Grand Gulch Cedar Mesa Plateau, UT

Dates

Oct 3rd - Oct 10th 2009

Service Project

Trail Construction

Free Days

Explore Grand Gulch; visit ancient ruins

Accommodations

Backpack camping

Trip Rating

Strenuous : 10-mile backpack off trail, clearing heavy brush. Pack animal supported

Leaders

Cheryl Walczak
Norm Feaster

Equipment

Grand Gulch is both a spectacular hike through canyon wilderness and a trip through 2,000 years of history. The ancestral puebloan (Anasazi) civilization flourished in its massive red sandstone walls, hunting on the mesa tops and growing maize and beans on canyon terraces. Ancient dwellings, pottery, tools and rock art are everywhere - creating a true wilderness museum.

Shiek's Canyon is a side canyon of the Gulch that starts in the pinyon and juniper forest of the mesa top, drops down gradually through the sandstone to form a draw that narrows to a slot canyon, and then opens up into Anasazi country. This will be our entrance to Grand Gulch.

We'll backpack approximately 10 miles in this steep, boulder-filled Slickrock canyon, all of it off-trail, and continue working from where we left off last year. Llama pack support is provided to carry tools and group food. This area has had no trail work in about ten years and is heavily overgrown with brush.

In addition to working and hiking in the heart of this wonderful world of slickrock canyons and giant golden cottonwoods, we will have a free day to explore the magical red sandstone ruins - one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric artifacts in a North American wilderness. Grand Gulch is unique, a place where archaeology and wilderness are intertwined.