Utah
Trekking in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
| Outfitter |
Price |
Accommodations |
Red Rock n’ Llamas
877-955-2627, www.gorp.
com/redrock |
$1,275 |
camping |
Escalante Canyon Outfitters
888-326-4453, www.gorp.
com/escalante |
$795 |
camping, tourist hotels |
|
The Route: Five or six days of camping and hiking the classic bedrock of America’s newest great park, with llamas or horses shouldering the load. From high-desert base camps, you’ll day-trek into a red-rock panorama dotted with groves of manzanitas, ponderosas, and in September, autumn-yellow aspens.
When to go: August-September
Difficulty: Difficult
Travel advisory: The area’s slickrock combines incredible traction with pavement-hard ground; while you won’t slip, blisters are quite common. Leave the heavy lugger boots at home and bring a lightweight, cushioned pair. And whatever you do, don’t pet llamas on the face. they spit.
High/low points:
- Kicking back, fresh from a well-earned solar-heated shower with a hard shot of Edward Abbey and a cold lemonade.
- Being turned back by threatening thunderstorms from Death Hollow, and 800-foot-deep, waterfall-punctuated slot canyon.
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