Grand Staircase Escalante - Bucktank Draw and Birthday Arch

Having discovered that we're at the south portal to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, we had to go back and find another hike.  It was easy!  The one we chose today was a hike up Bucktank Draw to search out Birthday Arch and another slot canyon.

The trailhead for Bucktank Draw is located at Utah mile marker 9.75 on US 89, north of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and our campground at Wahweap.  The GPS coordinates are N 37 degrees, 05.260 minutes, West 111 degrees, 42.269 minutes.  The place to park is on the west side of the highway, at the north end of a guardrail that marks where the highway crosses the draw.

There is a gate off the highway that permits entrance to Buckskin Draw.  Here, David is trying out the gate:

The draw was a typical southwestern wash.  We hiked about 1.5 mile up the streambed:

Hiking up a draw is not as easy as it looks.

We occasionally met new friends along the way:

The convergence of rock and vegetation continually amazed us with its patterns and abundance:

We even met a little snake friend.  We believe he was a Prairie Rattlesnake (although a small one):

Kathy wasn't the only one to make new rock friends.  David found one, too!
https://youtu.be/t2MHihXLKnA

Here is Kathy having a conference with an old tree and an older sandstone boulder:

https://youtu.be/t2MHihXLKnA

We were searching for Birthday Arch, which was said to be 1.5 miles up the draw.  We spotted a cave, which was the only thing we could see that might be the arch.  It was on the western cliff face, which was to our right as we climbed the draw:

Once you spot the cave, you need only search for cairns on the right side of the draw, marking the route for you to climb the sandy cliff-side to get up closer to the arch.  The cairns, and the upward path, were at GPS coordinates N 37 degrees, 04.369 minutes, West 111 degrees, 43.416 minutes.

As we climbed, we spotted even more interesting features.  Next to the cave was the greatest heart-shaped sandstone boulder!

Looking a little further up-canyon on the cliff, Kathy finally spotted the arch.  It's very squared-off but definitely shows the light of sky behind it:

We climbed for a closer look and, indeed, this was Birthday Arch.  We had found our quarry (well, rock, anyway):

We turned around, and saw before us an open valley full of sandstone and green life.  We couldn't help taking this video of Bucktank Draw at Birthday Arch.

According to the trail guide, there is a slot canyon across the draw from the arch.  The guide states that it is easy to see the slot canyon from immediately below the arch.  We did NOT find it easy to identify the slot canyon.  We spotted three or four drainages that were candidates, so we decided to descend back to the draw and continue hiking up-canyon and follow the footprints to seek out clues to where the slot canyon might be.  We were not disappointed.

We followed the footprints up the draw.  In one spot, we had to climb the sand over a shoulder above the draw because of a difficult spot.  Further up the draw, we spotted cairns off to the left.  These, together with footprints, told us we were on the track of the wild slot canyon:

Once we started following the cairns and the footprints up to the left (facing up-canyon) from the draw, it was easy to find the slot canyon.  That does not mean it was easy to hike the trail.  Here, Kathy is fighting off cannibalistic vegetation as she sidles along the cliff face toward the slot canyon:

At last!  Our destination!  The elusive slot canyon!  GPS coordinates N 37 degrees, 04.052 minutes, West 111 degrees, 43.725 minutes.

The slot canyon was indeed short, as the trail guide admitted.  Still, it was worth finding.  Here is a view from inside the slot canyon, looking out at Kathy as she regroups from the strenuous effort in tracking this elusive prey:



Having found what we came looking for, we walked about 2 miles back out to the trailhead, for a total hike of about 6 miles.

Climbing back into the truck, we drove back toward out campground, but couldn't resist slowing down so Kathy could snap this photo of two of the Three Amigos who guard the entrance to this magical land in which we hiked today: