in a slot canyon during a thunderstorm event is not theoretical — Coyote Gulch funnels a large drainage. Plan your itinerary so you're either out by Friday afternoon or camped high and exposed terrain is not in your path.
The USGS gauges in this briefing — Salinas River, Llagas Creek, Alameda Creek — are all Central Coast California watersheds and have no relevance to Coyote Gulch hydrology. Disregard the stream crossing CAUTION flag for your specific route planning; it's a data mismatch. The actual Escalante River and Coyote Gulch tributaries are fed by the Aquarius Plateau and surrounding canyon country. With zero snowpack at all three SNOTEL stations and no recent precipitation in the forecast window before your trip, expect crossings to be easy — ankle-to-knee-deep at most typical spots. The Friday night storm could change that if it's significant, but you'll be watching it happen in real time.
No avalanche terrain in Coyote Gulch — that data being unavailable is irrelevant to this trip. No active fires within 50 miles means clean air and no access concerns. Snowpack is zero, so you're walking on bare slickrock and sand — no traction devices needed.
Daylight is your operational constraint: 10h 17m with sunset at 5:20 PM. First light hits at 7:02 AM. If you're doing big mileage days or navigating technical sections like Crack-in-the-Wall or the Jacob Hamblin Arch loop, get moving by 7:30 AM. Golden hour starts at 4:42 — if you're not at camp by then, you're setting up in the dark. Priority: be in camp by 5 PM and exit the canyon before Friday evening.
Waypoints
Red Well Trailhead
Remote trailhead. Long washboard road access. High clearance recommended.
5,499 ft
Jacob Hamblin Arch
Massive freestanding arch—one of the largest in Utah. Camping nearby.
5,200 ft
Coyote Natural Bridge
Water carved bridge. The stream runs under it during high water.
5,000 ft
Escalante River Confluence
Meet the Escalante River. Some parties do a longer loop from here.
4,501 ft
Return via Hurricane Wash
Loop back via Hurricane Wash or retrace the gulch.
5,499 ft
Route Details
Distance
33.0 mi
Elevation Gain
2,500 ft
Elevation Loss
2,500 ft
Max Elevation
5,499 ft
Estimated Days
3
Trailhead
Red Well Trailhead
Best Season
Spring and fall. Flash flood risk in summer—avoid when storms threaten. No rescues for days in emergency.
Permit Required
GSENM permit required for camping. Quota limits. Apply through recreation.gov.
About This Route
Coyote Gulch is a remote canyon system in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, featuring natural arches, waterfalls, and ancient ruins in a landscape of red and orange sandstone carved by the Coyote Gulch stream. The 30-35 mile loop is one of the finest canyon backpacking trips in the American Southwest. The gulch contains Jacob Hamblin Arch (one of the largest natural arches in Utah), Coyote Natural Bridge, Cliff Arch, and several Ancestral Puebloan granaries tucked in alcoves. The route follows the canyon floor much of the way, requiring occasional wading and scrambling over pour-offs. The Escalante River canyon is the downstream terminus, requiring either a long shuttle or a return upstream. Water is available in the creek through most seasons, but pothole water should be treated. The remoteness means no cell service, no rescues without significant helicopter time, and complete self-reliance. Spring and fall are the sweet spots. Summer thunderstorms bring flash floods—the canyon walls make escape impossible. Winter offers solitude but cold nights. The permit requirement was implemented to reduce impacts on the cryptobiotic soil crust and cultural sites.
Plan This Route
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Plan This Route