For the geologically-minded, the Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Utah’s vast Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument provides access to extraordinary cuts and sluices in the Navajo sandstone (e.g., Peekaboo & Spooky slot canyons, Coyote Gulch), dating to the early Jurassic Period. These canyons—tributaries of the mighty Escalante River—are situated principally to the east of the dusty, 62-mile access …
Continue reading Devil’s Garden (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
(Note: This is the third post in a series of three, highlighting four neighboring slot canyons—all within walking distance of the Dry Fork Trailhead in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The other two posts feature Peekaboo & Spooky slot canyons and the Dry Fork Narrows.) Each year, thousands of adventurers flock to beautiful Peekaboo and …
Continue reading Brimstone Gulch (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Though just a short walk from Peekaboo, Spooky, and Brimstone Gulch in Utah’s Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument, the Dry Fork Narrows are often overlooked. Situated at the base of the steep descent from the Dry Fork Trailhead, however, this ½-mile slot canyon is both easily accessible and easily navigable. Unlike its nearby cousins, the narrows …
Continue reading Dry Fork Narrows (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
(Note: This is the first post in a series of three, highlighting four neighboring slot canyons—all within walking distance of the Dry Fork Trailhead in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The other two posts feature nearby Brimstone Gulch and the Dry Fork Narrows.) In the American Southwest, slot canyons are, simply put, an addiction. So …
The half-day out-and-back to Lower Calf Creek Falls is the most popular hike in the Escalante Canyons area, and with good reason. Not only does the colorful and beautifully-framed 126-foot chute make for a blissful destination, but the journey itself is an experience: the trail meanders through a fantastic stretch of canyon, complete with varying …
Continue reading Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Less frequented than its national park neighbors (e.g., Bryce Canyon, Zion, Capitol Reef), Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)—managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—is an enormous, 1.9-million-acre maze of cliffs, sinuous slots, and sandstone canyons in the heart of southern Utah. The park’s most popular spot in the Escalante Canyons area is undoubtedly Lower …
Continue reading Upper Calf Creek Falls Trail (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT)
Live and Let Hike 