Choprock Canyon, Hoodoos, and Moody Wildflowers | GEL Part 4
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- On my 33-day solo backpacking adventure in the spring of 2023, in this episode I make my way up Choprock Canyon and enjoyed the slot canyon and some cool hoodoos. Then I reached the upper reaches of the Moody Canyons and Purple Hills where I was delighted to see all the flowers in the superbloom. Along the way I encountered a few snakes and some cool rock art too.
This is the extended series for my hike and includes a bunch more footage and stories not seen in the original all-in-one overview video. This 12-part series takes a deeper dive into the route I dubbed the Grand Escalante Loop and covers over 400 miles through southern Utah's amazing canyon country, remote plateaus, and high elevations. It was a slow go at times, but still a great hike. 2023 was a unique year with record-breaking snowpack over winter and a rainy spring. Thanks for following along!
The original Overview Video:
• The Grand Escalante Lo...
Detailed map of the route on my website:
www.acrossutah....
![Utah's High Spur | The BEST Slot Canyon You've NEVER SEEN! [4K UHD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4fMdJSfJZQY/mqdefault.jpg)
Love the Hoodoo Garden!
Thanks -- it was pretty cool to stumble across. Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
Thanks for another wonderful video! The hoodoos and flowers were a highlight.
Thank YOU for watching! And again for the comment as well. 🌞✌
Oh, all the beautiful flowers, the more blooms than bush was amazing to see. But hiking on mables carrying a heavy pack would be very tricky. I loved see the HooDoos, petrified wood and all the gorgeous scenery while listening to the relaxing music. It was a beautiful shot of you hiking through the yellow wildflowers. Yes a beautiful sunset ending your day. But I will probably be holding my breath watching you hike along The Fold and Steven's Canyon. ✌️
Thanks, Benita! Yeah... the next episode has some semi-scary ledges that my mom won't like! 😱 Thanks for watching and the comment. ✌
That scenery at the ending of Day 9 was beautiful. I bet sleeping next to the Hoodoos was amazing too. Thanks for another great video!
Thanks! Yeah... I agree. I actually originally intended for this episode to include Day 10 as well. However I changed my mind when I realized that the end of Day 9 was the best ending (and the episode was already kinda long.) I definitely enjoyed seeing the hoodoos in the morning light. I actually thought they looked more mysterious in the evening, but I'm glad to have seen them in both situations. Cheers! 🌞✌
Excellent canyon walk! Flowers🌼 🐍snakes & what a sunset!🌅 Nap sounds good to me 😂 I think this was my favorite video this year so far🙌🏼😉
Thanks -- glad you enjoyed it. In many ways that stretch along the backroad is what I'd call a "connector" section -- nice scenery, but really just something that needs to be walked to get from point A to point B. However, with all the flowers it was actually a surprise highlight of the hike for me. Cheers! 🌞🌼
another spectacular video/ these are so fascinating we are really glad we were behind and there were 2 of them for us to watch tonight, one was not enough. what an ending with the flowers too.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the videos. I didn't want them to be TOO short, that's why I decided to combine multiple days into each episode this year. Look for new episodes each M and F through June. 🌞✌
The HooDoo’s were amazing. We were in Horse Canyon in late April. This entire area is among our favorite places. Probably like you we can‘t get enough of the area. Time marches on and we’re lucky to be doing what we can do. Just not as fast and not as far, but still going. Thank you for a nice video and sharing your adventure.😀😀😀👍👍
Horse Canyon is a great area too -- that whole area really. I hear you -- not as fast/far anymore, but still enjoying as much as possible! Thanks for watching! 🌞✌
Such a beautiful presentation man, 🥾🥾
Thank you -- I really appreciate that. 🌞
Hello Jamal,
another great hike. The canyon and the flower fields never cease to amaze me,
thanks for sharing
Greetings
Martin
Thanks, Martin! Yes, this flowers this year were truly incredible. Cheers! 🌞🌼
Stunning. I really enjoyed the subway section of the canyon.
Yep -- that section is what made the biggest impression on me the first time I hiked through the canyon. Such cool geology and the stripes really accentuate the view. Cheers! 🌞✌
love how you just keep keeping on...
Thanks! I do enjoy keeping on keeping on! 😉✌
The yellow flowers highlighting the slopes leading up to the red rock. Jaw dropping Beautiful.
I agree. I didn't say it in the video, but I kinda expected that to be a "boring" section as I made my way along the backroad from one canyon to another. But instead -- it was incredibly beautiful with all the flowers and ended up being one of the highlights of my hike. Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
Purple Hills? Man that Super bloom sure changed that! Great episode, and that rock ledge traverse coming up looks sketch!
Yep -- I've been through that area several times before and have never seen it like this. In many ways that stretch is what I'd deem a "connector" section, but with all the flowers it was actually a highlight in and of itself! Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
I’ve never seen such a different color variety in Hodos before.
It was definitely a unique spot. Part of the reason I wanted to go back in the morning was that the lighting/time of day makes such a big difference. Thanks for watching and the comment! 🌞✌
What a wonderful world ! At 16'30", colours and rocks similar to particular sites on Mars, but even more beautiful on earth !! Love it.
I agree -- such a beautiful area! Thanks again for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
Stunning scenery on this leg. Especially with that beautiful super-bloom. Great hike, I'm jealous.
Thanks for "following along"! 🌞✌
Loved that vid, very relaxing, and that desert bloom, beautiful.
