Escalante and Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Utah, April 2018

Blog Resurrection ...

I haven't updated this Blog in seven years, and we have been to so many NEW places in these past years that it seems prudent to do so now.

We return to Escalante and the GSENM every few years, simply because it is so beautiful and so much less crowded than the national parks in Utah. We spent April 2018 here before returning home. I must say though, the desert is a very windy place in the spring. Fall is better, but sometimes you just have to endure the wind and find sheltered spots. We camp at the head of Hole-in-the-Rock Road which used to have only about a dozen spots when we first came here the Fall of 2012. Now, people have created new sites, spreading out into the grasslands. The popularity of many places like this that used to be quiet have become much busier, thanks to the proliferation of the internet. This is a double-edged sword, as we are able to locate more places to camp and hike, but so can everyone else.

There are numerous hikes to be found along Hole-in-the-Rock Road. We have done quite a few in the past, including the Devil's Garden, slot canyons such as Peek-a-Boo, Spooky, Tunnel and Zebra, Broken Bow Arch, Cedar Wash Arch, Crack in the Wall and Golden Cathedral.

From Highway 12 (which is a destination on its own), the GSENM offers many other scenic areas like Hell's Backbone and Calf Creek Falls (Upper and Lower).

	There are a few ways to access Coyote Gulch. You can hike through Hurricane Wash to the Fulch, which is a long, exposed, sandy hike. You can start at the Fortymile Ridge Trail and hike to Crack in the Wall, descend a huge sand dune, hike north on the Escalante River and into the Gulch - this is also a long, exposed, sandy hike. Or you can do what we did, and take the shorter "sneaker route" by parking at the water tank on Fortymile Ridge Road, hiking cross country and descending a very steep slickrock wall. This brings you almost directly to the main feature of Coyote Gulch, the Jacob Hamblin Arch. When we were there, someone had left ropes behind which we did use (after a careful inspection) to descend and ascend the wall, but others do it without ropes. Know your limitations!
	This is Jacob Hamblin Arch in Coyote Gulch. We hiked up and down the gulch from where we descended the wall and found small rapids and huge alcoves. This hike is our favourite one along Hole-in-the-Rock Road.  For size perspective, I am standing beneath the tree on the far left.
	Here I am at Sunset Natural Arch looking south towards Page, AZ. You can just see Navajo Mountain through the arch. This hike is also accessed from Fortymile Ridge Road. If you continue driving just south of Fortymile Ridge on Hole-in-the-Rock Road, you will come to Dance Hall Rock where the Mormon group who created the "hole in the rock" at the end of this road spent the winter.
	From Highway 12 just east of the Head of the Rocks Overlook, you can turn south onto Spencer Flat Road. There are a few camping spots out here that seemed much less busy than Hole-in-the-Rock Road, but also smaller. There is some nice slickrock along the road, and views looking towards the Escalante River.
	Hiking west from the Escalante River Trailhead, you approach Escalante Natural Bridge. The trail follows the river and is nicely shaded.
	Near the bottom of Hell's Backbone Road near the town of Escalante, we hiked the Lower Box Canyon. You can hike it to the top where it is called just Box Canyon. The lower canyon has beautifully coloured rock walls and follows Pine Creek.