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.

Starting a New Season in Escalante, Utah

A new season of adventure and exploration begins in early October in southern Utah, our favourite place in the United States. It is a land like no other, a planet of its own where sunshine, solitude and geologic beauty abound.

Our first destination is Escalante, a small town bordering the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This is slickrock and slot canyon country, with red sandstone walls encasing meandering canyons carved by rivers. A hiker's paradise. We make camp at the head of Hole in the Rock Road, so named for the hole in the cliff wall some 60 miles away at the edge of Lake Powell where in the mid-1800s Mormon pioneers forged a descent to what was then just the Colorado River before the damming began. It's an amazing story of a determined people battling this unforgiving, rocky desert.

Broken Bow Arch

An easy hike to get our legs back into hiking mode after our 6-months at home, we travel some 46 miles down the rough and bumpy Hole in the Rock Road and hike the 2 miles to Broken Bow Arch. We cross the shallow creek a couple of times and make our way up a very steep slope covered in deep sand to get behind and under the arch. Okay, not such an easy hike for the first time out.

What you can't see is that the creek flows between the arch and the sandy hill just beyond the arch in front of the big trees. From this view, we are looking up-canyon where our hike began.

Cedar Wash Arch

This IS an easy hike - maybe 1/2 a mile round trip, and a short drive down the washboard Hole in the Rock Road. Cedar Wash Arch is interesting if not spectacular. Brad is able to make his way on top - can you see him?

Devil's Garden

Only 10 miles down Hole in the Rock Road, the Devil's Garden is probably the most popular destination in this area, especially for tourists who are looking for a quick in and out experience of the red rock formations. Called hoodoos, these spires come in all different shapes and sizes.

Upper Calf Creek Falls

We get some heavy rains for a full day, so we have to stay out of the canyons where flash floods can easily take hikers by surprise (seven people died in a flash flood in Zion National Park in September). But a hike to the Upper Calf Creek Falls is perfectly safe once the slickrock dries out.

From the parking lot, we descend several hundred feet to view the falls from above and below. It's truly refreshing to see a waterfall in the desert, and this perennial stream doesn't disappoint.

Crack in the Wall

Okay, gearing up now for the 8-10 mile hike we came here to do (Golden Cathedral), we take a practice run to Crack in the Wall. Only 4 miles round trip across sand and slickrock to the cliffs above the Escalante River, with a view of the mouth of Coyote Gulch, one of the most popular canyons hiked in this area for its splendor and beauty. Technically part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell area), Crack in the Wall is literally a narrow crack filled with sand that hikers can barely squeeze through, at times pushing backpacks ahead of them and inching along sideways.

We do not descend through the crack (lazy, eh?), but instead enjoy the views from the rim high above the river. Yes, that black chasm I'm pretending to step into is the "crack".  It's a long drop to the next stone step, and I just don't see the point of dropping down only to have to haul myself out later.

Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon

The main reason we come to Hole in the Rock Road is to fulfill a bucket list hike to Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon. Having seen photos of it years ago, we decided we have to see this glorious natural wonder. The hike involves descending a VERY STEEP slickrock slope (at times 45 degrees); crossing a sandy plateau using only compass bearings to find the mouth of Neon Canyon; sliding down a 600-foot sand dune; wading across the Escalante River knee deep in swiftly flowing, chocolatey, cold water; and finally hiking up water-pocketed Neon Canyon nearly a mile to Golden Cathedral (one water crossing is thigh deep and cold).

It must be our lucky day as we arrive just in time to see 3 adventurers rappel into the canyon through the open potholes in the ceiling of the Cathedral. Can you see the rappeller near the top of the lower hole?

This grotto at the end of lower Neon Canyon is alive with birds, dragonflies and plants. It's a perfect lunch picnic spot.

There are two holes in the ceiling of this red rock canyon, which is why this location is called Golden Cathedral. It is stunningly gorgeous, especially with the early afternoon light reflected on the walls, and we linger too long admiring the beauty.

