The Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument
The area is located about two hours east of Bryce Canyon National Park between the remote towns of Escalante and Boulder. This was once the most remote area in the lower 48 states. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. This high, rugged, and remote region, where bold plateaus and multi-hued cliffs run for distances that defy human perspective, was the last place in the continental United States to be mapped. The Escalante River and its tributaries, including Calf Creek, drain a wilderness of sandstone. Most of the area is protected as the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Magnificent vista points are available along the main road.
Devil's Garden is a wonderful area in the heart of Escalante, Utah's newest National Monument. Get there by driving south on the "Hole-in-the-Rock Road" about 16.5 miles from Escalante Rte 12. The garden is small, covering only about 200 acres, but it is a miniature wonderland of Navajo Sandstone hoodoos, domes, narrow passages, and small arches, hidden from the view of drivers along the Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Devils Garden provides a brief introduction to the kind of slickrock walking and routefinding over a trailless landscape typical of most backcountry routes in the Escalante region.
Hole-in-the-Rock is the name given by Mormon settlers in 1879 (the San Juan Mission) to a short, steep valley leading towards the Colorado River, the only breach for many miles in the otherwise vertical cliffs of Glen Canyon that constituted an almost impassable barrier between the then unsettled lands in southeast Utah. Even here there was a sheer 45 foot cliff to overcome, and 6 weeks of labour was needed to construct a route down which the wagons of the party could pass. The lower 300 feet are now submerged below the cold waters of Lake Powell but the route to this point survives as the Hole-in-the-Rock road and today this provides easy access to the Escalante River and its western tributaries.
The unpaved road starts 4.5 miles east of Escalante on UT 12 and reaches the edge of Glen Canyon after 55.5 miles. The first 15 miles, as far as the Garfield/Kane county line, are almost as good as a regular highway, then the surface deteriorates somewhat and is often severely graded but is fine for normal cars until at least mile 38. After here are 6 steep dry wash crossings, tributaries of Fortymile and Fiftymile Creeks, that may be a problem but still the surface should usually be passable until 5 miles from the southern end; the last section after the Davis Gulch crossing is very rough and for high clearance, 4WD vehicles only. The scenery along most of the journey is little changing and not too spectacular as to the west stretch the high, layered 50 mile long Straight Cliffs while the land on the other side is mostly a flat, grassy plain - the many fantastic canyons are hidden from view, reached only by various side roads that lead east towards the Escalante River. Towards the end though, the terrain is more undulating and dramatic as the cliffs become closer to the Escalante River - the side canyons are more numerous and extend further west, and the grassy plateau is gradually replaced by vast areas of slickrock domes, which are best viewed from an overlook just before Davis Gulch. At mile 46, the road enters the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
Zebra Canyon was one of my favorite spots along Hole-in-the-Rock road. Its about a 4.5 mile hike following a wash to this slot canyon. It’s the only slot canyon I have ever found that is made up of pink and white colored sandstone. It is a very narrow canyon. Most of the time I was synching my way back through the canyon by wedging myself up the walls.
My Escalante Travels
I have been to the Escalante area 4 different trips now. It’s a great place to avoid a lot of tourists. Some of the other parks can be annoying with their bus loads of Asian tourists who walk into your frame as you take pictures. Most people do not do enough research and bypass the Escalante area, which is fine by me after fighting the traffic jams in Bryce and Zion. There are many trails to go on a day hike in this area. You will still see friendly people here. It’s just not as well traveled.
Spooky Gulch
Spooky Gulch is indeed a dark and mysterious place, with about half a mile of serpentine, narrow passages where it is often only possible to see a few feet ahead, as the canyon twists and turns with many 180 degree bends. The colours and forms of the cross-bedded Navajo sandstone are very beautiful, and the walls have an unusual knobbly texture which adds to the eerie nature of the canyon. Spooky is quite popular, and in summer there will usually be one or two other groups in the canyon. Fit hikers can explore all the narrows in about 20 minutes but much longer could be spent taking photographs and enjoying the haunting ambience.
Two places require more exertion; a 5 foot squeeze up a near vertical crevice then around a narrow corner at the top, and a climb over a pile of large boulders near the upper end of the canyon. The difficulty of this may change following new flooding, but when I visited it was easy to overcome by scrambling under one large rock and over another just beyond. As with most slot canyons, the gulch becomes shallow after a while and ends in a wide, open streamway which continues for several miles over the plateau beyond; an alternative way to reach the narrows is by hiking downstream from the north end of the wash, beginning from the Early Weed Bench trailhead which is reached from a side track that starts at mile 24 of the Hole-in-the-Rock road.
The Calf creek Recreation Area
The Calf Creek Recreation Area in south central Utah offers one of the American desert's premiere - and little known - gems, the (Lower) Calf Creek Falls. While a year-round creek is relatively rare in the desert, a year-round 126 foot waterfall is stunning. It is worth a visit in the summer to experience the coolness of the fall's oasis.
Calf Creek Falls are heard some distance away but are hidden from view until right near the end. Either side of the main cascade, an elongated seep between two rock layers sustains a band of greenery, and there are other small pools nearby plus a large marshy area; these moist, sheltered conditions support a variety of fish and other wildlife, including beaver and quite numerous grass snakes. The falls face southeast and are quite enclosed so are in shadow for most of the day - the best time to arrive is mid morning.
