(updated fall 2019, fall 2020, winter 20/21, spring 2022, spring 2023, summer 2024, winter 2025)
These are organized section by section, east to west. You can also read my Hayduke Trail Tips, and read about Hayduke Trail Sections 8-14.
Ok, ready?
Section 1
Get ready for shoes full of sand, and then wet shoes.
I recommend the main Hayduke trail out the gate, because the alternates involve significant erosion, especially as more and more people hike the Hayduke. The places they visit are really better done like the tourists do them, from the car, because for the pretty parts you’ll be thronged with tourists anyway. The Hayduke heading East from the Park gate is a road walk, but it’s got a good view, is a good build up, and has full cell signal so you can say your goodbyes… for the next day or so. Hah.
Use the waypoint in my Caltopo map (38.7389, -109.6352, near mile 7.5) to find the corner of the fence you will be following south, and stay close to the fence. I found ONE set of footsteps along the fence in 2017, which is concerning, because the point of following the fence is to minimize impact to the cryptobiotic soil. Make sure to follow rivulets and washes where possible to avoid stepping on these living soil crusts. Put your feet down on rocks and sand, not on the booger-looking stuff. It’s alive and crucial. The “Slickrock alternate” has views from above but sends you through at least two major fields of crypto in a National Park – the only truly “protected” land in America. PLEASE SEE WHERE THE PROBLEM IS AND LEARN HOW TO AVOID IT IF YOU ARE INSISTENT ON TAKING THE SLICKROCK ROUTE. Everywhere else on the Hayduke – National Forest, BLM – you will see the crypto has been trampled by cattle. Only in National Parks is it only trampled by humans. I do not recommend this alt, and so am not sharing it freely on my map. Other alts which pass my anal cryptobiotic soil checks ARE shown. There are plenty of other chances to play on slickrock and get the views, such as with the Halls Creek/Stevens Canyon alt.
Once you leave Moab, both the main route and the Jackson Hole route are great, I slightly prefer the main route because Kane Springs Canyon is beautiful and the tourist traffic is interesting. You will find bathrooms and trash cans at campgrounds and car parks all the way up to the base of Hurrah Pass. Also, loads of petroglyphs along the way. Do not geotag.
I live in Moab. If you have a question that doesn’t seem to be answered anywhere else or want to hire a shuttle, feel free to get in touch. If I have helped you, please buy me a coffee.
Section 2
Make sure to get water from the River soon after mile 4.5 because it could be a dry stretch until Lockhart Canyon, where the water is alkaline. I don’t encounter alkaline (saline) water on the Hayduke as much as some other people, but where I do encounter it is in the first three sections. The Colorado River has the best water after Kane Springs. Next tasty water is near mile 45.
This section is where you will start to really figure out how dryfall bypasses work. For example, there’s no way you can downclimb the Rustler Canyon dryfall without webbing, but to your right (west) as you approach it you will probably notice cairns…
On the Hayduke, always have a lookout to your right and left, especially when you are approaching an obstacle. Watch for cairns or other markers, signs of footpaths, trodden ground, trimmed branches. Practice this. I found the alternates to fully avoid dryfalls were not necessary – I may have long legs (I’m 5’10”), but I had no trouble getting up and down off the bench without rope or a helper. I have hiked the Hayduke solo in both directions. Granted, I do always carry 40′ of Dyneema cord, and you definitely should as well on the Hayduke. When you find how to get up/down Rustler, you’ll wonder why anyone makes it sound hard. It’s stupid easy.
There are no bathrooms or trash cans at the Big Spring TH at the end of Section 2. The water in the spring below (a class 4+ downclimb) is lovely but slightly alkaline.
Section 3
Deep sand, lots of it. Butler Wash is a bit of a pain in the ass, especially in the lower part with sand. Consider yourself lucky if it has rained recently! This section is just such a treat. Section 1 and 2 got you ready, and now’s your first real test: how big a dryfall or waterfall can you handle? Are you ready for a huge climb? Do your spidey senses tingle when it’s time to cross to the other side of the river (and avoid an obstacle around the corner)?
I’m torn whether I liked the Hayduke or the Salt Creek alt better. If you don’t mind tourist traffic, can get Canyonlands overnight permits, and don’t mind carrying a HARD-SIDED bear canister (required – and there ARE bears), try Salt Creek. On the other hand, the Fable Canyon trail and getting down Youngs Canyon are a real treat. Youngs is a staple of the NOLS and Outward Bound circuit, so you will definitely find desire paths, and complete a rite of passage along with hundreds of young ruffians! Look, if dozens of 13 year-olds can get down Youngs, so can you. Again, it’s just not as hard as people make it sound, especially when you’re going down. If it’s too hard, you’re doing it totally wrong. Stop, have a break, listen (you might hear voices), and assess your options. Back up if necessary to get a better view.
