Detailed Itinerary

Escalante Canyons National Monument Trailride

Note:  This is a sample itinerary for two of several spring or fall camps we may use.  Each camp is unique and often offers more trails to explore than time will permit.

Day 1
Arrive scenic Torrey, Utah and check into your specified  motel--either the Boulderview Inn or the Chuckwagon Inn. Torrey is a town of a little over 200 population which is located at the junction of highways 12 and 24 near the west entrance of Capitol Reef National Park.

The Boulderview Inn is located on highway 24 at the west end of Torrey.  The Chuckwagon Inn is located downtown one block west of Hondoo's headquarters.  At 8:00pm meet at the Boulderview Inn's lobby or pool side at the Chuckwagon for an orientation and final packing session with your trip leader and the trip's interpretative specialist.

Day 2
After breakfast, you'll travel a short distance down the road to Hondoo's headquarters. Transfers will be provided as needed. Hondoo's headquarters are located on highway 24 in the middle of downtown Torrey. At Hondoo's office and gift shop, they willl pack your gear in the camp 4X4, meet the remainder of the crew and your horse, then depart (9:00am) for our trailhead at Roundup Flat or Circle Cliffs.

The 30 mile ride over Boulder Mountain on highway 12 travels along a stretch of road which AAA of California has rated among the top ten scenic drives in America. From the Roundup Flat trailhead you'll ride past the Steep Creek Lakes and the Windmill into Indian Gulch via The Stairs before arriving at the Gulch basecamp. From the Circle Cliffs trailhead with it's panoramic view of the Grand Staircase and Escalante Canyons, you'll leave Studhorse Peak and Wagon Box Mesa behind as you ride to basecamp at Moody Canyon or nearby Silver Falls Canyon.

Day 3
After breakfast and preparing lunch, from the Gulch basecamp you'll visit Lamanite Natural Bridge, Water Canyon and Egg Canyon before returning home to a hot shower and cold drinks. From the Moody/Silver Falls basecamp, you'll ride over the Purple Hills to explore the labyrinth of canyons which comprise the Moody Canyon complex.

Day 4
Daylight at the Gulch camp brings the prospect of visiting the Circle Cliff divide, the Lampstand and the petroglyphs located at it's base. From the Moody/Silver Falls camp you'll wind your way into the ever narrowing depths of Silver Falls Canyon with stops at the Pioneer Register and the cooling alcove at Immigrant Springs.

Day 5
From the Gulch camp you'll explore the upper reaches of Indian Gulch where it emerges from Edmund's Hole under the Windmill or Impossible Peak. Or, after a hearty breakfast, you will ride to Deer Point, the Capitol Reef Divide and the Waterpocket Fold Overlook before returning to relax around the evening fire.

Day 6
Departure day. After packing personal gear and breaking camp, you will ride the length of the Gulch to where it joins Steep Creek and Long Canyon. At Long Canyon you'll exchange your saddle seat for the cushioned comfort of a vehicle ride along the Burr Trail road to highway 12 and beyond. You'll arrive Torrey late afternoon. From the Moody/Silver Falls camp you'll take in Wolverine Petrified Forest and Little Death Hollow before rendezvousing with our vehicles along the Burr Trail road for return to Torrey late afternoon.

Dates

Country

Highlights

From deluxe base camps

April 21-26 &
April 28-May 3

San Rafael Swell & Hondoo Country

Wild Horses at Muddy River Gorge & Red Canyon

May 4-9

San Rafael Swell & Sid's Mountain Wilderness

Explore Slickrock Canyons populated with Bighorn Sheep

May 12-17

Capitol Reef National Park

Springtime in the slickrock country.

May 20-25

Escalante Canyons National Monument

Spring Wildflowers in Slickrock Canyons

May 29-June 3
& June 6-11

Capitol Reef National Park

Pleasant Creek Rockart or Cathedral Valley

June 14-19 &
June 22-27

Escalante Canyons National Monument

Headwaters of Escalante River with Monument & Arizona views

July 2-7

Capitol Reef National Park

Ride along America's "Great Western Trail"

July 11-16
& July 21-26
& Aug. 1-6

High Plateaus of Boulder, Henry or 1000Lakes Mtns.

