Workshop Canyons of Escalante Adventure

Location - town of Escalante, Utah.

Dates: ********* - ********, 2019

Tuition - $1700 per participant (limit: 6 participants). 

Instructor: Alex Mironyuk

Deposit: $500 (PAYMENTS ACCEPTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE BALANCE)

In the past few years the southern part of Utah turns into a real tourist Mecca. With that comes a lot of improvements, such as better roads, paved viewpoints, hotels, and restaurants. Due to the increase in tourist traffic you can't experience solitude at the most iconic Southwestern places, like you could’ve even 4-5 years ago.

In this workshop you will get a chance to see Utah in an absolutely different light. I will show you that mountain desert the way it was thousands of years ago - untouched by humans, where all creations was done by Mother Nature. Sculpted by wind, rain, and ice.

We will hike to the very remote and hard to reach canyons and will enjoy the view and beauty of the locations. We will camp overnight and billions of stars will hover above us.

Workshops highlights:  The whole time we will drive in our 4 wheel drive truck or SUV on rough roads and will enjoy the scenery that not too many people can see at all. We will stay 3 nights in the wilderness far away from other people, cities, paved roads and can enjoy nature's beauty and the Milky Way over our heads. The other 2 nights will be spent in hotels. Canyons of Escalante are a unique photo-destination where you have to have your camera ready 24/7. You will be guided by yours truly and my team. 

Physical Difficulty: Moderate to strength. This workshop involves daily hikes with or without a backpack over rugged terrain and featuring anywhere up to 500 - 800 ft of elevation gain.

Fitness Level: Like any outdoor nature photography workshop, a reasonable degree of fitness is ideal. We will be engaging in moderate - strenuous physical activity. Be prepared to hike up to 10 miles a day with all your photo gear and camping supplies (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food and 1 - 1.5 gallons of water.

Transportation:  Transportation on 4x4 truck or SUV is included in the tuition.

The closest major airports are Las Vegas, NV or Salt Lake City, UT. This is where you can rent a car to get to Escalante,  UT. You can leave that car at a hotel in Escalante while we will be in the wilderness. When possible we prefer that participants carpool with each other to help limit our impact and get to know each other.  

Lodging: We will spend the 2 nights at a hotel (included in the tuition) and 3 nights in the primitive camping.

Day 1

Our group will meet at a hotel in Escalante, UT  around 3 PM where you can meet everyone and get to know each other. Keep in mind that it's about a 6 hour drive from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, so plan your arrival time. After a short introductory meeting we will go to our very first sunset photo-session at the Cedar Wash Arch.

Night in hotel

Day 2 

Our final Itinerary will depend on the weather, water level in some places and lighting conditions, which is very hard to predict so far ahead. In other words, our itinerary is very flexible especially in the Escalante area where our photo opportunities are endless.

In general, our plans might be described as:

Early morning we are going to a seldom visited Little Valley for our sunrise session. The main photo subject that morning will be tall hoodoos that have a chocolate color to them.

After breakfast depending on weather conditions and water level we will go to one of the following canyons: Zebra, Pick-A-Boo, Spooky, or Willow Gulch.

In the afternoon we will start our journey to one of the most beautiful canyons in the entire Southwest - we are going to Coyote Gulch. But today we will be just approaching it, so we will have our evening photo-session on the rim of the Escalante River Canyon with a breathtaking view. 

Night in camping on the rim

Day 3 

For this entire day we will explore Coyote Gulch.

The whole length of this hike is about 12 miles, but we will split that hike into two days. So for today we will hike approximately 5-6 miles. But don't be fooled by the short distance - you will want to stop almost every 300 - 500 feet to take some pictures and just enjoy the entire beauty of the location. 

With that said, it will be somewhat challenging to get to our campsite before dusk falls, but definitely manageable. That day we will visit 4 waterfalls, 3 natural arches, 1 natural bridge, countless alcoves and water rapids. 

  Night in camping  

Day 4

During the first part of the day we will continue to hike the Coyote Gulch toward our cars. In the afternoon we will visit one of the most unusual and picturesque arches - Sunset Arch. Another option for that evening is Dance Hall Rock which possesses countless unusual potholes.  

Night in hotel

Day 5

After we rest up in the hotel we will start our most strenuous adventure - we are going to the farthest point of our journey toward the Reflection Canyon. First, we will need to drive more than 40 miles on a rugged unpaved road. After that we will hike cross country without an established trail for more than 9 miles with all of our gear to the rim of the Reflection Canyon. Here we will have another breathtaking view over the tributary of the Colorado River with two islands on the bay which are laying 500' below our feet. Needless to say, this will be the location for our sunset and sunrise photo-session.

Night in camping