The Hayduke Trail: A Guide to the Backcountry Hiking Trail on the Colorado Plateau

by Joe Mitchell, Mike Coronella

Traversing six national parks (Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Zion), a national recreation area, a national monument, and various wilderness, primitive, and wilderness study areas, the Hayduke Trail is a challenging, 800-mile backcountry route on the Colorado Plateau. Whimsically named for a character in Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, the trail begins in Arches National Park and ends in Zion National Park, stays entirely on public land, and traverses the complete variety of terrain available to hikers on the Plateau short of technical climbing.


Joe Mitchell and Mike Coronella pioneered Hayduke after concluding that a long trail—such as the Appalachian or Pacific Crest— was possible on the Plateau, thus introducing more people to these unique and threatened public lands. The Hayduke Trail includes detailed maps of the entire route, suggested cache points, and a wealth of description and tips for tackling this intense undertaking.


Hiking the entire route requires at least three months, though like other long trails it can be broken into smaller segments. The guide, featured in the March 2005 issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine, is designed for experienced desert trekkers seeking a thorough-hiking experience on a well-tested route.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2005

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

These authors invented a way, a long and difficult way, to link up most of the national parks on foot. It looks like a great route and the guide is pretty well written. I will be walking much of it and may have to buy a copy of the book to prepare.

- saw this was available and about something I was interested in

[Jared]

I reach 30 years of age this November, and intend to spend the last day of my 30th and first day of my 31st year alone in a remote corner of the Colorado Plateau.