It Started With An Old Hat

Join Glen Canyon Backcountry Club

In 2021, Morgan found a faded hat with “Glen Canyon Country Club” stitched in purple thread. The hat’s mysterious origins were revealed when she wore it during a backpacking trip with friends on the Kaiparowits Plateau. Two long-time residents of Page, Arizona, recognized it from the old golf course overlooking Glen Canyon Dam.

Historian Harvey Leake, the great-grandson of legendary desert guide John Wetherhill, said the hat needed an edit: “Glen Canyon Backcountry Club.” The name stuck amongst our cadre of desert rats who are obsessed with exploring every remote nook of canyon country. Glen Canyon Backcountry Club is a natural fit for the timeless spirit of Glen Canyon we hope to share with you during your trip.

Membership to Glen Canyon Backcountry Club has one requirement: loving the Glen Canyon Backcountry. Sign up for a Glen Canyon Backcountry Club guided hike or multi-day trip to join our unofficial community that celebrates the past, present, and future of Glen Canyon. If you’re a seasoned Glen Canyon backcountry hiker, river runner, canyoneer, or archive explorer, you are already in the club.

Be sure to check out our collection of Glen Canyon Backcountry Club hats and shirts designed in the spirit of Morgan’s vintage golf hat. Follow us on Instagram @glencanyonbackcountryclub, where we share our love of Glen Canyon history intertwined with humor and facts about present-day Colorado River and public land management.

John Wetherill boating the Colorado River upstream in Glen Canyon circa 1931. Photo courtesy of Harvey Leake.

Escalante, Utah

Glen Canyon Backcountry Club trips start and end in Escalante, Utah. This rural Southern Utah hamlet, population 800, remains among the most remote locales in the lower 48. The town’s spartan amenities include two markets, a hardware store, medical clinic, and pharmacy. Be sure to grab a pizza at Escalante Outfitters before and after your trip!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Our multi-day trips (3-5 days) include a pre-trip phone consultation. We will discuss your trip goals, terrain preferences, fitness, and experience levels. We will use this information, and seasonal weather considerations, to plan a unique backcountry route.

  • This is not destination backpacking. Our aim is to take clients on hikes and multi-day trips that exemplify the splendid terrain and ecosystem diversity of the Glen Canyon region. We want to encourage you to remember the landscape, not a place you took a photo.

    If you do have a destination in mind, we are happy to point you to a comparable day hike or customize a multi-day route that reflects your vision.

  • Our goal is to provide the safest and most enjoyable Glen Canyon Backcountry Club experience possible. While extreme weather is a fact of life in the desert, we do our best to plan and modify trips that are seasonally appropriate for the conditions. In most cases we will adapt or change a route rather than cancel. However, during hazardous weather (flash floods, wildfires, high heat) we reserve the right to cancel or reschedule a trip. All trips cancelled due to hazardous conditions will be refunded (except for a $50 deposit and the pre-multi day trip phone consultation valued at $170).

  • Life happens. We understand trips may need to be cancelled or rescheduled for many reasons. Below is a breakdown:

    All trips include a $50 non-refundable deposit.

    The multi-day trip phone consultation is $170 and non-refundable once it is completed.

    The rest of your trip fee can be refunded if you cancel 7 days or more before your trip.

    A credit to reschedule your trip or 50% of the remaining trip fee will be refunded between 6 days and 24 hours of your trip.

    No refunds will be offered for personal cancellations less than 24 hours before your reservation.

    **All trips cancelled by Glen Canyon Backcountry Club for hazardous weather will be credited for a rescheduled trip or fully refunded sans $50 deposit and $170 phone consultation (if applicable). Rescheduling your trip is recommended.

  • We aim for private groups of 1-8 people to ensure minimal impact on the landscape.

  • We are currently permitted to guide within the Escalante River watershed of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We plan to expand our offerings within the Glen Canyon region.

  • Our official season is March through June and September through November.

    Off-season trips can be scheduled on a case-by-case basis one month in advance and are dependent on seasonal weather conditions.

  • Everyone, from experienced backpackers interested in unique routes to first-time desert backpackers (we even offer a course to get started). We make trip recommendations and customize routes to ensure the most enjoyable trip for your abilities.

  • You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email: contact@glencanyonbackcountryclub.com.

    We aim to respond quickly—usually within 3 to 5 days. If you do not hear from us right away, it means we are in the backcountry!

Wilderness Tithing

To maintain a relationship with the Glen Canyon region after your trip we recommend supporting one of the non-profits that help protect and steward this landscape. These include Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, Glen Canyon Institute, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and Grand Canyon Trust. Legendary historian and canyoneer Steve Allen calls this “Wilderness Tithing.”

Sign up for their e-newsletters for volunteer information and calls to action protect public lands. Your backcountry experience gives you a voice to advocate for this landscape from anywhere in the world!