There are two routes to Golden Cathedral - the cross-country route which we hike in the morning and the longer route through Fence Canyon which we decide to take to return. But to get to Fence Canyon, we have to cross the fast-flowing Escalante River 4 times and blaze a trail through thick vegetation as following others' footprints isn't as easy as you might think, especially after it rains. But find the mouth of Fence Canyon we do, and we begin the 1,000 foot climb to the parking lot. Almost 4 miles and over 1,000-foot descent to hike in and 5 miles and over 1,000-foot ascent to hike out - exhaustion perfected.

But the fun never ends ... it takes us almost 1 hour to drive the 10 miles of the 4x4 road from the trailhead back to Hole in the Rock Road. It's getting dark now (we left the trailer at sunrise!) and Brad has to rebuild part of the road so we can get the truck down this rocky part - well, really we're in the wash here. (A wash is a dry creek bed.) Remember that rain we had earlier this week? Well, this wash-out is the result. And graders don't come out here very often.

The canyons of Escalante ... remote, stunning, torturous, beckoning, paradise. This is our third stay here (first time, second time), so we obviously love it. One day, we'll get to the end of the road to see the historic name-sake, Hole in the Rock, although driving over 50 miles on this rough, washboard road is an adventure unto itself. Maybe next time.

Cottonwood Canyon, UT

We leave New Mexico (Land of Enchantment) and head to Page, Arizona (The Grand Canyon State) on Lake Powell, by-passing Canyon de Chelly thanks to the US Government Shutdown and the closure of most national parks.  In Page, we shop for supplies and plan to head to the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, but discover (by chatting with my Walmart hair dresser!) that the highway that will take us there (#89) collapsed in February!  We've driven this highway a couple of times over the past years, and this cut is extremely long, perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the canyons of the Colorado.  It's fortunate the collapse happened in the middle of the night and no one was injured.

So, re-route to southern Utah (The Beehive State [what?]) and from whose border Page is only a few miles to explore some areas we didn't get to last year.  Cottonwood Canyon Road, where we spend nine days, is in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, one of our all-time favourite places.

	First, let me say that we've never seen the desert so green - and yellow, red, orange and purple. Thanks to the recent rains (remember the flooding in Colorado and New Mexico?), desert wildflowers have started to bloom and the usual vegetaion is dark green having soaked up that moisture. It's a beautiful sight.
	This area along the Cockscomb was full of these tiny yellow flowers.
	Of course in these parts, with rain comes also washed-out dirt roads. Brad is standing in a part of a dirt road beside Coyote Creek (now dry) that was destroyed - it's over a 6-foot drop here, and other parts of roads we saw were worse! We parked and hiked the last 1/2 mile!

Our first adventure takes us down BLM Road 431 on which we are camped, to "White Rocks" - at least that's what it says on the map. It's one of those times we don't have a destination in mind, we just wonder "what's down this road?" It's a real challenge too and our truck is barely able to make some of the, now dry, creek crossings which are still damaged from the rains of September.
	Brad almost steps on this Midget Faded Rattlesnake, but it warns him with a shake of his tail. Lucky Brad!  To date, we have seen four snakes - this one and three of the same as at Navajo Lake State Park.  That's more than on any of our previous trips in total!
	An old cabin we discover, probably a cowboy cabin, and still has a bed, table, chair and stove in it! Home sweet home!
	Marilyn at White Rocks, towering sandstone formations in various stages of erosion. We think the white colouring is caused from gypsum as we find selenite crystals on top of these spires. We also find iron concretions (Moqui Marbles) up top. That's for all you geologists out there, or readers of last year's blog.

The Red Toadstools are an easy hike only about 1/2 a mile from Highway 89 near the Paria Contact Station; the White Toadstools trail starts across the highway from the Paria Contact Station.
	These crazy sandstone formations - the Toadstools (not their technical latin name), are also known as Hoodoos. They start out as clay capped with sandstone. The clay eventually erodes away, leaving the caprock balancing on top until the clay base erodes entirely leaving a boulder field.
	Marilyn among more red toadstools.
	The White Toadstools.

