KOLOB CLIFFS (ZION)
egypt 1 canyon & devils garden (Escalante)
november 2015
As part of the trip Jayme and I took to Utah over Thanksgiving break, we wanted to do a slot canyon and since I hadn't done Egypt 1, that seemed like a good bet. Back in March 2010 (holy cow 5 years ago!) I did Egypt 3 slot with a cast on my right arm, and I remember really liking the area. So we made good time driving all the way through Vegas and onward to Zion the day before Thanksgiving.We were able to meet up with my friend John, and the three of us went to check out the Kolob Canyons area of Zion. I scouted out a nice looking ridge system that looked like there may be a little climbing we could do. So we left the road and started hiking up. After 30 minutes or so, we reached the base of a series of cliffs, and I gathered the cams I had brought and finagled my way up a grungy pitch to a ledge above. Jayme decided to enjoy the views on a perch and wait for John and I to get back. We didn't really made it very far when we realized how much bigger the cliffs were than we thought. So we simply rappelled the one pitch we climbed. Amazingly we saw both some very old bolts and an old sling. It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon, and I highly recommend everyone go check out the Kolob Canyons. It's stunning!
John then continued on his trip, and Jayme and I went to St. George and had our Thanksgiving dinner at the Golden Corral. Haha think what you want but I love that place, and I was happy with an all you can eat buffet for Thanksgiving. We were not the only ones either! The set of photos below are of our day climbing around in the Kolob Cliffs.
John then continued on his trip, and Jayme and I went to St. George and had our Thanksgiving dinner at the Golden Corral. Haha think what you want but I love that place, and I was happy with an all you can eat buffet for Thanksgiving. We were not the only ones either! The set of photos below are of our day climbing around in the Kolob Cliffs.
Egypt 1 Canyon - 3A
The next morning, we continued driving east, and reached Escalante. We were able to drive my car all the way up to the Egypt Bench Overlook, however we actually parked just off the road where it crosses the Egypt 1 drainage, and hiked the very short 5 minutes down the wash to where the slot canyon begins. I unfortunately do not remember much about the canyon since I wrote this trip report nearly 2 years afterwards, however I recall a few short rappels, one right in the beginning down a slab, and another awkward one partway down. None of the raps were more than maybe 8 meters, so we used a light 30 meter rope. Most of the canyon was easy stemming or walking through until we reached the opening about a mile down. Here we scrambled up the slickrock to the right, up some class 3 steps until we reached the Carmel layer, and the open expanse of the desert. I was just amazed as to how quiet it was. I could actually hear my ears ringing and nothing else! It was then an easy walk along the west rim back to the car as the sun was beginning to set. See the Egypt 1 loop on the map below.
This canyon only takes a few hours and is a great short slot canyon suitable for beginners. Due to the short late November days, and the long drive down from Escalante though, we didn't do anything else afterward, other than return to the Escalante Subway for sandwiches, then drove back down to find a place to sleep in the car, which we ended up finding an old cattle corral at the end of a dirt road which was a perfect spot, out in the middle of nowhere with no one else around.
The next day it was substantially colder, and it had even snowed a bit that night! I finally got to experience the Utah desert with a fresh dusting of snow. It was surreal to witness, and to enjoy it, we drove down to Devils Garden, which I amazingly had not yet visited but am glad we did. It was very scenic with the fresh snow, and the near full moon added another element of beauty to this quaint and quiet place. We were the only ones there initially, but a couple others eventually joined. It was a beautiful morning wandering through all the Navajo towers while also trudging through fresh dry powder. Jayme was also really enjoying it too!
Later, we drove back up the Hole in the Rock Road and did a short hike of which I do not remember, but we had to start driving back to LA that afternoon. We wanted to break up the drive so we crashed near Mesquite, AZ where I-15 crosses the NW corner of Arizona. Here, the Virgin Mountains tower above the Virgin River Valley. I drove up the rough Red Hawk Road heading out east from the town of Scenic (in my old trusty stationwagon), under a pitch black night sky. Slowly making progress up the very rocky road, we located a nice flat area where the road intersected the Black Rock Road, at 2800 feet and next to a nice corral. We saw a lifted truck that was stuck, almost on its side off the road in a ditch. We did not know how he got there but we agreed we didn't want to go any further! So I parked next to the corral and we went to sleep in the back. We did not see anyone come back for their new looking truck that night. I was slightly disappointed to only be able to drive up 1000 feet, as I was hoping to quickly hike up Mount Bangs the next morning, but I figured a little more road walking wouldn't hurt.