Alpine Lakes, Wildlife & Views of the Canyonlands, Northern Arizona & 4 Corners

Aug. 10-15

Escalante Canyons National Monument

Headwaters of Escalante River with Monument & Arizona views

Aug. 19-24

Capitol Reef National Park

Explore the breaks of Waterpocket Fold

Aug 27-Sept 1
& Sept. 3-8

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Rockart & Bighorn Sheep in the Slickrock

Sept. 11-16

Capitol Reef National Park

Experience the breaks above Capitol Reef

Sept. 19-24

Escalante Canyons National Monument

Fall Foliage & Redrock Canyons in the Escalante drainage

Sept. 26-Oct. 1
Oct 3-8

High Plateaus of 1000 Lakes or Boulder Mtns.

Fall Foliage and Vistas over 100 miles

Oct. 12-17 &
Oct. 21-26

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Wild Horses & FALL FOLIAGE in Redrock Country

RIDES FEATURING ROCK ART:

May 29-June 3

Capitol Reef National Park

Petroglyphs and Pictographs on Pleasant Creek Gorge

Aug. 27-Sept. 1

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Petroglyphs and Pictographs in Bighorn Sheep country

RIDES FEATURING WILDLIFE:

Detailed Itinerary of San Rafael Swell Wilderness - Note:  This is a sample itinerary for two of several camps they may use.  Each camp is unique and often offers more trails to explore than time will permit.

Day 1
Arrive scenic Torrey, Utah and check into your specified lodging--either the Boulderview Inn or the Chuckwagon Inn. Torrey is a town of a little over 200 population which is located at the junction of highways 12 and 24 near the west entrance of Capitol Reef National Park.

The Boulderview Inn is located on highway 24 at the west end of Torrey.  The Chuckwagon Inn is located downtown one block west of Hondoo's office.  At 8:00pm meet at either the Boulderview Inn's lobby or pool side at the Chuckwagon Inn for an orientation and final packing session with your trip leader and the trip's interpretative specialist.

Day 2
After breakfast, you'll travel a short distance down the road to Hondoo's headquarters. Transfers will be provided as needed. Hondoo's headquarters are located on highway 24 in the middle of downtown Torrey. At Hondoo's office and gift shop, they willl pack your gear in the camp 4X4, meet the remainder of the crew and your horse, then depart (9:00am) for our trailhead near Penitentiary Canyon or at the Head of Sinbad.

From the Penitentiary trailhead you'll ride to the mouth of Red Canyon, then to Tomsich Butte, then to Hondoo Arch, and then on to our basecamp at the old mining camp on Muddy Creek. From the Sinbad Trailhead you'll visit Locomotive Point, Devil's Race Track, Twin Priests and the Golden Gate before arriving at basecamp in Cold Canyon. Note: most days of the trailride, you should see mustangs or desert bighorn sheep. Mustangs from the Muddy Creek basecamp and bighorn sheep from the Cold Canyon basecamp.

Day 3
After breakfast and preparing lunch, from the Muddy Creek basecamp you'll visit Red Canyon Narrows, Courthouse Butte, Family Butte and Penitentiary Canyon before returning to camp situated under majestic cottonwoods along the picturesque stream. From the Cold Canyon basecamp you'll ride thru the Golden Gate to Bullock Canyon and the Blue Man pictograph panel, then on to the South Fork of Coal Wash and the pictograph panel there before returning to the hot showers and cold drinks at the slickrock canyon basecamp.

Day 4
Daylight at the Muddy Creek camp brings the prospect of visiting the magnificent Chute gorge and Chimney Canyon. From the Cold Canyon basecamp you'll ride to the pinnacles of Devil's Monument and Joe and his Dog, then on the return to camp you'll stop at the historic outlaw camp and mining ruins of the ZCMI mine. You should note that you will always arrive back at camp with plenty of daylight and time to clean up and enjoy hors d'oeuvres before dinner.

Day 5
From the Muddy Creek camp you'll explore the upper reaches of the Muddy Gorge where it meanders through the splendidly colored slickrock of Triassic sandstones. Mustangs are numerous along the stream where they come for water from their pastures in the deep side canyons. From the Cold Canyon location you'll ride to the Long Neck for views of Swasey Arch, Saddle Horse Canyon and upper Cold Canyon. After lunch, you'll ride up the McCarty Canyon trail to the head of Mesquite Canyon where a promontory point will provide a striking vista encompassing all the country you've covered during your trip.

