Originally published in Outdoor Crunch
We give you all the detail you need to plan 5 nights and 6 days of backcountry mountain biking across southern Utah with the luxury of the Aquarius Trail Hut System.
Spanning almost 200 miles from Brian Head in the southwest of Utah, east to Escalante is a mountain bike route dotted with five backcountry huts known as the Aquarius Trail Hut System. The huts are connected by high-alpine and desert singletrack, doubletrack and jeep roads, and the odd stretch of pavement (spoiler: the finale is actually a long stretch of pavement between Boulder and Escalante, Utah). Having just come off the trail I’ll give you all the beta you need to plan your next epic bike adventure.
Bringing meaning to the Aquarius Trail
Before I dive into the details, I want to give credit to Adam Lowell. I met Adam only briefly before this trip, and after spending six days ripping singletrack together I find him an inspiring example of positivity and grit. Adam is a sixth-generation Coloradan, and when he started losing his vision in his mid-20s he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. Now just over 40, he is no longer able to drive, but with a wheel to follow he can still shred. After watching him clean the lower section of Thunder Mountain (where many riders sporting 20/20 vision walk their bikes), I realized this guy isn’t letting his affliction hold him back. As his riding companions, we learned how to provide a wheel to follow and call out trail features throughout technical sections. With some practice, each rider built trust with Adam as a mountain guide. The rest is due to his truly exceptional fitness and technical ability. In the winter he rides his fat bike to the Steamboat Ski Area, where last season he logged 48 uphill ski days with skins on.
In addition to being a husband, father, and engineer, Adam volunteers as the treasurer for Denver-based nonprofit S.P.A.C.E., whose mission is to provide education on embracing all differences and disabilities. You can donate to their mission here.
My take having ridden the Aquarius Trail
I’ll keep it simple: I’ve been fortunate to travel and bike in some cool places around the globe, and I can say hands down this trip is totally worth it. Don’t go into it expecting epic singletrack every day. Go with a group of friends and expect super fun riding of all different kinds, plus the unique experience of a fully stocked hut at the end of each day. I went with a group of guys that I knew only decently well and it was a great way to form deeper friendships. We were also fortunate to have a great group of folks in the adjacent bunk over the five nights, so even more new friends were made. For trip details, read on.
About the Aquarius Trail Hut System
The Aquarius Trail project was announced in fall of 2016. The first hut was built in Hatch, UT in 2017 by Escape Adventures, which continues to operate the huts today. Their pitch is that you get a backcountry experience with a little bit of luxury. That luxury comes in the form of huts stocked with food, sleeping accommodations, showers, solar powered electricity, and more. The days are long and the beers are cold. The supported huts allow you to travel light. For example, you carry a sleeping bag liner, not a sleeping bag.
The total distance over six days is just more than 200 miles, with each day having 30-40 miles of riding. Right out of the gate on the first day you will crest 11,000 feet above sea level. I was surprised how much of the route is at altitude. The Aquarius Hut on night four is at 10,000 feet, and 5,200 feet was the lowest I saw. Even coming from Colorado there were times I was searching for oxygen. And yes, the scenery is stunning. You skirt Bryce Canyon as well as high-alpine aspen groves on the Great Western Trail. Though there are plenty of doubletrack and dirt roads, we found each day to be challenging.
Each hut can sleep a total of 12 people. We booked our trip as a group of six expecting that there would be six other people each. Plan to make friends, because whoever shows up on night one will presumably be with you throughout the five nights.
Seasonality
Given the elevation and terrain, the full five-night trip is available to book July to October. It is possible to do a shorter trip in June, but you’ll need to contact Escape Adventures directly. We closed down their season this year with a trip October 3-8, which had a chance of getting snowed out. Mother Nature was kind to us and the weather was unbelievable. We still saw temps reach 80 degrees, but there were no scorching days in the saddle. Nights were chilly, but we only fired up the bunk heaters twice and for very short periods (who wants to pull on a cold chamois?). You will also get fall colors on the route in September and October. If I could choose any time I’d shoot for mid-September as the sweet spot.
