2026 Apr HDT/ARCH-CANY-Hite

  •   Category Price Weight
  • Water $0.00
    11.02 lb
  • Food (5 Day Carry) $36.69
    6.24 lb
  • Clothes, Worn $0.00
    0 lb
  • Sleep $462.89
    1.99 lb
  • Pack $200.00
    1.87 lb
  • Clothes, Carried $322.77
    1.38 lb
  • Shelter $338.72
    0.91 lb
  • Electronics $126.89
    0.89 lb
  • Water $30.98
    0.47 lb
  • Kitchen $114.55
    0.34 lb
  • Ditty $29.20
    0.21 lb
  • Navigation $50.00
    0.14 lb
  • Toilet $1.00
    0.01 lb
  • Arches $0.00
    0 lb
  • Total $1713.69 25.47
    lb
    • oz
    • lb
    • g
    • kg
  • Consumable 17.38 lb
  • Base Weight 8.09 lb

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Next: 2026 SHR 7-day section

Hayduke Trail Sections 1-3: ~150 mile walk from CNY through Arches, Moab, Kane Springs Canyon, Hurrah Pass, along the Colorado River, Lockhart Canyon, Indian Creek, The Loop, Canyonlands, Chesler Park, Beef Basin, Fable Valley, Dark Canyon Plateau, Young's Canyon, Dark Canyon to Hite, then hitch back to Moab/CNY.

2026, mid April. ~14 hours sunlight 6am-8pm. Expect temps 20F-75F, high winds, storms w/ rain, snow and hail possible.

Planning for lower-mileage, ~15 mpd @ 2 mph w/ a whole bunch of 1 mph terrain and routefinding. 150 miles in ~9 days. Route is often not well-defined and is class 3 in places: scrambles, scrapes, bushwhacks, climbs, drops, etc. Longer, heavier water carries. Might only find water once per day, longest carry is likely ~30 miles for which I would carry 6 liters, my heaviest water carry ever, so be careful and don't get lost.

This lighterpack models my carry out of Needles Outpost into Canyonlands which is the heaviest it will be. Mean total pack weight (TPW) will probably be around 20 lbs due to water carries which is heavier than average for me and why I'm using a framed pack. I've seen a few ultralighters use frameless packs on the Hayduke and though it is possible I think the mean water carry weight makes a load-transferring hipbelt a no-brainer.

Food Carries:

  1. CNY to Moab ~25 miles, ~1.5 day
  2. Moab to Needles Outpost, ~55 miles, ~3.5 days
  3. Needles Outpost to Hite, ~70 miles, ~5 days

SNOTEL

Water Carries (likely but not all guaranteed sources):

  1. CNY -> Willow Spring ~15 miles
  2. Willow Spring -> Moab ~12 miles
  3. Moab -> Kane Springs ~8 miles
  4. Kane Springs -> Kane Springs Creek ~8 miles
  5. Kane Springs Creek to Ranch or Colorado River ~7 miles
  6. Colorado River -> Lockhart Cliff Springs ~22 miles
  7. Lockhart Cliff Springs -> Indian Creek ~10 miles
  8. Indian Creek -> Needles Outpost ~15 miles
  9. Needles Outpost -> Homewater Spring ~25 miles
  10. a series of <= 5 mile carries in Young's Canyon
  11. Young's Canyon to Hite ~15 miles

For the Utah desert we prioritize water storage, sun protection, durability and wind protection.

Overall gear is a little heavier due to increased durability and warmth given the low temps, long nights, possibility of inclement conditions and overall harsh conditions.

Clothing: UV protection for high exposure, durability for scrapes, scrambles and bushwhacking, and cool enough for 85F afternoons. Nothing I'll miss if it gets wrecked. Bigger visor, bankrobber bandana, longer shorts, sun gloves for UV coverage. Want to be warm at night and in the mornings, so I'll bring a puffy.

Pack: My go-to pack these days is a Pa'lante Desert Pack. I've seen videos of 2 different UL hikers taking the Desert pack on the Hayduke but honestly they both looked uncomfortable. The Hayduke's water carries are simply too much in combination with 4-5 day food carries and the need to go a bit heavier on gear to go without a real hipbelt. Due to carrying 4+L from every water source your pack just doesn't drop below 20 lbs often enough. Because the volume is still low the MLD Burn is a possibility, but the heavy 5 day food+ 4+L water carry from Needles Outpost will be uncomfortable the first day, which is through Canyonlands. I don't want to be uncomfortable in Canyonlands. I think I might have to bump up a framed HMG.

Sleep: Tyvek (and a thicker, durable sleeping pad) so we can cowboy anywhere, including on rock. CCF is a possibility but given the long nights, cold temps, and minimal elevation change, an inflatable for a few more ounces is worth it.

Shelter: tent provides 360-degree protection if we have to ride out a storm, pitches with 1 pole. Hope I can drive stakes...

Water: 6L capacity, most I've ever carried before was 4L on the PCT and only actually carried >2L once (and it turned out to be unnecessary). Need to fly with all my empty bottles and bladder to fill up at CNY airport before walking to the terminus.

Cook kit: I've found I enjoy cooking in the spring when it's cold. Bring alcohol/esbit cook kit, simple and silent, my favorite. Can't fly with fuel so I'll have to skip cooking the first night outside Arches, find fuel in Moab, and I can ship myself some esbit to Needles Outpost in my resupply.