Step carefully when leaving the trail off the road at the top of the Sundance Trail climb. The path is well-cairned and obvious at first, but then drops you off in a crypto field rife with braided trail before you hit the road again. By 2020, there should be very well-worn trail all the way to the road (after you hit/cross the first road). Try not to leave new footprints in the crypto, or even step in old footprints in the recovering crypto. Let it grow back, help build the main trail.
2024: HITE TOWN IS CLOSED. They are waiting for someone to step up as concessionaire, and from chats I’ve had with locals out in Ticaboo, this isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. I would NOT bother walking to HITE TOWN. Water likely won’t be on. Beg water from passer-bys, or walk down the road all the way to almost the Dirty Devil bridge then hike down to the River, and ugh… wait for the silt to settle overnight. This is probably going to be the most awful part of hiking the Hayduke in 2025.
Further up the road… like quite a ways further, you might be likely to encounter Cat Canyon rafters pulling out (another nightmare having to do with the “Lake” level dropping), who might have water for you. Or a ranger will pass by. Or yeah, just walk all the way to Hite (which is crawling with Bark Scorpions by the way) then all the way to the “lakes” edge (now a River again, essentially, yay!) and fetch water there. What I would do is carry an empty gallon jug and walk the road a while with it held out, to signal to passer by folks that I need water. Your next water is the Dirty Devil, so if you can get bottled water at this point, you’ll thank yourself later.
Section 4
Traversing the Red Benches is a slog, and the climbs onto it and off it could be challenging for some. As you climb the cobbled slope of the west fork of Rock Canyon (just below prominence 5025T on USGS topo), the chute will present itself tucked up to the right slightly hidden (like a hallway behind a wall). It’s not really visible ’til you’re higher. This chute has a couple long-ish moves and be a little tougher if you are height-challenged. I’m 5’10” and it is no big deal. But you’ll still want to tie a length of rope to your bag (8-10 feet of cord could do) and pull your bag up after you’ve climbed up the brief chute. Easy climbing, but mostly too narrow for a pack-wearer. Some people say class 4 but that’s a technicality of classification. If there’s a handrail on a staircase, you’d use the handrail, right? This chute is very much like a weird staircase. Either get up it… or hike the entire Dirty Devil upstream to Poison Spring. Haha, your choice.
Two guys left webbing here in 2017 and I happened to be about an hour behind them. Then I was about 5 minutes behind them, then I found them tail-gating, then I handed them their webbing and told them to quit their littering. Obviously I did not get a beer. Seriously though, who are these people? I think maybe they were trying to do it with their packs on, rather than just lowering their pack before descending (they were eastbound section hikers, essentially).
When on the Bench, don’t necessarily follow the massive “Chinese Trail” cairns. Those are something different (but interesting).
Getting off the Bench is no more difficult; there is a nice trail. Don’t get too nervous about these steep sections because once you are on them you’ll see they are actually very manageable.
The Dirty Devil is a capricious river and should be taken seriously. Before I approach it from town, I look at the flow rates (there’s a gauge right at Poison Spring Wash confluence) to psyche myself out. If you try to cross where you see riffles (meaning there is probably a rocky bed), you can avoid most of the quicksand. If you sink, just keep moving, even if it means falling over forwards a bit. Use hiking poles to prod around. The deepest I ever fell was just above my ankle and my momentum pulled me right out. Except the first time I ever stepped in it, when I sunk to my upper thigh. It does provoke anxiety! The track shows maybe 20 crossings but if you’re strategic you can pull it off with 10 crossings. The Hatch Cyn alt is also splendid (I’ve enjoyed both) with views from above if you need to use it, but the Dirty Devil river bed is absolutely stunning. Watch for bighorn above.
Also keep an eye out for petroglyphs especially in Poison Spring Canyon – they’re everywhere. Do not touch petroglyphs and pictoglyphs. Oils in your hands will speed their demise. Do not geotag them. The easier you make it for vandals to find remote art, the faster it will be cut from the rock.