Day 6
Departure day. After packing personal gear and breaking camp, you'll ride to McKay Flat via Red Canyon and the Grey Breaks. This route will take us to a favorite watering spring of the wild horses and furnish breath-taking panoramas of the country you've visited on your trip. From the Cold Canyon basecamp you'll ride the length of the Devil's Race Track to the incomparable Snake Dance pictograph panel. At the McKay Flat or the Snake Dance panel you'll exchange your saddle seat for the cushioned comfort of a vehicle ride over the San Rafael Swell to Torrey, Utah. You'll arrive Torrey late afternoon.

April 21-26 &
April 28-May 3
& May 4-9

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Wild Horses or Bighorn Sheep at Muddy River Gorge or Sid's Mountain Wilderness

June 22-27

High Plateaus of Wasatch or Boulder

Wildflowers with Elk & Birds-of-prey

July 21-26

High Plateaus/Henry Mountains

Buffalo with Views of Canyonlands & 4-Corners area

Sept. 3-8

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Bighorn Sheep in Slickrock & Slot Canyons

Oct. 12-17 &
Oct. 21-26

San Rafael Swell Wilderness

Wild Horses & FALL FOLIAGE in a Maze of Redrock Canyons

INN to INN TRAILRIDES: £1334.00pp double plus £152 single supplement

From the area's most elegant inns with fine dining.

Inn to Inn Trailrides
Capitol Reef National Park/Escalante Canyons National Monument

Capitol Reef and Escalante Canyons is a landscape where thousands of feet of layered, multi-colored sediments have been thrust skyward by faulting of the earth's crust (the Circle Cliff anticline). Once you see this kaleidoscopic, jagged geologic spectacle, you'll understand why the Ute Indians called it the "Land of the Sleeping Rainbow ". It was the last explored and named region of the continental United States. It is a countryside of slickrock mountains punctured by deep, narrow canyons so rugged and remote that the tiny village of Boulder, Utah, which lies within it's midst, could not be reached by automobile until 1938.

To trailride this terrain and to take in panoramas of the Land of the Sleeping Rainbow breaking from the lush, alpine plateaus looming high above, is indisputably an opportunity of a lifetime. The topography of the rides is dynamic and elevation may change from below 4,000ft. to above 11,000ft., with higher elevations visited in the heat of the summer and lower environs visited earlier or later in the season.

You'll cover new trails each day which were established by Native Americans, pioneer herdsmen and outlaws. An elegant lodge will serve as your home for the daily forays deep into the wilderness. You'll experience ancient petroglyphs, slickrock mountains, slot-canyons, rock arches, buttes and spires such as Cathedral Valley, The Mummy Cliffs and Circle Cliffs, Paradise, Hell's Hole, The Velvet Ridge, The Golden Throne, Pleasant Creek Falls and Gorge, Deep Creek Gorge, Tantalus Canyon, and more.

May 12-18

Capitol Reef NP & Escalante Canyons NM

Wildflowers & Springtime in Slickrock Canyons

May 29-June 4 June 14-20

Capitol Reef NP & Escalante Canyons NM

Explore the Breaks above Waterpocket Fold & Circle Cliffs

July 11-17

Aug.19-25

High Plateaus above Capitol Reef & Escalante Canyons

Alpine Lakes & Views of the Canyonlands, Four Corner area, & Northern Arizona

Sept. 11-17

Capitol Reef NP & Escalante Canyons NM

Explore the Breaks above Waterpocket Fold & Circle Cliffs

Sept. 26-Oct. 2

High Plateaus above Capitol Reef & Escalante Canyons

FALL FOLIAGE on 1000 Lakes & Boulder Mountains with Views of Canyonlands & Northern Arizona

Raft: July 30-August 1
Ride: Aug. 1-6

Raft: August 6-8*
Ride: August 10-15

Raft: Sept. 17-19
Ride: Sept. 19-24

Raft: Oct. 1-3
Ride: Oct. 3-8