Reflection Canyon Backpacking: Complete Guide & Packing List

The Reflection Canyon backpacking trip stayed at the top of my Southwest bucket list for the longest time. Luring me, taunting me with its’ long ass road and being out of the way!

But in May of 2022 I was able to make the long trek out there. It’s a spectacular place, but not the easiest to reach.

Below I detail what it takes to get there including the road and hike, and what you need to bring. Plus- if I thought the trek was worth it?

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Planning your trip? Use my favorite resources!

Accommodation – Booking.com to find the best deals on hotels.
Flights – Skyscanner to look for the best prices and deals on flights.
Rental cars – DiscoverCars to shop around at multiple car rental agencies.
Travel insurance – Safety Wing; keep your trips insured to protect yourself while traveling.
Tours/experiences – Viator or Get Your Guide are excellent sources for tours.

Follow The 7 Leave No Trace Principles

Plan ahead and prepare
Travel and camp on durable surfaces
Dispose of waste properly
Leave what you find
Minimize campfire impacts
Be courteous of others

Find out more about Leave No Trace here.

How to Get To Reflection Canyon

From the closest town of Escalante, depending on your vehicle and drivers’ capabilities, you’re looking at a solid 3-4 hour drive. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to drive the 50 miles.

The road to get to Reflection Canyon was definitely my biggest hurdle. I had heard horror stories about Hole in the Rock Road and we were scared to take my Honda CR-V down it. It has AWD but is not high clearance in the slightest.

But.. we decided to risk it. We made it in and out, but it wasn’t without a struggle. About 75% down the road is when it starts to get pretty hairy. A few times I got out of the car to guide Tyler and make sure the rock or pothole wasn’t too big. Luckily Tyler is a great driver, but there were a few times where we were both clenching our teeth.

Overall, I would recommend a vehicle with high clearance and 4WD to take to the trailhead. It’s a technical road with many large pointy rocks and potholes.

It would be in your best interest to have a satellite GPS on you if you needed to call for emergency assistance, as well as a spare tire.

Best Time of Year to Backpack Reflection Canyon

The best time of year to hike Reflection Canyon is in the spring and fall.

This trail is exposed and gets NO SHADE. Like- zip, zero, zilch. No shade. It is pure rock and desert. We hiked in early May and on the first day we had a great breeze which kept us cool but the hike out was honestly brutal. It was probably only in the 70s, but with full sun and no breeze.

From other trail reports, I’ve heard that October and November are the best months with mild temps and little wind. Absolutely do not go in summer! Spring can bring a lot of wind in the desert which isn’t fun to camp in.

What permits do you need?

You do not need a reservation to do this hike.

But, you do need to stop at the Escalante visitor center to pick up a free permit. You simply fill it out by hand and take a copy to bring with you on the hike.

The Trail & Key Things to Know

This was our third backpacking trip, so I wouldn’t say we are experienced backpackers by any means. But I would not suggest this as your first backpacking trip. Why? There is a good bit of route finding to stay on trail towards the end, it’s almost 20 miles roundtrip, and there are no water sources along the way.

The first 2/3 of the trail is relatively flat and easy to follow. I would highly recommend a Garmin GPS, but in all honesty we don’t have one and used the AllTrails map downloaded offline and made out okay. Find the AllTrails map and recent reviews here.

The last few miles of the trail are on slick rock with NO defined trail and some required route finding. This was really frustrating, especially after you’ve already spent a few hours in the sun.

It was a pretty constant mild up and down on the slick rock, staring at the map to ensure we were going the right way. Despite all of this, the hike itself is not very hard I would say, it’s just all these little factors that make it challenging.

I have pictures below that show different parts of the trail. The first two pictures are in the beginning when the trail is distinct and rather easy to follow. The last two pictures exemplify the total nonexistence of a trail.

Is the hike to Reflection Canyon Worth It?

For being such an ‘Instagram popular’ hike- most people that have hiked this have said they’re not sure it was worth it, and that they wouldn’t do it again.

For me? I wouldn’t do it again but I do think it was worth it. It was a suffer fest at times for sure. I even had a bruised toe nail for months and multiple blisters from the up and down hiking on the slick rock. But the view at the end and waking up to it in the morning was pretty spectacular.

A Packing List for your Reflection Canyon Backpacking Trip

We both carried 6.7L of water each, and we both ran out of water 1-2 miles prior getting back to the trailhead. This water included drinking water for the hike in/out and water to hydrate meals.
3L Water Bladder– We each had a 3L water bladder, and one extra gallon in our packs. (YES this makes your bag very heavy!)
Women’s Backpacking Backpack– I love this Gregory pack.
Cheaper Alternative Backpacking Backpack– Tyler has used this pack for two trips now- no complaints!
REI Half Dome 2 Person Tent– Not lightweight but we got it at a good price and it’s a solid tent.
Jetboil– To rehydrate backpacking meals.
Inflatable Sleeping Pad– Cheap but reliable sleeping pad that gets the job done!
Lightweight Down Sleeping Bag
Inflatable Camping Pillow
Portable Waste Bags– Important to carry your waste out since this is mostly slick rock and desert, wouldn’t be possible to dig a scat hole.