Thanks! Yeah -- the bloom really was the best I've ever seen. Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
Thanks for another great video. I love the Escalante area so an Escalante Loop is about as good as it gets. I'm always jealous of how much time you have to do these trips.
Thanks! Yeah -- I was pretty happy with how this loop came out. As I often say many of the spots can be day hiked (or visited via shorter overnight trips), but there is something really cool about "connecting the dots" on a longer trek IMHO. Long ago I committed to the idea of "paying myself first" -- ie prioritizing certain aspects of life and figuring out how to make it happen. Getting the old boss to agree was a challenge -- but it finally worked. 🌞✌
Holy Hoodoos! What's most amazing is that this is so remote, how many people have actually seen this? Is this part of one of the Hayduke tracks? And the flowers....! Thanks so much for this wonderful trip!
Holy Hoodoos indeed! They aren't the biggest around, but it was a unique cluster for sure. I bet not too many people have seen these as it's not a popular way to go. The Hayduke doesn't go through here and the alternate that I show on my site goes through the other branch of Choprock. This branch can be used by canyoneers going back after doing the technical route, but even that is rare as most come in from the west side it seems. And yes -- the flowers were a great surprise for what I expected to be a "boring" section of my hike. Quite the opposite. Thanks again for watching and the comment! 🌞✌
Absolutely some beautiful scenery, amazing!!
I watched the video, 2nd time. I am just amazed at the Hoodoos. Hmm, definitely can get one to start thinking. 🤔
Thanks, Dawn! Yeah.. the hoodoos were quite the surprise -- a great example of Mother Nature at her best. 🌞✌
Love it!
Great to hear -- thanks for watching and the comment! 🌞✌
Plant i.d.: @26:26, you had a nice field of a calochortus, but I can't even guess what species it is.
Cool -- thanks for watching and that added bit of information! 🌞✌
good morning, good to see you again......this was the first video youtube showed me...? I" ll go back cuz I love Utah. I'm not sure about like/no like option.
Glad you got alerted to this one! And thanks for subscribing -- I think if you "click the bell" for notifications UA-cam will alert you to each of my new videos. But, this is only episode 4 in the series so you haven't missed too much. More coming each week through June. Thanks for watching! 🌞✌
Hi Jamal i am a big fan of your channel but i wanted to point out that you called what you saw hoodoos but they are actually toadstools. I saw many hoodoos but only experienced few toadstools near Kanab.
I wish some day to go to places you've been to. High Spur & Happy Canyons were my most technical so far
Heya! I think the two terms are somewhat interchangeable, though concede the larger the top rock the more likely they are called toadstools (or just balanced rocks). I thought geologists preferred toadstool for generalization-- but realize there is nuance ranging from spire to mushroom rock.Now I wanna go read more about it! All the same -- glad you've enjoyed my channel and thx for the comment. ✌️
I want to know how you filter that milk chocolate Escalante water! Another great video!!
I definitely filled up before leaving Harris! I did however filter some of the Escalante at camp and it actually wasn't that bad. I don't remember, but I probably let it settle overnight and then ran it through the filter in the morning. Cheers! 🌞✌
I've noticed a lot of issues with InReach weather stuff too. Had it say no rain but then it rained or light rain but got heavy rain. Wonder why they don't just send the NWS forecast which is far more accurate in my experience.
I really haven't had many issues with it until this year. That said though, I don't usually have to deal with much "weather" in southern Utah so it's possible that I just don't have enough experience relying on it in that way. On this trip though when I did have reception I noticed that a weather app was much more accurate. I'm anxiously awaiting the days when inReach is no longer needed (thanks to safelight support coming to phones.) Thanks for watching and the comment! 🌞✌
All I did was ask about wet boots. Jeez
What'cha mean? Did someone say something that I missed, or were you hoping for quicker reply from me? In any case -- thanks for watching and the comment (which I'll reply to now.) Cheers! 🌞✌
Why is the canyon named Choprock??
I don't know actually! I've always thought of it as if the canyon had been "chopped" out of the rock, but that's just my take on it. Truth is I'm not sure the canyon itself is officially named that, but that's what it's known as due to it's proximity to Choprock Bench (which is officially designated.) Thanks for watching and the question. 🌞✌
@@Acrossutah I'm full of questions today! Who is the authority that "officially" designates names of geological features?
Re: Choprock. It makes sense that the canyon is named due to Choprock Bench, but that only presents another mystery. Why Choprock Bench?
FF
Another gorgeous video, thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Glad you are "following along". Cheers! 🌞✌
I really don't understand how you can walk day after day with soaking wet boots. Trechfoot anyone?
This was actually a dry day -- but even on wet days it's usually not that bad. Once out of the water I try to take a break to dry out and rotate socks. I used to take neoprene socks too, but don't do that any more as it's usually not a problem. It's odd, but I seem to get blister LESS now that I'm older (maybe due to fewer miles per day.) Thanks for watching! ✌
I don’t like any snakes on my way.
I like them -- but not when they take me by surprise. I definitely saw fewer on this hike than years past. Thanks for watching and the comment. 🌞✌
You missed the Choprock Dome which you can see just as you enter the lower part of the canyon. I have a couple of photos for you. Send me an email address or a link where I can get them to you.
Bob Read of Margie Lopez Read
I think I know what you mean, but I'm not sure (think I've heard it called the Neon Dome -- unless that's something else.) Sure -- I'd love to see photos. One can email at Jamal at AcrossUtah dot com (sorry -- spelling it out to avoid spam bots!). Thanks! 🌞✌