Backpack Lower Death Hollow

I would suggest making this a 3-day journey. Be vigilant of the local weather forecast before entering this canyon. If it indicates rain (especially in the late summer months), flash floods can occur and this is the last place you want to be if that happens. 

The route begins at the Boulder Mail Trail at 6,760 ft and ends at the Escalante River Trailhead, 5,200 ft. You will need to arrange a shuttle to complete the hike. Luckily, the drive from point-to-point is only 10.6 miles. 

When you finish this hike, I highly suggest driving back to Boulder and eating at the Burr Trail Grill. They cook up some of the best grub in Utah.

Day 1 (5.6 miles)
You will travel southwesterly on a foot trail through a sparse forest of pinyon pine and juniper. After 1.8 miles and a gradual descent, you will reach a perennial stream called Sand Creek. Once you leave the drainage, keep your eyes peeled for remnants of an old telegraph line. It was built in 1910 and used for several decades as a communication connection between Boulder and Escalante. 

2.5 miles after Sand Creek you will reach a junction with the Bowington Trail. Head right and soon a grandiose view opens up. Your route is now primarily marked by cairns, small piles of rocks stacked up to keep you on course. From here, you will lose 640 ft elevation until you reach the bottom of an alcove. There are plenty of great campsites to be found on the sandy canyon floor. 

Day 2 (7.8 miles)
This is where the real fun begins. Continue downstream as you follow a narrow path in and out of the stream bed. Conditions are widely variable in this canyon, so it is hard to pinpoint how deep the water will be when you go. On rare occasion, it may be necessary to wade chest deep or possibly swim to get past certain obstacles. Usually, you won't encounter anything over waist deep. 

As you make your way down the canyon, be wary of poison ivy. The plant is bright green with leaves in groups of 3. I would suggest familiarizing yourself with its appearance via a few online searches. 

About 4 miles after leaving camp, you will arrive to the canyon's narrowest section. In places, the sheer walls on either side of you are only about 30-feet apart. Soon, you will reach a waterslide that proves a bit more impassable than previous ones. Our group was able to utilize a ledge we found above the creek to get past it. For some, a rope could come in handy here for raising and lowering packs. Undoubtedly, there are numerous ways to get past this barrier. With a little ingenuity, I'm sure you will find a way that works best for you.

2 miles or so after the waterslide, you will reach the Escalante River. There are ample opportunities for finding an excellent campsite somewhere beneath the Cottonwood trees in this area.  

Day 3 (7.0 miles)
From this point, travel becomes a lot mellower. Continue to meander along the trail for a little over 5 miles, then make sure to stop and check out Escalante Natural Bridge. Also, if you look carefully, you might find an Anasazi cliff dwelling nearby. As you continue, the trail becomes extremely well-defined as it receives plenty of foot traffic at this stage. Soon, you will meet up with the Escalante River Trailhead.  

Upper Death Hollow
For the ultra-adventurous, there is an option to extend this hike by entering off of the Hell's Backbone Road. This part of the canyon is far more treacherous and requires long stretches of full on swimming through extremely cold water in narrow slot canyons. We used inflatable air mattresses to float our packs through these sections! There is limited information on Upper Death Hollow, but here is a good place to start.