#Reflection canyon free#

If you head east or you start to drop elevation quickly, try retracing your steps. You should stay in the brush and be heading south.

#Reflection canyon free#

Feel free to follow that trail for the next 2 miles or so. After you clear the canyons, you will begin to see the beginnings of a trail. If you have the energy, going down and up the steep sides of the canyons will shave quite a bit of distance off but it does wear you out. There were a few times we slotted out and we had to travel due west to find a way down into the canyons. The closer you stay to the cliffs to the west, the better. The first 4 miles are up and down slot canyons. There are a few meandering trails in the beginning so a GPX file on a GPS app or GPS is ESSENTIAL. Once you get the the trailhead, you head SSW for most of the trip. From Escalante to the trailhead is about 2 hours. When it isn't washboard, large boulders and loose gravel will test the limits of your vehicle. Hole-in-the-Rock road is washboard for most of the 40 or so miles to the trailhead. There was a break in the wet spring weather so it was clear and warm the entire trip. Similarly sunset provided the same even light, but once the sun was gone, the light quickly followed. Shooting at sunrise proved to provide the best light while keeping the canyon shadows at a minimum. If you time it correctly, you can shoot the sunset, the midnight sky and stars and the sunrise in a two day one night backpacking adventure. You can absolutely make the 20 mile roundtrip hike in one day if you want to, but when you wake up and every muscle in your body is in a permanent spasm, you'll know why. This adventure will take you through the land version.Д«ecause it's a canyon you're shooting, the time of day is essential to how your photos are going to turn out. Reflection Canyon is in a remote section of Glen Canyon and can be photographed by air, boat or land. Partially because of the permanent blisters you'll have from the 20 mile hike, but more so for the view and the everlasting images you'll capture of this gorgeous extension of Lake Powell.

Photographing Reflection Canyon is an experience you will never forget. Enjoy the hike, and don't forget a GPS, you'll need it when you're off trail. Let's keep mother nature as undisturbed and tainted as possible. When you backpack in, remember to bring in everything you bring out. You'll see the cliffs square off, this is the point where you'll want to turn your back to the cliffs and head SE.

Not good, and you'll find yourself backtracking a lot more. Veering away from the cliffs will land you in sea of slot canyons that shoot 60 ft up. Make sure you keep these cliffs on your right while you're hiking. The straight edge cliffs on your right while facing south are your number one marker for this trip. But you'll get unrestricted views, zero crowds and camp on a ledge 60+ miles away from civilization.Д®nter Grand Escalante Staircase National Monument, from there you'll be traveling on Hole in the Rock Road (You'll need a 4WD for this trip.) The last 5 miles of the trip is where you'll enter Glen Canyon territory. With that said, you'll be blessed with a view like no other of Reflection Canyon, and if you're lucky, paired with a sunrise you'll never forget. Just think of a balloon deflating every so slowly. Although the elevation gain is almost nothing, the up and down climbs from one ravine to the next really messes with your head once you've gotten 3.5 miles into the hike, knowing you have another 7-9 miles left to go. It's an intense, challenging hike that takes you through slot canyons, climbing up and down shifty sandstones and traversing rugged terrains and ravines. It's highly possible you see no other people the duration of your trip.Д«ackpacking Reflection Canyon is not for the faint of heart. Geo photographer Michael Melford and by Apple in 2012 as a desktop background for the new Mac.

Take in views of Reflection Canyon from eye level (made famous by Nat.