Hanksville is probably my least favorite trail town on the Hayduke. The food/resupply selection is miserable and pricey and the locals hate the BLM and probably hikers, too. To their credit, they are friendly to your face. The main hotel (Whispering… ) has nice, affordable rooms and wifi. If you can avoid going into this town, I recommend spending more time in Escalante or even Tropic instead. In 2016 I walked from Moab to Escalante without visiting any resupply depot, and just using two caches (one was near the 95 highway crossing with a gallon of water (more than enough) and food to get me to Escalante). This was wonderful. Recommend. I have a 2024 wifi password for Hankspit and if you ask nice I’ll share.
Section 5
If the mountain is snowed and the road too hard-going with post-holing etc., just hike straight up the small side-by-side road which leads urgently to the summit, and skip reaching the pass.
Bison. Bison are your spirit “guides” in section 5. The “alternate” off the west side of Mt Ellen is not as good as the real Hayduke. I don’t show it on my map for that reason. I have hiked both. I’ve learned that when in doubt, stick to the actual Hayduke. I think the route is well-researched and… genius.
That said, there may be a nice way off the fire road at 8000′ that is NOT Granite Creek but rather the ridge to the north. Bison use this and have put down some really good track. I have added a marker where this would start at the east end.
Once off the Tarantula Mesa keep a close eye out for desire path (kept up by bison), as beautiful track clear down into Capitol Reef National Park. If you can find it and follow it, your way down will be much easier. I have edited the route on my maps to reflect most of this.
Camel up on water in Granite Creek, because it’s likely your last tasty water in Section 5. Also, if anyone tells you to avoid the water with “white stuff” around it because it’s “alkaline,” ignore them. You’ll be surprised – salty shores is not an indicator of how water will taste. Make sure the gate at the National Park border is CLOSED.
Section 6
For what it’s worth, there is decent traffic at the road crossing and up the road at the beginning of this section in Spring and Fall, unless the (dirt) roads are wet. My sense is that not many people are really hiking the actual Hayduke through section 6 anymore, and that is because the Escalante has been overgrown and is no longer type 1 fun.
The Halls Creek alternate (a folder in my Caltopo map) is a wonderful route outlined by Jamal over at AcrossUtah.com. It could involve some short swims if water is high in Halls Creek, but otherwise saves you many miles of wading down the Escalante. Have a way to waterproof your essential gear if you take this route. Halls also shows off some incredible red and white rock and unique canyon formations, and gets you about as close to “Lake” Powell as you’ll get on the Hayduke. The Halls Creek route has desire path almost the entire way, and you’ll likely run into other people. Jamal has another alt for this section which in my opinion is even more incredible than the Halls Creek alt. You’ll have to do your research!
Poison Ivy is a concern through either of these routes.
Section 7
This section is a little tedious, but if you do some research about the Kaiparowits, 50-Mile Mountain and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, it can become a lot more interesting. 50-Mile is in fact one of my favorite things about the area. One thing I recently learned is this area has more species of bees than the entire East Coast. Enjoy your time on the top, and close any cattle gates behind you.
Take water from higher up in Rogers Canyon before hitting Navajo. The further you go down Rogers, the worse the water will taste. And definitely, definitely filter this water. Believe it or not, cattle graze in upper Rogers Canyon where there is a spring. I’ve been up there, and it’s freakin’ nasty.
The wells along Last Chance Creek gush clear, somewhat warm water that tastes sulfuric. Great time for a bath, especially if you have any wounds – the sulfur is anti-microbial and will clear that right up! If you’re lucky you will find water in Paradise Canyon. But to be safe, do take it from Last Chance. And filter it please. Remember you’re in cattle country, and your “fresh” water is actually full of cow pie.
You might need to yogi some water from tourists at Grosvenor’s Arch. There are pit toilets. Don’t leave trash unless with someone who agrees to pack it out for you. If there’s no one at the arch, folks traveling this road will often stop and offer you water. This should be easy, as long as the roads are dry. But if the roads are wet, you can drink from the puddles. You can’t lose. If you feel like you are losing, the “well” marked on maps about a mile southwest of the arch usually has water (verified x2), but I’d gamble more confidently on a tourist arriving with water to share.
How do you feel?
Ready, I hope! Continue reading about Hayduke Trail Sections 8-14.
If you’ve got a budget and want someone with deep knowledge of the areas on and around the Hayduke to follow and assist you along, I’m available for hire for one client/group starting Spring 2026. I am based in Moab, Utah. I will follow you along the trail, section-by-section. I can take care of logistics such as permits, water and food caching, shuttles, hotel booking, side trips, gear management and repair, and health tracking as desired/required. Or maybe you just need a delivery/cache/shuttle somewhere between here and the Henries.