Cost
You save by booking as a group as opposed to as an individual. You can get full details on the Aquarius Trail website. Generally, the full trip costs around $1,000 per person, but there are savings depending on group size, as well as variations for fewer nights.
Logistics
To do this trip you will leave your car either somewhere in Brian Head (beginning of the route), or at Escalante Cyclery (final destination on day 6). Either way you will pay the Cyclery for a shuttle (at the beginning or end of your trip). Driving in from Northwest Colorado, we spent the night in Escalante before we hit the trail the next morning.
Lodging in Escalante: The unassuming Circle D Motel works well and has an onsite restaurant with espresso bar for breakfast.
Dinner spot: Escalante Outfitters is a good choice for pizza, sandwiches and salads. It’s also just about the only place in town. If you show up at 6:00 p.m. expect to wait in a long line to place your order.
On the morning of the first day we caught an 8:00 a.m. shuttle at Escalante Cyclery to the starting point in Brian Head, which is a solid two-hour drive. Rob, the shuttle driver, makes the trip an experience with his NSFW humor and wild stories about past trip goers (everyone from Playboy bunnies to Michael Keaton). Buy him a coffee at the halfway point and tip him well. Once in Brian Head you’ll be dropped on a dirt road just off the pavement, on what is the side country of the ski resort.
Ride details for each day on the Aquarius Trail
Leading into the trip I couldn’t find as much information as I would have liked about exactly what each day is like, so here is some of the detail I was searching for.
Navigation Tip: I loaded each route onto my Garmin Edge 840 (full review here) before leaving for the trip. I highly recommend at least a couple people in your group have a legit GPS unit.
Aquarius Trail Day 1
- 35.4 miles
- 2,430’ total elevation gain
- Destination: Hatch Hut (7,028’)
Whether you shuttle from Escalante or start riding from Brian Head you’ll take the same route, though plan to do some extra climbing on pavement if you start in Brian Head. The day starts by gaining about 900 feet on a dirt road climb to where you start the singletrack. Climb another 100 feet and get ready for some fun. Over the next 12 miles you’ll lose 3,000 feet of elevation on swoopy singletrack. At the bottom of the descent the GPS file routes you straight onto a dirt road, but just prior to the road on your right you’ll see a bridge over the creek. Take this and stay on singletrack. You’ll dump out at the intersection with UT-143. Now this is important: the route will have you turn right onto UT-143, which is exactly what you want to do to continue to the hut. However, this is where you want to apply Aquarius Trail hack #1 and hang a left to the Burger Barn in Panguitch. It is just under a mile and well worth it for lunch and an adult beverage. Play a round of cornhole while your burger settles and then head to the designated route. From the Burger Barn you have 22 miles and about 1,100 feet of climbing between you and the hut. You’ll do 2 miles on the pavement and then hang a left onto a dirt road for a climb featuring volcanic rock and a descent into Hatch, UT. Ride through town and finish off your last two miles on a sandy dirt road that is a slow drag to the Hatch Hut.
Typically, someone from Escape Adventures will meet you at the first hut to give you information on the huts and general etiquette.
Aquarius Trail Day 2
- 27.9 miles
- 2,697’ total elevation gain
- Destination: Butch Cassidy Hut (7,840’)
The second day doesn’t have any singletrack, but plan for solid climbing. Having reduced our bourbon stash to an alarmingly low amount on the first night, we made a boozy detour, which I will describe below. This detour resulted in a 36-mile day that took six hours end-to-end.
Start your morning with a nine-mile climb from the hut up Proctor Canyon, gaining over 2,000 feet. Take a long descent on the road (though not losing all of your altitude) and continue through Kings Creek Campground to Tropic Reservoir. Though the water was low in early October we made this our lunch location and took a dip just opposite the boat ramp, where a parking area provides shore access.
