Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Excellent Hiking Abounds!
Visited October 2 - 7, 2013; reviewed October 26, 2013 See this review on Trip Advisor.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) is a vast region in the center of southern Utah, right in the heart of the Grand Circle. While the GSENM covers a very wide area and an amazing range of scenery, from the Vermilion Cliffs at the southwest end all the way to the canyons adjacent to Capitol Reef National Park at the northeast boundary, this review will focus on areas accessible from scenic byway 12 near Escalante, Utah.
We had a group of over 20 outdoor enthusiasts visiting the Escalante area in October. Our plan was to enjoy some great hiking and scenic drives in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)and we all had a wonderful time. For the four days that we were there, Lynn and I were part of the group that went hiking. We found four simply amazing hikes within the monument.
When you visit the GSEMN, keep in mind that this is not a National Park. It is a unit under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and as such there is a more “hands-off” feel to the area. There is not a number of Rangers patrolling the area, the trails are not all marked and the roads are not all paved. There are maintained roads to provide access to the trailheads, but these are dirt roads and subject to the whims of nature so they will often be rough and sometimes impassible. When we visited in the fall of 2013, there was evidence of significant damage that had recently been repaired. Many of the culverts where the road crossed the washes had been wiped out. By the time we visited some had been replace but in other areas the grade just went down into the wash and back out…something a sedan may not be able to handle. But do NOT let that be a deterrent. Just plan ahead and check the road conditions before visiting.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) is a vast region in the center of southern Utah, right in the heart of the Grand Circle. While the GSENM covers a very wide area and an amazing range of scenery, from the Vermilion Cliffs at the southwest end all the way to the canyons adjacent to Capitol Reef National Park at the northeast boundary, this review will focus on areas accessible from scenic byway 12 near Escalante, Utah.
We had a group of over 20 outdoor enthusiasts visiting the Escalante area in October. Our plan was to enjoy some great hiking and scenic drives in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)and we all had a wonderful time. For the four days that we were there, Lynn and I were part of the group that went hiking. We found four simply amazing hikes within the monument.
When you visit the GSEMN, keep in mind that this is not a National Park. It is a unit under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and as such there is a more “hands-off” feel to the area. There is not a number of Rangers patrolling the area, the trails are not all marked and the roads are not all paved. There are maintained roads to provide access to the trailheads, but these are dirt roads and subject to the whims of nature so they will often be rough and sometimes impassible. When we visited in the fall of 2013, there was evidence of significant damage that had recently been repaired. Many of the culverts where the road crossed the washes had been wiped out. By the time we visited some had been replace but in other areas the grade just went down into the wash and back out…something a sedan may not be able to handle. But do NOT let that be a deterrent. Just plan ahead and check the road conditions before visiting.
For our first hike we drove 26 miles down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road to the Dry Fork Trailhead so that we could access Peek-a-boo and Spooky slots. A very scenic area and a nice hike through some beautiful slots. Our plan was to go up Spooky and come out Peek-a-boo, but most of the group only made it part way. We got into the narrow portions of Spooky and hit was technical areas that many of our group could not traverse, so most of us retraced our path and waited for a handful of the hikers from the head of the line to make the loop (I was at the back of the pack as I was taken a lot of photos, so I missed the opportunity for the full loop). Still it was a nice hike even if most of us missed Peek-a-boo slot.