Yellow Rock is a strenuous hike, not for those with a bad ticker or a fear of heights. After crossing Cottonwood Creek, we climb straight up and over the Cockscomb, several hundred feet in elevation (I swear this climb could double as a cardiac stress test!). We can't believe there's actually a trail here, it's about a 45 degree angle up. And each time we think we're approaching the top, another steep incline comes into view across a short, flat expanse. Finally at the top, but we're not there yet. We have to walk across a sandy area to get to the base of this incredible sandstone formation which is several hundred feet high itself. Some sections of Yellow Rock are very steep too, but easy to climb - it's like walking on sandpaper, very grippy. Yellow Rock is, by far, the most beautiful, breath-taking, amazing sight I have ever seen. Brad and I like Yellow Rock better than The Wave! Here's why - it's a shorter hike (even though it's steep), MUCH fewer people (today only 2 couples and a group of 5; at the Wave 20 people each day guaranteed), no lottery draw to go there, and it's a much bigger area to explore (we rarely came across those other three groups today unlike at the Wave last year where we had to wait our turn to photograph the bowl).
	A view from the south-west side.
	Marilyn enjoying a rest on Yellow Rock.
	Brad taking in the colours in Hackberry Canyon across from Yellow Rock where the crazy colours continue!
	This is a close-up near the top of Yellow Rock. This is not a painting, nor are the colours enhanced! Nature is elegantly strange!
	To the south of Yellow Rock, the crazy colours continue.
	Very late in the afternoon, hurrying back to the truck. The low sun really brings out the texture in the rock.

Hackberry Canyon can be viewed from the top of Yellow Rock, looking north up the Cockscomb. Hackberry Creek is a perennial stream, so there was much creek crossing as we zig-zagged our way through the narrows between pretty coloured sandstone walls.
	In Hackberry Canyon with the cottonwood trees starting to change colour.
	Lunchtime with a view.

We also spend time planning for Brandon's trip - he will spend ten days with us starting on October 21st.  We will pick him up in Las Vegas and head north to southern Utah.  We have a fantastic time planned - but that's for the next blog.

The Cockscomb and Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

We move only about 40 miles west along Highway 12 to a new campsite near Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah.  To the north, the Pink Cliffs dominate the skyline marking the most beautiful, in my opinion, national park in the state - Bryce Canyon.  We have been to Bryce a couple of times in the past, so we will focus on some hikes and sites down the Cottonwood Canyon Road.  It is a lot colder here at night because we are in a basin (as the state park name implies) and all of the cold air is funneled into this valley.  Bryce is over 9,000 and usually has snow by this time of year (it's been a warmer than usual fall this year), and the ridges surrounding us are also quite high.  It dips below freezing every night, but we are cozy inside with lots of blankets and our propane heater.  Grady has taken to sleeping under the covers with me; he doesn't emerge until just before sunrise.

Looking north up The Cockscomb

The 46-mile Cottonwood Canyon Road follows a geological feature called the "Cockscomb" and is encompassed in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  These strange rocks form a serrated ridge from north to south for many miles, rising about 70 to 100 feet on about a 45 degree angle.  The rock colour is mostly a golden brown.  To the west of the road, another ridge angles up along a fault line very similar to that in the Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Park.  Some of these rocks are at almost 90 degrees and are white, red, pink, purple and yellow representing different minerals, mostly iron oxide and manganese.  Park rangers call this area candyland because many spires are white with pink or red striping.  The canyon is stunning and we find it hard to drive and watch the scenery.  Cottonwood Creek runs alongside the dirt road (just regraded last week, thank goodness and it is a very good surface with very little washboard right now) providing a water haven for many birds and animals, not to mention the huge cottonwood trees for which this canyon is named.  It must be beautiful here when the leaves are changing colour; now the trees are naked.