Now this is where we took our detour. If you decide to stick to the course then you will keep the dam to your right and continue on forest road FR-091.
Aquarius Trail hack #2: Having purchased the beer package through Escape Adventures, let me start by saying there were three cold beers for each person waiting for us in a cooler each night. Not everyone in our group sprung for the beer, and while we weren’t getting silly, we still found that we severely depleted our special flask of bourbon. Now, it wouldn’t make sense to haul an empty flask around for four more days, so with a little research over our lunch of peanut butter sandwiches we determined there was most likely a liquor store in Bryce Canyon City. Instead of following the planned route past the hut and then backtracking, we mapped a detour that would bring us right along the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park and drop us into Bryce Canyon City. We crossed the Tropic Reservoir dam and climbed over Whiteman Bench FR-185. This was super cool and, honestly, if you are up for an additional 1,000 feet of climbing I’d recommend this to the standard route. It’s a solid climb and then a ripping descent on a sandy, rutted road with dispersed campsites that is right over the fence from the national park. Once in Bryce Canyon City visit the Ruby’s Inn General Store. It is essentially a large gift shop for the park. If you need some spirits, duck into the hotel lobby and find the small shop adjacent to the check-in desk.
Those in our group who decided against this detour found their way to the Bryce Canyon Pines restaurant for some shrimp and chicken wings. So either way there are detours worth consideration on the second day.
From the gift shop you follow the Ruby Canyon Bike Trail (a nicely paved trail) for ~7 miles to Tom’s Best Spring Road, where you will find the second hut. If you follow the standard route you can skip the pavement but also miss a cool climb and the gift shop.
Aquarius Trail Day 3
- 41.7 miles
- 3,395’ total elevation gain **Our computers consistently showed almost 3,700’
- Destination: Pine Lake Hut (8,350’)
This is where things get spicy. The third day is big. You get world-class singletrack, a super cool canyon cruise, a burly climb, and somewhat of a long drag up to the Pine Lake Hut. Some of our group, as well as our hut mates, came into the hut on day three running on empty but with huge smiles. Start the day by crossing back over Highway 12 for a short spin to the start of the singletrack at Thunder Mountain. This section will have you hooting and hollering and is every bit as good as what you’ll find in Moab. The final descent off Thunder Mountain is properly technical.
It was here that we had our first wardrobe malfunction, by which I mean the latches on our trip leader’s saddle bag blew apart. Thankfully we had an ER doc in our crew who skillfully performed surgery on the injured bag. With a healthy amount of zip ties, Voile straps, and duct tape, we were back on our way.
After Thunder Mountain you pedal out to Casto Canyon. This is a classic Utah drainage where you cross a creekbed 44 times as you snake up the draw. We kept a conversational pace through here and really enjoyed the stunning scenery.
At the end of Casto Canyon you climb up to the high plateau. To do so requires a very burly jeep road climb, which frankly is awesome. Maybe I’m saying that because my brain has blocked out the pain.
Head across the plateau and down a 10-mile descent that becomes fairly low angle and requires pedaling. This is where fatigue starts setting in. From here, though, you’ll make your way to pavement, where you still have 8 miles to the hut, gaining another 900 feet.
Aquarius Trail Day 4
Standard route:
- 27.8 miles
- 3754’ total elevation gain
With the can’t-miss Powell Point extra credit:
- 37.8 miles
- 5142’ total elevation gain
- Destination: Aquarius Hut (10,010’)
As the legs start feeling the cumulative fatigue, you have another big day. From the hut, climb 1,600 feet, bringing you to over 10,000 feet above sea level. From the top of the climb you come to the turnoff for Powell Point. This add-on is mostly a fast traverse with a couple hundred feet of ups and downs. The last bit up to the overlook is a steep five-minute grind up singletrack, but you are rewarded with fantastic views. You can see the butte you climbed past coming out of Casto Canyon as well as the Escalante River valley.