The next day we visited the Calf Creek Recreation Area and made the 6-plus mile hike to the falls. This is billed as one of the prettiest hikes in Utah and let me tell you it lives up to the hype. I thought it was a pretty easy hike as it is mostly level, although there are some sandy areas that make for tough going. It is also exposed for the majority of the hike, so be prepared with a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, particularly on warm days. The waterfall is amazing. It was too cold for a swim when we visited, but I could see taking a dip after the hike out there. The trail is well marked and there are signs showing several points of interest along the way. I thought it was indeed one of the prettiest hikes I had been on in southern Utah. It is well worth the time and effort. Our last two hikes both started out along the Old Sheffield Road. These were the type hikes I was expecting. Less traveled areas with no marked trails (or at least not completely marked trails). You will need a map and compass or a GPS for these trails. The first was into Big Horn Canyon. I guess the trail head is 5 miles or so down the dirt road from the route 12 turn-off. Wonderful views all along the Old Sheffield Road. We parked in a small parking area right along the road. I reckon we were on the trail right about 11:00 AM under sunny skies but with cool temperatures that were ideal for hiking. |
The hike works down a sandy wash for maybe a mile with a gentle descent. Then we hit the one serious obstacle of the day, a fairly steep slickrock fall-off of 50 feet or so. This has us stumped for a bit. A few of the folks were uneasy about trying to work down the fall. So a handful of us went down the slickrock fall, which turned out to be pretty easy and majority of the group found a more gradually but longer route around to the right. But we were soon all reunited further down he wash. The was a timed hike for us, since we had dinner reservations, so we hiked down to the first little slot canyon then retraced our steps to the trailhead. While we only had a short time to explore I must say that this was a delightful and extremely pretty hike. This is a very pretty area. The colors in the rocks were spectacular. The hues and formations are similar to those along the trail into The Wave. Add in the splash of color from the wildflowers for a nice little bonus. We also saw some interesting animal tracks, including cat tracks, probably bobcat. The little slot that we found was short but had some interesting contours. I think this would be a great place to return and with an earlier start cover a bit more territory.
Our final hike was THE event of the trip, the hike in the Red Breaks area to try and find the formation known as the Escavolcano, aka the Cosmic Ashtray.There are only eight of us on the hike today. The hike was billed as requiring the A-Team, we’ll see if we fit that description. The trailhead was basically at the end of the Old Sheffield Road; we parked just short of the sign that declared “No vehicles beyond this point.”
There is no marked trail for this hike, but we had two GPS units with the final coordinate of the volcano plus a topo map and compass. The folks with the maps and GPS units did a fine job of keeping us on course and finding a route that avoided the steeper areas. Merit badges for you all!
This was a tough hike. The hardest in my opinion was the deep sandy slough along the two-track at the start and end of the hike. Most of the rest of the hike was on slickrock which makes for a much easier go. It was also completely exposed; no shade along the trail at all. So the cool temperatures and slight breeze were very much appreciated. In fact, it was a very pleasant day for this 9-mile tromp.
While the hike was challenging, it was also amazingly beautiful all along our route. Early on we were treated to big vistas of the multi-hued rock formations in the distance and as we continued into the drainages that make up the Red Breaks area we were treated to closer views of many fascinating formations. The colors in the rocks were unbelievably vibrant. Then throw in the explosion of wildflowers sporting yellow, white, red and purple plus a lot of green foliage. And finally that brilliant blue sky for a backdrop. Yeah, we have a rainbow in the desert.
While we were generally working our way around the canyons of Red Breaks, we still got a taste of the formations cut in the sandstone. There was one area in particular that we passed coming and going that was basically a sluice in the rock with interesting swirling bands of tan and dark red sandstone. The lighting was much better in the return trip and made for some interesting photos. There were also a few potholes still full of water and lot of little critters. We were able to get some interesting reflection shots as well.
We keep vectoring in on the coordinates of the volcano. Our map readers reckoned that the volcano was just over the next rise off to our right. A couple of us were at the end of the line taking photos and ae went higher up the final ridge than the rest of the crew. Back down and around the ridge following the rest of the gang, we were still a ways higher than the others and worked over to the edge for a peek. Wow! I was NOT expecting that! The photos I’ve seen just do not do the fascinating natural feature justice. We snapped a few photos from the high ground and then headed down to join the rest of the group at the volcano.
