Welcome to Hike + Heal Grand Staircase Escalante, an immersive experience designed to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit amidst the breathtaking landscapes of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This unique retreat seamlessly combines environmental stewardship, self-discovery, and the serenity of nature to create an unforgettable journey.

In partnership with Grand Staircase Escalante Partners and the Bureau of Land Management, we will be cleaning up impacts along the Boulder Mail Trail on the Northern end of Grand Staircase. This is a 3 day, 2 night backpacking project October 17th-19th, with a prep and car camping day the night of the 16th. Volunteers will need to provide their own backpacking gear and food (packing list is below). GSEP does have some backpacking gear that volunteers may borrow including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, backpacking packs, camp stoves, and headlamps; please reach out to the volunteer@gsenm.org email if you would like to use any of this gear during the trip. Usually, personal gear + project gear will be about 40 pounds of total weight in your pack that will have to be carried about 5 miles each day. We will take breaks on the hikes and will go at a pace everyone is comfortable with. Additionally, some of this work will be taking place in the Death Hollow creek so volunteers should expect to be wet for a duration of the hike. 

We will be hiking the popular Boulder Mail Trail beginning at the east side and hiking west, ending at the Escalante River Town Trailhead in Escalante. The total hike is about 15 miles with most of it on slick rock with undulating hills, valleys and deep canyons that have steep entries and exits. Death Hollow is known for Poison Ivy throughout the corridor, we will be hiking approximately one mile in the creek which can be up to 10 feet across in sections and ankle to knee deep throughout. We will be focusing on correcting cairns, checking “at large” campsites, picking up trash (GSEP and BLM staff will handle any human waste removal) and providing graffiti remediation where necessary throughout the hike. 

Recommended Ability Level

This trip requires hiking around 5-8 miles a day in a remote area on rough and uneven terrain. You will need to be able to carry all personal backpacking gear as well as some project tools which can amount to 40 lbs +. Please keep in mind temperatures during this season can be anywhere from 70-80 degrees for a high and 40-50 degrees for a low.

Camping

We will be camping along the Boulder Mail Trail as a group. The general flow of the trip will begin with transport to a camp area near the trailhead where we will do an afternoon activity, set up camp, and have dinner provided by GSEP. In the morning, we will pack up camp and start backpacking, hiking in as far as the work will allow, setting up camp, dinner and settling in for the night. The next day will be breakfast, packing up camp, continuing work projects (largely spent around and in Death Hollow), finding a new camp, dinner and settling in for the night. The last day will be breakfast, packing up camp and finishing work projects as we hike back to the Escalante Town Trailhead. Both nights will likely be spent near Death Hollow, but are subject to change depending on work needed and the pace of the group.

Abbreviated Itinerary

October 16th: 

• 2:00 pm - Meet at the GSEP Headquarters in Escalante, UT, at 530 West Main Street to do introductions, check gear, and to go over safety and work plans. 

  • We have bathrooms, water, parking, coffee, and tea - please bring a reusable mug!

  1. 3:00 pm – Shuttle to a campsite near the trailhead for a afternoon activity and to set up camp. 

  2. 6:00 pm - Dinner provided by GSEP

October 17th:

• 7:00 a.m. - Wake up, make breakfast, pack for the day

• 9:00 a.m. - Start backpacking, completing projects along the way

• 12:00 p.m. - Lunch

• 12:30 p.m. - Continue hiking and project

• 5:00 p.m. - Find campsite

• 6:00 p.m. - Make camp and cook dinner

October 18th: 

• Same as October 17th. We may keep a basecamp and just complete projects near camp this day depending on how far we made it along the trail on the 17th. 

October 19th:

• 7:00 a.m. - Wake up, make breakfast, pack for the day

• 8:00 a.m. - Continue hiking and projects 

• 12:00 p.m. - Lunch

• 1:00 p.m. – Continue hiking and projects

• 4:00 p.m. – Finish hike at Escalante Town Trailhead and return to respective vehicles

• 5:00 pm – Wrap-up, goodbyes and depart 

What to Pack

Required Personal Gear Equipment List

Provided Gear

• Project materials (trash bags, graffiti remediation gear)

  1. Wag bags (3 for each person, please let us know if you will need more). Burying waste will not be permitted, please make sure you have a system for carrying out your own wag bags.

  2.  Work Gloves 

  3. Water filter and treatment

  4. First aid kit

  5. Emergency location device (Garmin InReach and radio)

  6. Maps/GPS

Ready to Join Us?

This backpacking trip and stewardship project is led by Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. If you’ve made it this far in the event description and you’re interested in joining us, please click the button below to apply for this project. GSEP will follow up to confirm details. This event is free to join, but GSEP may require a deposit to hold your spot - which you can choose to have refunded to you or donate to GSEP after the event. If you have any questions about this event, please email volunteer@gsenm.org.