After taking ample pictures, head back to the route and climb another 600 feet before descending an incredibly rocky jeep road with stretches of baby heads. I’m still astounded that everyone in our group made it through without flats. Cross over Old Escalante Road and head up FR-140, which is another big climb, gaining almost 1,200 feet over six miles. Don’t be fooled by the false summit before cresting the last pitch. Across the top of this climb we had a decent headwind and found ourselves in a paceline, with legs starting to tire. There are up and downs, but you’ll lose 500 feet over the last five miles to the Aquarius Hut.
Aquarius Trail Day 5
All singletrack route (because, why wouldn’t you?):
- 30.5 miles
- 3,467’ total elevation gain
- Destination: Hell’s Backbone Hut (8,074’)
After a day spent predominantly on dirt roads, it’s back to singletrack for day 5. One of the things I like the most about the Aquarius Trail route is its diversity. The fifth day feels almost like home in the Rockies. It takes you along a section of the Great Western Trail over high-alpine, forested singletrack. We received mixed signals about what to expect this day, so let me give you my perspective. Once on the singletrack, which starts just down the road from the Aquarius Hut, you ride through some open meadows but quickly into more technical terrain. The first section has a rocky descent that requires you to dismount, as well as numerous creek crossings to navigate.
The next 4-5 miles continues on technical but rideable alpine singletrack, taking you through some incredible old-growth aspen groves. I saw some of the biggest aspen trees I’ve ever seen, and I live in a Colorado mountain town with groves galore. Through this section there are a few hike-a-bikes. Now when I hear that, I usually think to myself that I’m going to stay in the saddle wherever I can. Let me tell you – you’ll be walking. We’re talking >20% sustained rocky trail for over a quarter-mile. Just pushing the bikes up was a challenge.
Eventually you come to a trail crossing and onto a dirt road. This is a bailout route down to Escalante and where we parted with some of our group who needed to be home a day early. The rest of us rode another 4.5 miles of primo alpine singletrack with one more massive (0.5 mile?) hike. Cross over the west branch of Pine Creek where the singletrack ends at FR-145. A day on the Aquarius Trail wouldn’t be complete without a challenge, and this day dishes it out in the form of Hell’s Backbone Road (FR-153). You’ll gain almost 1,200 feet in just over five miles. On the other side you have a descent down to the last hut, with a spectacular viewpoint at Hell’s Backbone Bridge, which spans a precarious section of rock.
Finish descending and power through beach sand to the final hut (aptly named Hell’s Backbone Hut), which is tucked in the valley and far from anything. It’s a really neat spot to spend your last night on the trail.
Aquarius Trail Day 6
- 36 miles
- 2,202’ total elevation gain
- Destination: Escalante, UT
The final day is mostly about getting to the finish. There are some stiff climbs, primarily on pavement. From the Hell’s Backbone Hut you will continue on Hell’s Backbone Road. Because the hut is in the valley, you need to start by climbing 600 feet on the dirt road. You will then descend down to pavement. Once back on tarmac there is 24 miles to Escalante. Some of this is very pedally, but expect a series of killer climbs. You will climb over and descend the Hogback, which could be the most unique road I’ve ever driven. First time going over it I described it as the Zippity Doo Dah trail in Fruita, CO, but on pavement. Here is a cool video showing what it looks like.
I’m a roadie, so I love this kind of stuff. The others in my group were arguably not quite as psyched to pound out a couple hours of road riding. There are a few options if you prefer not to do this. You could climb all the way back up Hell’s Backbone and drop down the other side, which would bring you to an alternate route that drops you directly into Escalante without the pavement. Or if you had anyone bail from the ride early they can shuttle a car to Boulder for you, in which case you would only have a couple miles of pavement. For me there is something about finishing off the experience, so I say take your time and enjoy the ride.