As mentioned, this feature has a few names: the Escavolcano, the Cosmic Ashtray and the Red Breaks Crater. It is not a volcano, not even the remnants of one. This crater was carved out by wind and water over many, many eons. But it is awe-inspiring and the type of place that really gets the imagination in motion. The huge rock in the middle of the crater really got the group thinking. Maybe a dinosaur head? How about a huge alien ant. Lots of options.
There is no marked trail for this hike, but we had two GPS units with the final coordinate of the volcano plus a topo map and compass. The folks with the maps and GPS units did a fine job of keeping us on course and finding a route that avoided the steeper areas. Merit badges for you all!
This was a tough hike. The hardest in my opinion was the deep sandy slough along the two-track at the start and end of the hike. Most of the rest of the hike was on slickrock which makes for a much easier go. It was also completely exposed; no shade along the trail at all. So the cool temperatures and slight breeze were very much appreciated. In fact, it was a very pleasant day for this 9-mile tromp.
While the hike was challenging, it was also amazingly beautiful all along our route. Early on we were treated to big vistas of the multi-hued rock formations in the distance and as we continued into the drainages that make up the Red Breaks area we were treated to closer views of many fascinating formations. The colors in the rocks were unbelievably vibrant. Then throw in the explosion of wildflowers sporting yellow, white, red and purple plus a lot of green foliage. And finally that brilliant blue sky for a backdrop. Yeah, we have a rainbow in the desert.
While we were generally working our way around the canyons of Red Breaks, we still got a taste of the formations cut in the sandstone. There was one area in particular that we passed coming and going that was basically a sluice in the rock with interesting swirling bands of tan and dark red sandstone. The lighting was much better in the return trip and made for some interesting photos. There were also a few potholes still full of water and lot of little critters. We were able to get some interesting reflection shots as well.
We keep vectoring in on the coordinates of the volcano. Our map readers reckoned that the volcano was just over the next rise off to our right. A couple of us were at the end of the line taking photos and ae went higher up the final ridge than the rest of the crew. Back down and around the ridge following the rest of the gang, we were still a ways higher than the others and worked over to the edge for a peek. Wow! I was NOT expecting that! The photos I’ve seen just do not do the fascinating natural feature justice. We snapped a few photos from the high ground and then headed down to join the rest of the group at the volcano.
As mentioned, this feature has a few names: the Escavolcano, the Cosmic Ashtray and the Red Breaks Crater. It is not a volcano, not even the remnants of one. This crater was carved out by wind and water over many, many eons. But it is awe-inspiring and the type of place that really gets the imagination in motion. The huge rock in the middle of the crater really got the group thinking. Maybe a dinosaur head? How about a huge alien ant. Lots of options.
We spent some time here, just marveling at the crater. The sand in the crater was a beautiful shade of dark orange and was so almost perfectly smooth, sort of like a bunker before the start of the US Open…pristine. There was one set of tracks in the sand, but we could not figure out what could have made them. Not really foot prints; maybe a snake or a big bug of some sort. We tossed a couple of stones into the crater to gage the consistency of the sand. The each landed with a solid thud and just sat there in their little impact craters. Some of the gang were thinking about going into the crater, but finally relented as the climb down in and back out was not straightforward and besides they would have ruined the zen of the crater. We left the sand unmarred from footprints for the next group to enjoy.
After a snack and a group photo at the rim of the crater, it was time to have the long trek back to the trailhead. We more or less retraced our steps, but there were a couple of stretches areas of new ground covered, most notably a couple of areas strewn with hundreds of moqui marbles. So six hours later we are making nearly back at the trailhead. This sand on the two-track was a killer, but we kept plodding along. It was a great hike.
After a snack and a group photo at the rim of the crater, it was time to have the long trek back to the trailhead. We more or less retraced our steps, but there were a couple of stretches areas of new ground covered, most notably a couple of areas strewn with hundreds of moqui marbles. So six hours later we are making nearly back at the trailhead. This sand on the two-track was a killer, but we kept plodding along. It was a great hike.