Hayduke Trail: Hatch Canyon Alternate

The Hayduke Trail is a remote, rugged and challenging 800 mile backcountry route across Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The route leads through varied terrain from Arches to Zion. You’ll pass through all five of Utah’s national parks, as well as the Grand Canyon. The Hayduke Trail is only for experienced backpackers. Those lacking in desert hiking experience may quickly find themselves in trouble as the off trail navigation, lack of water, long food carries, general remoteness and harsh weather can pose a daunting challenge. Anyone planning a section or thru hike of the Hayduke Trail should complete adequate research beforehand and consider purchasing the official guidebook and Skurka bundle. The brief description that follows provides an overview, but is not to be solely relied upon to successfully navigate the trail.

The Hatch Canyon High Water Alternate begins deep within Fiddler Cove Canyon. The official Hayduke route follows the Dirty Devil River upstream, but high water levels can make this route potentially dangerous, therefore making the Hatch Canyon Alternate perhaps a better choice. If you wish to investigate, you can follow Fiddler Cove Canyon all the way down to the Dirty Devil, then backtrack the short distance back to Hatch Canyon if you deem the river too high (or just wish to avoid the numerous crossings and potential quicksand).

The hiking through Hatch Canyon is easy and follows a sandy wash. You’ll twist and turn your way through until it is time to exit. This is where things get a bit tricky. There is only one route up and out of Hatch, and it involves scrambling up a steep and very crumbly shale/scree slope. As you near the top you’ll need to traverse the crumbly slope to the right and under the canyon wall. This is a definite no fall zone.

After the short traverse you’ll scramble up a small drainage and finally make it to a dirt road. The remainder of the alternate route then follows this road. You’ll have good views and easy hiking. The road eventually descends down to the Dirty Devil River where you will need to cross it just once.

The road makes its way up and over a small ridge, then meets up with the standard Hayduke Trail route in Poison Spring Canyon, marking the end of the Hatch Canyon High Water Alternate.