Canyoneering Route Description

Egypt 1 Canyon 3A I
Escalante National Monument, Utah

Quick Facts

04-14-13, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 1.9 hours)
05-24-13, 8 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.75 hours) (pictures from Egypt 1 and 1.5)
04-08-18, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.6 hours)
04-20-19, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.25 hours)

Time Required - 2 to 4 hours
Distance - 1.7 miles Total, 0.8 miles Technical
Rappels - 0 to 4 Rappels (depending on skill level), Longest Rappel 30 feet.  Regardless of skill, always bring rope incase there is mud.
Elevation Range - 5270 - 4940 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance recommended, 4WD if bad road conditions Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 30 feet and about 30 feet of webbing for possible anchor replacement.

General Comments

Egypt 1 and Egypt 1.5 are great short canyons requiring only a few hours each.  You can easily do both canyon in one day and still have a lot of time left.  If you are short on time or just want a fun evening route to do before going back to camp, Egypt 1 or Egypt 1.5 fit the bill nicely. 

Egypt 1 is a great beginner canyon that provides a great scenic treat with minimal effort in a short fun filled day and totally worth the visit. 

Egypt 1.5 offers a little less in the scenery department but offers a step up in challenges giving you the opportunity to practice some partner assist style downclimbs.

Bring a small pack since there are a few spots you will need to take it off and turn sideways a short distance to get down canyon.

Warning:
It is possible to downclimb the entire canyon for those with good downclimbing skills and a team strong in partner assists.  However, regardless of skill, always bring rope incase there is mud.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the city of Escalante drive about 4 miles southeast on Hwy 12 to the turn off for Hole-In-The-Rock road on the right (extHoleInRock).  The Hole-In-The-Rock road is dirt.  The condition of the road varies a lot with recent rains and road maintenance.  High clearance may be needed in extreme cases but most of the time passenger cars will be fine for the first 30 or 40 miles on Hole in the Rock road.

Travel about 16.5 miles southeast on Hole-In-The-Rock road to the turn off on the left (east) for the Egypt road (extEgypt).  Turn left and travel down the Egypt road.

The Egypt road is generally well maintained but a few spots may be difficult with 2WD low clearance vehicles.  A vehicle with high clearance is VERY helpful and 4WD may be useful but generally not needed.

The first obstacle is about 3.4 miles in where the Egypt road crosses over Twentyfive Mile Wash (EgyptDP-01).  On the drive in this is generally in good condition as you drop down a hill into then across the wash.  Driving back out can be a little difficult with a 2WD vehicle since the hill is steep and a little speed may be required.  The rough wash leading to the hill may make it difficult to get up to speed.

After crossing Twentyfive Mile Wash, continue on the Egypt road for about 3.2 miles to where the road crosses over the Egypt 1 drainage (pkEgypt1).  At this drainage there is what appears to be a road forking to the left going up the Egypt 1 drainage.  Park here to start the route.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as a loop route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking area (pkEgypt1), look south from the main road to note the head of Egypt 1 about 60 feet away.  Walk 60 feet over to the head of the canyon.  You're done with the approach route!

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the head of the canyon (yEgypt1Tp) you can get to the canyon floor by downclimbing about 30 feet down a moderately difficult drop on the RDC side.  Or you can set a rappel anchor on one of the large rocks around the head of the canyon and rappel in.  If you set an anchor please consider retrieving the anchor after you complete the canyon and return to your car to keep the area clean as this is right next to the road.

After dropping down to the canyon floor walk down canyon enjoying the scenery as the walls begin to get closer and closer together.  Most of the canyon is comprised small easy downclimbs of 4 to 8 feet.  There are 4 significant drops in the canyon worthy of note.

1st drop of significance is about 0.36 miles down canyon from the head (wEgypt1-RP1) which is a downclimb of about 15 feet over a large boulder.  An anchor can be set from chokestones at the top of the boulder to rappel the drop or can be downclimbed by those with good downclimbing skills.  You can provide a meat anchor for all but the last who can downclimb the drop.

2nd drop of significance is a drop of about 15 feet which is anchored from a deadman anchor.  This drop may be downclimbed but would be sketchy and a very fast slide if you lost control.  This drop is best done using the anchor to rappel or as a handline to assist with the downclimb.

3rd drop of significance is a drop of about 20 feet which is also anchored from a deadman anchor.  This drop can be downclimbed with a partner assist by giving a handline to the first down and those at the bottom assisting the last person.  As you downclimb there is a ledge on the LDC side that can be used to make things easier.  If your group does not have good partner assist skills it may be best to rappel this drop.

4th drop of significance is a fun slide of about 20 feet!  You will know the slide when you see it!  If there is no water at the bottom of this drop the slide is steep enough that you gain a quick fun speed down it but still slow enough to provide a safe landing at the bottom.  The slide is easy to upclimb and do over and over if you like.  If you're in a playful mood this slide may fit the bill for quite a few minutes of entertainment.  Ask me how I know this.