The next morning, Jayme decided to get some work done, while I hiked so I went solo up the Black Rock Road as it weaved all the way up the valley to a 6460 foot pass nearly 2 miles south of Mount Bangs, which is the highest point in the Virgin Mountains. This small chain of mountains is mostly gentle rolling hills covered in Juniper trees and bushes, and has only sparse underbrush. I was taller than most of the trees here, and it was clear this area is very dry. A couple hours after leaving the car I made it to the pass, and realizing how much bushwhacking would be involved to continue north along the crest for 2 miles each way to the summit, I decided to simply turn around. We still had a long drive back to LA which I was very worried about traffic.
My worries became reality, and as soon as we passed through Las Vegas, the traffic along I-15 was bumper to bumper from the Nevada/California border all the way back to LA. It was going to take us all night to drive back, so I decided we should just sleep for a while and finish the drive back around 4-5am. It was horrendous how many people who returning to LA from Vegas. I vowed never to do that again! What made matters worse is that we both had to start work as soon as we got back. Needless to say we were both a little cranky.
This canyon only takes a few hours and is a great short slot canyon suitable for beginners. Due to the short late November days, and the long drive down from Escalante though, we didn't do anything else afterward, other than return to the Escalante Subway for sandwiches, then drove back down to find a place to sleep in the car, which we ended up finding an old cattle corral at the end of a dirt road which was a perfect spot, out in the middle of nowhere with no one else around.
The next day it was substantially colder, and it had even snowed a bit that night! I finally got to experience the Utah desert with a fresh dusting of snow. It was surreal to witness, and to enjoy it, we drove down to Devils Garden, which I amazingly had not yet visited but am glad we did. It was very scenic with the fresh snow, and the near full moon added another element of beauty to this quaint and quiet place. We were the only ones there initially, but a couple others eventually joined. It was a beautiful morning wandering through all the Navajo towers while also trudging through fresh dry powder. Jayme was also really enjoying it too!
Later, we drove back up the Hole in the Rock Road and did a short hike of which I do not remember, but we had to start driving back to LA that afternoon. We wanted to break up the drive so we crashed near Mesquite, AZ where I-15 crosses the NW corner of Arizona. Here, the Virgin Mountains tower above the Virgin River Valley. I drove up the rough Red Hawk Road heading out east from the town of Scenic (in my old trusty stationwagon), under a pitch black night sky. Slowly making progress up the very rocky road, we located a nice flat area where the road intersected the Black Rock Road, at 2800 feet and next to a nice corral. We saw a lifted truck that was stuck, almost on its side off the road in a ditch. We did not know how he got there but we agreed we didn't want to go any further! So I parked next to the corral and we went to sleep in the back. We did not see anyone come back for their new looking truck that night. I was slightly disappointed to only be able to drive up 1000 feet, as I was hoping to quickly hike up Mount Bangs the next morning, but I figured a little more road walking wouldn't hurt.
The next morning, Jayme decided to get some work done, while I hiked so I went solo up the Black Rock Road as it weaved all the way up the valley to a 6460 foot pass nearly 2 miles south of Mount Bangs, which is the highest point in the Virgin Mountains. This small chain of mountains is mostly gentle rolling hills covered in Juniper trees and bushes, and has only sparse underbrush. I was taller than most of the trees here, and it was clear this area is very dry. A couple hours after leaving the car I made it to the pass, and realizing how much bushwhacking would be involved to continue north along the crest for 2 miles each way to the summit, I decided to simply turn around. We still had a long drive back to LA which I was very worried about traffic.
My worries became reality, and as soon as we passed through Las Vegas, the traffic along I-15 was bumper to bumper from the Nevada/California border all the way back to LA. It was going to take us all night to drive back, so I decided we should just sleep for a while and finish the drive back around 4-5am. It was horrendous how many people who returning to LA from Vegas. I vowed never to do that again! What made matters worse is that we both had to start work as soon as we got back. Needless to say we were both a little cranky.
Overview Map of the Egypt Bench Slots
Photos: In order - Egypt 1, Devils Garden, Unnamed hike, Virgin mountains hike
