Desert Hiking Preparations - What's there to drink in the desert?

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While I love the green forests and snowy mountains here in the Pacific Northwest, I am quite excited to hike through very different landscapes in the next few months. I backpacked around Utah before and really loved it. 

Hall's Creek Overlook, Capitol Reef National Park

As you may have guessed, the primary concern hiking in the desert is access to water. The Arizona Trail (or AZT) is popular enough to have Facebook Groups as well as it's own guide on FarOut, an app that lets hikers update conditions of water sources in almost real time, but the Utah portion of my hike does not have any of this. I learned that my planned route from Bryce Canyon to the Grand Canyon is part of another thru-hike, the Hayduke Trail, but there is not enough hiker traffic to get useful updates. 

Plenty Of Water in Hall's Creek

After studying different maps I found a string of springs along my planned route that were close enough to each other to provide enough water sources to get me through. However, I could not figure out how old the input data for these maps are and if these springs are still flowing at all or if they are just seasonal, so I wanted more information. 

Exploring Burro Wash in Capitol Reef National Park

I looked up the responsible agency of the public lands where the springs are located. It turned out to be the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, so I called their water management team in the area. It turns out that they don't monitor or manage the springs and do not have any status information. As it is the end of the rainy season in the region, there is a good chance that I can collect water in "pot holes", large dents in the sandstone formations that fill up after rainy periods. 

Spooky's Canyon in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Still, it means that I will have to carry a lot of extra water for safety, making my pack very heavy in the beginning of my hike.

Worth The Effort!


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