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ENLARGE
Hiking in the sandstone near Escalante, Utah, and in the drainage of the Escalante River yields some of the best canyon scenery in the world.
Since 1996 this region has been part of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, but trails and roads are not very well marked and it takes some research and experience to find the interesting places. The visitor center in Escalante is a good place to start, as are the two main shops in town.
Visitors wishing to camp typically car-camp at various pulloffs on the Hole-in-the-Rock or Sheffield roads.
The Hole-in-the-Rock road is a remarkable feature of the area. It was made in 1879 when a group of Mormons left the town to head east to the area near Bluff, Utah. They took many months to make the trip, which involved first a 55-mile stretch to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell) along the present-day road and then a harrowing descent down a 1,200-foot gully to the river with 83 wagons and over a thousand head of livestock.
Hikers today can still see the marks where their ropes cut into the sandstone. The first half of the Hole-in-the-Rock road is passable to all vehicles, but four-wheel-drive is needed for the last several miles, as well as for some of the side roads to trailheads.
The classic slot canyons are Peek-A-Boo and Spooky; they get a bit crowded, but if you get there early you will have them to yourself and can enjoy scrambling through the amazing shapes. Other day hikes that I have found especially rewarding are the Bighorn and Red Breaks canyons, the trip to Phipps Arch, and the Boulder Mail Trail. These are all described in the guidebook Canyoneering 3 by Steve Allen (Univ. of Utah Press); that book also contains descriptions of many spectacular backpacking trips, focused on the canyons that form in tributaries of the Escalante River.
Be aware that desert backpacking is a serious undertaking, requiring skills for dealing with steep terrain and long dry stretches. Navigation is made easier by the amazing accuracy of the USGS topographic maps.
Go to www.summitdaily.com/travel for more pictures and links to Escalante-area travel information.
Since 1996 this region has been part of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, but trails and roads are not very well marked and it takes some research and experience to find the interesting places. The visitor center in Escalante is a good place to start, as are the two main shops in town.
Visitors wishing to camp typically car-camp at various pulloffs on the Hole-in-the-Rock or Sheffield roads.
The Hole-in-the-Rock road is a remarkable feature of the area. It was made in 1879 when a group of Mormons left the town to head east to the area near Bluff, Utah. They took many months to make the trip, which involved first a 55-mile stretch to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell) along the present-day road and then a harrowing descent down a 1,200-foot gully to the river with 83 wagons and over a thousand head of livestock.
Hikers today can still see the marks where their ropes cut into the sandstone. The first half of the Hole-in-the-Rock road is passable to all vehicles, but four-wheel-drive is needed for the last several miles, as well as for some of the side roads to trailheads.
The classic slot canyons are Peek-A-Boo and Spooky; they get a bit crowded, but if you get there early you will have them to yourself and can enjoy scrambling through the amazing shapes. Other day hikes that I have found especially rewarding are the Bighorn and Red Breaks canyons, the trip to Phipps Arch, and the Boulder Mail Trail. These are all described in the guidebook Canyoneering 3 by Steve Allen (Univ. of Utah Press); that book also contains descriptions of many spectacular backpacking trips, focused on the canyons that form in tributaries of the Escalante River.
Be aware that desert backpacking is a serious undertaking, requiring skills for dealing with steep terrain and long dry stretches. Navigation is made easier by the amazing accuracy of the USGS topographic maps.
Go to www.summitdaily.com/travel for more pictures and links to Escalante-area travel information.
Links
Escalante visitor center: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/grand_staircase-escalante.htmlEscalante Outfitters provide inexpensive lodging: (http://www.escalanteoutfitters.com
Utah Canyons Desert Adventure Store: http://www.utahcanyons.com
La Luz Guesthouse: http://www.laluz/net
