Escalante
Local Highlights
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Devil's Garden and Metate Arch
A colorful formation in contrast to the gray cliffs that follow the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, Devil’s Garden is a unique, easily-accessible natural play park. After driving 12 miles down the graded road, there is a signed pullout for this spot designated as an “Outstanding Natural Area.”
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Hole-in-the-Rock Road
Legend has it that the first Mormon pioneer settlers trekking southward hit a major obstacle: a 1,000-foot cliff towering over the Colorado River, which they needed to cross. After months of blasting, chiseling, and digging, they created a “Hole in the Rock,” a notch wide enough to lower their wagons. The 62-mile road to this spot from the town of Escalante is named after their monumental determination. The entire drive is stunning, but it’s truly remote and should be undertaken with caution. Four-wheel- drive is a must for the last few miles, and the road becomes impassable with rain, so plan ahead and check the weather before exploring this untamed terrain.
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Slot Canyons
This part of Southern Utah is famous for its slot canyons — twisting, turning narrows carved into the rock by water and wind over the millennia. A few can be scrambled without technical gear, but if you have the gear and knowledge (and/or a professional guide), you can navigate the colorful depths of the desert. Hiring a guide is well worth the once-in-a-lifetime experience of rappelling, shimmying, and scrambling your way through these dramatic slots. For hikers, the trails near Escalante wind through sandstone slot canyons, pristine riverbeds, rock art meccas, and sparse sagebrush-studded desert plateaus. Every step is a sensory experience. Plan on countless stops to take photos, soak in the views, and admire nature’s most kaleidoscopic rocks. (Note: Very few trailheads are accessible via paved roads. A four-wheel drive vehicle is a good idea — and watch weather reports to ensure roads are passable.)
What's Nearby
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Bryce Canyon National Park
An alpine forest with as many red rock hoodoos as trees. At dawn and dusk, mule deer graze the forested plateau along the road into Bryce Canyon.
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Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
The Escalante Petrified Forest State Park is located at Wide Hollow Reservoir. This small reservoir is popular for boating, canoeing, and fishing.
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Grand Staircase-Escalante
The allure of the Grand Staircase region — the bulk of which is contained in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument — is phenomenal. Sun-drenched Utah backcountry spreads out well beyond the visible horizon from the road, whether you’re traveling along the The All-American Road: Scenic Byway 12, or on Highway 89.
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Kodachrome Basin State Park
Kodachrome Basin covers 2,240 acres of canyon country and is surrounded by Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument on three sides.
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Upper Calf Creek Falls
Upper Calf Creek Falls is the less traveled sister hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls — a beautiful, adventurous and short hike with some steep terrain.