Details on the huts
My experience with backcountry huts has been through ski tours in Colorado. Typically huts have bunks, a latrine and little else. We’re used to bringing our own water and everything else we need. The Aquarius Trail Hut System is like the glamping version of hut trips.
My video of day 1 above gives a walkthrough of the Hatch Hut. The first hut is unique in that the sleeping configuration is one six-person bunkroom, one four-person bunkroom, and a two-person adjacent to the kitchen. Huts 2-5 all have two six-person bunks with the rinse room off the kitchen. It’s pretty nice to have everything consistent each day.
Food
For meals you will find a laminated sign in the kitchen each night explaining the dinner and breakfast options. In each hut the fridge and freezer are stocked to the gills with options. We had a vegan in our group, and while they may have gotten slightly tired of Beyond Burgers, there was plenty for them to eat. Here are some things we found in every hut:
- Oatmeal, cereals, multiple loaves of bread, tortillas (usually)
- Pancake mix
- Beans, pasta, tons of ramen, minute rice
- Freezer:
- Beyond Burgers
- Frozen broccoli florets
- Beef burgers
- Fridge:
- Milk
- Almond milk/oat milk
- Eggs (two dozen)
- Condiments
- Lunch meat, cheese
- Salad dressings, tabasco
- Yogurt
- Chips, pretzels, M&Ms and plenty of other munchies
- Clif and Kind bars
- Large tubs of Gatorade powder
For meals there are things like:
- Dinner:
- Salmon with salad and rice
- Burgers and brats with salad
- Pasta with Texas toast and salad
- Fajitas
- Breakfast:
- Pounds of coffee (various percolators at each hut)
- Eggs, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches
- Bagels, oatmeal, cereal
- Pancakes
- Yogurt
- Granola
Sleeping arrangements
As previously mentioned each hut has two 6-person bunk houses (Hatch hut has six-, four-, and two-person bunks). Each bunk room has three bunk beds and at least six sleeping bags that we found appropriate for the temperatures. Thoughtfully, the bags at the 10,000′ Aquarius Hut are for lower temperatures. There is also a pillow on each bed. On night 1 they will provide you with a pillow case and sleeping bag liner. You carry these with you on the subsequent days.
Tip: The sleeping bag liner provided is completely adequate, but also bulky. I purchased a Sea to Summit silk liner to save space and weight.
The accommodations are a little cramped as six people are stuffed into a 20-foot shipping container, but there are windows for ventilation. The bunks were also really rickety and creaky. Unless you have a bunk full of amazingly heavy sleepers, don’t plan on sleeping as well as you do at home. This is a backcountry trip after all.
Tip: Earplugs. Bring them and use them.
Tools
It was great to have a consistent amount of tools at each hut. You still need to pack tools and repair parts for the trail, but know there are maintenance items at the huts.
Tip: Most days have very dusty trails and roads. We found that our drive chains sounded like garbage by about the third hour each day. Pack chain lube for using as needed while between huts. My suggestion is to carry two small bottles between six people.
Each hut has:
- Bike stand
- Rags
- Chain lube (Rock ‘n Roll was what we found at each)
- Degreaser (at most huts)
- Brushes
- Some wrenches
- Floor pump
Power and Internet
For better or worse you can stay connected throughout your journey across the Aquarius Trail. Each hut is powered by solar and has ample electrical outlets. If you are using an eBike there is also a generator for charging, but be sure to bring your own charger. For everyone else, bring the charging cords you need for your gizmos.
There is a cellular signal at huts 1-3. Huts 4 and 5 lack a signal … so Escape Adventures provides wifi via Starlink. It’s pretty incredible. FaceTime your family to say hey to the spouse and kids, or call your friends and brag about your ride.
We also found a bluetooth speaker at each hut, which was an unexpected surprise.
Hanging Out
Here are some additional creature comforts provided:
- Rubber camp slippers and flip flops. We found they are mostly sized small, but dig around and you should find something that works.
