Anna attempted to get up the section that required paracord on the way down but backpacking on slickrock is a whole other ball game. Remember how we foolishly thought going back up the steep gully would be easier? About that. At least I was not the only victim.Īfter our photoshoot, we packed up camp so we could begin our hike back to the trailhead.
#REFLECTION CANYON TORRENT#
The wind picked up during this time and our shelf camping companions almost lost their tent in the torrent of wind. The sun decided to make its appearance well after sunrise, so we took advantage of this light to take photos. Anna and I crawled out of our tents and made breakfast in the cold as we sat and enjoyed the screensaver view. The goal was to be able to see sunrise, but the weather had other plans and the morning remained cloudy. The night was windy, but I managed to sleep well after the aforementioned almost disaster. After this mildly traumatic event, I stayed in my tent for the rest of the evening to prevent any more disaster from occurring. In this flash of events, my coveted purple backpacking pillow blew away in the wind, over the cliffs edge, and now it lives permanently in the arm of Lake Powell. Well, my sleeping bag started flying away so I had to run and grab that. I quickly removed myself from my sleeping bag and ran over to get control of my tent to keep it from flying away.
I got up and noticed she was holding down my tent, its underside showing itself. I had been laying in my sleeping bag with my Sea-to-Summit pillow enjoying the view when I heard Anna shout. While Anna was changing in her tent, the wind picked up significantly. This peaceful night quickly turned into a torrent of events. Two women showed up a bit later and set up camp on a flat slickrock surface somewhat near us. On a bluebird day, this only takes about two to two and a half hours to drive.Īfter setting up camp, we sat down to enjoy a peaceful afternoon with stunning views.
Plan for this stretch to take between two to four hours to navigate depending on weather and road conditions.
#REFLECTION CANYON OFFLINE#
I used the All Trails Offline map to figure out if we were in the right place. As I stated previously, there is not a designated trailhead but once you reach that 50/51-mile mark, you should notice pull-off areas on either side of the road. After 40 miles, the road becomes more difficult with more rocks and sharp curves, but it is passable with a 4WD or AWD car, preferably high clearance. Keep in mind, though, that the road is extremely wash boarded so if you are trying to drink out of your Nalgene without a splash guard, it will be extremely difficult to do so. The first 40 miles of this road is passable by a 2WD vehicle. We reset our odometer when we started driving on the road so we would know exactly when we reached the 50/51-mile point. Hole-in-the-Rock Road travels a total of 63 miles but to reach the parking area for Reflection Canyon, you only need to travel between 50 and 51 miles. To access the trailhead, you need to take Hole-in-the-Rock Road which is located about 5 miles southeast of Escalante, UT. Getting to the trailhead is the first part of this epic adventure because, well, there is not a designated trailhead and the road is not for the faint of heart. Especially with 50 mile ridge blocking the sun for the middle and foreground.Getting to the Trail: Hole-in-the-Rock Road The hike out This picture was taken shortly before sunset, which explains the background having the light. The hike in where I hiked past my destination. For those that read this description, here is the trek into Reflection Canyon and out. The final 3 miles hasn't any recognizable reference points to the hilltop where he took his photo. The shot location takes shoes with grip as you traverse steep slick rock. Individuals considering this trek beware, this isn't a hike for inexperienced hikers. Since that moment, hikers have made a hard and difficult 16-18 mile round trip hike to see this unique and spectacular serpentine channel that marks this canyon. The April 2006 National Geographic published the article "Glen Canyon Revealed" with a picture of Reflection Canyon by Michael Melford.
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