Fun times on the slide!

As you continue down canyon of the slide the canyon starts to open up to a sandy wash and the walls will begin to drop.  Continue walking about 500  or 600 feet down canyon to where the LDC wall provides and easy ramp to walk up the LDC (east) side of the canyon (yEgypt1Bt).

The Exit:
From the bottom of the ramp up out of the canyon on the LDC (east) side (yEgypt1Bt), walk up the slickrock ramp out of the canyon.

Exit ramp up out of the bottom end of the canyon on the LDC side.

As you start east up the slickrock ramp look to the left (north) to note a sandstone peak about 500 feet away.  Route find your way up to that peak by rim walking north up canyon a couple hundred feet then route finding your way up east up the ridge toward that peak.

When you get up to what was visually the high point of the peak (wEgypt1-RP2) when viewed from down in the wash most of the elevation gain of the exit is done and you are almost up on the mesa top.  et over to and up on the dirt mesa top.  Just before getting up onto the dirt mesa top will be an easy upclimb / scramble of a few feet (wEgyptRP3).

After getting up onto the dirt covered flat and wide open mesa top (wEgypt1-RP3), Walk northeast about 0.6 miles following social trails that pretty much rim walk back to the head of the canyon and where you parked the car.

When you get back to the head of the canyon take a moment to go over and retrieve any webbing you may have left at the head to rap in and walk across the road to your car (pkEgypt1).

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Egypt 1 (1) - Drive to Trailhead

extHoleInRock          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72769   W -111.53143        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off to Hole-In-The-Rock road from Hwy 12. extEgypt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.54114   W -111.36176        Elev: 5,279 Feet Turn off to the Egypt Road to the east (left on the drive in on Hole in the Rock road.. EgyptDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56107   W -111.30718        Elev: 4,924 Feet Egypt Road crosses over Twentyfive Mile Wash. Generally in good condition but may be a little difficult to get back up the hill on the drive back to the Hole in the Rock road. The hill is steep up out of the wash and a 2WD vehicle will need a little speed which is difficult since crossing the wash can be rough. pkEgypt1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57269   W -111.25778        Elev: 5,270 Feet Park here to start the Egypt 1 route.

Egypt 1 (2) - Canyon and Exit

pkEgypt1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57269   W -111.25778        Elev: 5,270 Feet Park here to start the Egypt 1 route. yEgypt1Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57233   W -111.25769        Elev: 5,260 Feet Top entry Egypt 1. Can downclimb about 30 feet on the RDC side with a moderately difficult downclimb to enter the canyon. Or you can set up a rappel from the rim on a nearby boulder. If you set an anchor please retrieve the anchor after you complete the canyon. wEgypt1-RP1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56853   W -111.26134        Elev: NaN Feet This spot is the first of 4 significant drops in the canyon. 1st drop of significance is at this location and is a downclimb of about 15 feet over a large boulder. An anchor can be set from chokestones at the top of the boulder to rappel the drop or can be downclimbed by those with good downclimbing skills. You can provide a meat anchor for all but the last who can downclimb the drop. 2nd drop of significance is a drop of about 15 feet which is anchored from a deadman anchor. This drop may be downclimbed but would be sketchy and a very fast slide if you lost control. This drop is best done using the anchor to rappel or as a handline to assist with the downclimb. 3rd drop of significance is a drop of about 20 feet which is also anchored from a deadman anchor. This drop can be downclimbed with a partner assist by giving a handline to the first down and those at the bottom assisting the last person. As you downclimb there is a ledge on the LDC side that can be used to make things easier. If your group does not have good partner assist skills it may be best to rappel this drop. 4th drop of significance is a fun slide of about 20 feet! You will know the slide when you see it! If there is no water at the bottom of this drop the slide is steep enough that you gain a quick fun speed down it but still slow enough to provide a safe landing at the bottom. The slide is easy to upclimb and do over and over if you like. If you're in a playful mood this slide may fit the bill for quite a few minutes of entertainment. Ask me how I know this. yEgypt1Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56277   W -111.26265        Elev: 4,940 Feet Egypt 1 - bottom exit. LDC (east) wall has a gentle slope in this location allowing and easy walk up out of the canyon on the LDC side. wEgypt1-RP2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56423   W -111.26252        Elev: NaN Feet This is what was visually seen as the high point from down in the wash. At this point most of the elevation gain for the exit is done and you are almost on the mesa top. Continue northeast about 350 feet to get over to the mesa top. wEgypt1-RP3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56482   W -111.26189        Elev: 5,182 Feet Short easy upclimb / scramble here as you go from slickrock up onto the dirt mesa top. Walk northeast about 0.6 miles following social trails that pretty much rim walk back to the head of the canyon and where you parked the car.