Marilyn standing under an alcove in
Cottonwood Canyon Narrows

 

Along the drive, we stop at the Cottonwood Canyon Narrows and hike its 1.5 miles.  We start in the north where the canyon walls are only about 200 feet high, but at the southern end the walls have grown to almost 500 feet and are very impressive.  This canyon doesn't have the colours of others, nor extreme narrows as in slot canyons, but it is a pretty hike and we meet another couple from Flagstaff, Arizona with whom we share our slot canyon experiences.  Further south, we climb a 4x4 road to the top of the Cockscomb, and let me tell you, this is a frightening adventure indeed.  The road (remember, nothing is paved out here!) is very steep and winds up the hills at unbelievable grades.  (A typical highway grade through a mountain pass is usually 6% although we've seen 9%.  I don't doubt some of the grades on this little road are 15%!)  We stop along a narrow ridge half-way up to get some photos and Brad decides he wants to drive to the top.  I can't imagine where a road has been built looking up the cliffs, but up we go around some hairpin turns with steep dropoffs and boulders jutting up in our path.  I realize that I am gripping the door handle so tightly that my knuckles are white and every muscle in my arm is tense.  At a couple of turns I actually close my eyes just willing the drive to be over.  It's hard to put your life in someone else's hands.  Brad is having fun!  At the top and on the backside of this ridge (so no great view afterall!) there is a gate so we decide to turn around.  (The gate is probably to keep cattle on the other side and to prevent them from leaping over the cliff.)  Now we have to make the terrifying journey down, although it's actually better than going up for some reason (maybe because I don't worry about slipping backwards even though we're in four-wheel drive), and we survive although I am stress-eating peanuts all the way.  But it IS an amazing view of the Cockscomb.

We make a quick visit to Grosvenor Arch, a pretty, photogenic double arch.  Surprisingly, here there is a paved trail from the parking lot to the arch which is only a few hundred yards.

Grosvenor Arch at sunset

Marilyn in the Willis Creek Narrows

In the Willis Creek Narrows, a hike on the Skutumpah Road, we find water running in the creek, which is unusual in this dry climate.  Because we are actually hiking in the wash, we have to cross the creek numerous times along this 2 mile journey.  In a couple of spots, we throw rocks into the creek to make a stepping-stone bridge because it is fairly deep, and there is ice along the sides and where the water isn't flowing as quickly.  Cheers to hiking boots which keep our feet warm and dry.  These canyon walls also lack the colour of others, but the texture of the rock is interesting with ripples going in several different directions.  A group of cowboys on horses pass us as we eat lunch in the sun (canyons are cold because the rocks hold the low temperature and they're mostly always in the shade) - such a typical west scene.  As we hike back, we realize that the water level of the creek is several inches lower as the rocks we threw in are now almost entirely exposed.  We theorize that the creek source might freeze overnight, then melt in the morning sun releasing a heavier flow until midday.

Marilyn crossing our "rocky" bridge on the way in (deeper water)

Vehicle wedged in the Bull Valley Gorge - road is on top!

Two miles past Willis Creek, we find another canyon with a trail along the top edge of it.  This is Bull Valley Gorge and it is very deep and narrow.  The road crosses this gorge (a span of 15-20 feet) but not with a bridge - it looks like the construction crew just threw a bunch of big stuff into the gorge until it all wedged tight and then they put gravel and dirt on top.  We can see not only huge boulders, but a truck!!! wedged into the gorge about 30-40 feet under the roadway.  A truck!  We don't know if the truck fell in by accident of if it was tossed in on purpose but what a story it would be either way.  We walk only a short way along the trail as it's getting late in the afternoon and we don't know how far this trail is or if it descends into the gorge; we will save it for another day.

Yellow Rock and The Box hike we decide to access from the south end of Cottonwood Canyon Road, so we decide to move to Kanab which is almost on the Arizona border.  Hopefully, it will be warmer there too.

(... the next day...) Uh-oh - how quickly plans change.  Our drive to Kanab takes us through Bryce Canyon National Park (a definite favourite), and we can't resist its charms and beauty.  We stop here for a couple of days first.