- Fire pit
- Heat lamp (sometimes two)
- Camp chairs
Icing on the Cake
There is an acoustic guitar at each hut. Unfortunately the guitar at the Hatch Hut was busted, and the guitars at a couple other huts had broken strings. When I ride this again I’m packing two sets of strings to be able to restring when needed and build some trail karma. I implore any pickers out there to do the same.
What could have been done better
Expectations for backcountry huts really shouldn’t be high, and I’d say the Aquarius Trail Hut System generally exceeded anything I would have imagined. That said, here are a few things that could be improved:
- Consistency of provisions across huts: Some huts had three huge bottles of honey but no olive oil, others had a year’s worth of ramen but no hot chocolate. I’m sure the logistics aren’t easy, but it would be nice if each hut generally had the same items and in the same places so you aren’t digging around.
- Same story on cookware. Understandably these items get absolutely hammered. First, be a good steward, treat the equipment like your own, and be sure to clean up well. That said, sometimes there were parts missing to percolators, or there would be a huge pot but not a medium pot. At a minimum I request that the coffee kit be in solid working order.
- Bunks: Bunks were often very rickety, which meant whenever the top bunkmate rolled over, the entire frame shook and creaked, waking up others in the room. Seems like this could be a simple matter of cranking down some bolts or adding some struts.
- Kitchen sink: The foot pumps for the kitchen sinks let out little more than a trickle, which was very annoying. We mostly relied on wash basins and a cleaning system like you would do on a river trip.
Some of this lent to the character of the experience, but most of this is easily taken care of and hopefully improves over time.
Carson, who heads up operations for Escape Adventures, dropped by for a minor repair one evening. He is one of a select few who have hiked the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail in the same calendar year. He was super friendly and adds to the authenticity of what Escape Adventures does.
Bike choice and how to pack
What bike should you ride?
You want a solid cross country or trail bike for this ride. You can go with a hardtail if that is your preference, but for most people I’m going to recommend a full suspension to enjoy long days in the saddle and the more technical sections of this trail.
eBikes: There is a specific eBike route, so if that’s your jam this is a great trip for you. You need to carry your charger, but you have the ability to top off your batteries at each hut. You can also rent a bike from Escape Adventures. See here.Packing for the Aquarius Trail
Bags
A saddle bag should be your primary storage. Many riders also use bags on their handlebar or frame. I personally don’t like the idea of a bag on my bar for concerns over handling, but my mates didn’t have any issues.
When it comes to saddle bags your biggest consideration is clearance over the rear tire, especially if you have rear suspension. It’s also unlikely you will be able to use your dropper post, though some riders in my group were able to get an inch or two of dropper even with their saddle bag.
I used the Ortlieb Seat-Pack in a size large, which is 16.5 liters. It allows a max of 11 pounds of gear. It is 5.9” inches high at the point under the saddle and has two straps. Their smaller 11-liter bag requires less clearance and the single strap on the seatpost allows some use of your dropper. This bag fit my Pivot Mach 4 SL great but didn’t allow me to use my dropper at all. I found this bag performed really well once I gained some experience on how to pack it and cinch it tight so it curved up and away from my tire. During the first two days I found that when I got too enthusiastic on a jump or drop that it would bow down and into my tire. Once I figured out how to properly cinch it I never had the problem again. It’s also waterproof and dustproof.
Tim in our group used a Revelate frame bag that was pretty sweet. It fit within the triangle of his Yeti and around his suspension. He kept all water on his back, while I used a bottle cage to lighten the load on my body.
For my pack I used an older Osprey Viper 9, which has been replaced by the upgraded Raptor 10.
What to pack
See this downloadable list for my suggestions on what to bring:
Conclusion
I hope that gives you enough information and motivation to take on this adventure. It’s a lot of fun and there isn’t anything else quite like it. Feel free to use our contact form and drop me a line if there is a question I didn’t answer.
