Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [82]
We recommend that unless you are an expert at this specialized sport, you go with an expert, such as Rick Green, owner of Excursions of Escalante, 125 E. Main St. (P.O. Box 605), Escalante, UT 84726 (☎ 800/839-7567 or 435/ 826-4714; www.excursions-escalante. com). Trips, which are available year-round, usually include four people with one guide. The outfitter provides all equipment.
In addition to canyoneering trips, the company offers day hiking and backpacking excursions, plus specialized tours. Hiking trips cost $95 per person per day, canyoneering costs $125 per person per day, and backpacking costs $200 per person per day, which includes practically everything you need.
Hiking, Mountain Biking & Horseback Riding. Located about 15 miles northeast of Escalante on Utah 12, the Calf Creek Recreation Area has a campground (see "Camping," below) and a picnic area with fire grates, tables, drinking water, and flush toilets. Well shaded, it lies along a creek at the bottom of a narrow, high-walled rock canyon.
The best part of the recreation area is the moderately strenuous 5.5-mile round-trip hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. A sandy trail leads along Calf Creek, past beaver ponds and wetlands, to a beautiful waterfall cascading 126 feet down a rock wall into a tree-shaded pool. You can pick up an interpretive brochure at the trailhead.
Even though the Calf Creek Trail is the monument's only officially marked and maintained trail, numerous unmarked cross-country routes are ideal for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. We strongly recommend that hikers stop at the Interagency Office in Escalante or the Bureau of Land Management office in Kanab to get recommendations on hiking routes and to purchase topographical maps.
Among the popular and relatively easy to follow hiking routes is the footpath to Escalante Natural Bridge. It repeatedly crosses the river, so be prepared to get wet up to your knees. The easy 2-mile (one-way) hike begins at a parking area at the bridge that crosses the Escalante River near Calf Creek Recreation Area, 15 miles northeast of the town of Escalante. From the parking area, hike upstream to Escalante Natural Bridge, on the south side of the river. The bridge is 130 feet high and spans 100 feet. From here you can continue upstream, exploring side canyons, or turn around and head back to the parking lot.
Also starting at the Utah 12 bridge parking area is a hike downstream to Phipps Wash. Mostly moderate, this hike goes about 1.5 miles to the mouth of Phipps Wash, which enters the river from the west. On a north-side drainage of Phipps Wash you'll find Maverick Natural Bridge; by climbing up the south side, you can get to Phipps Arch.
Hiking the national monument's slot canyons is very popular, but we can't stress too strongly that you must make sure to check on flood potential before starting out. One challenging and very strenuous slot canyon hike is through Peek-a-boo and Spooky canyons, which are accessible from the Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Backway (see "Sightseeing & Four-Wheeling," below). Stop at the Escalante Interagency Office for directions.
Sightseeing & Four-Wheeling. This is one of America's least developed large sections of public land, offering a wonderful opportunity for exploration by the adventurous. Be aware, though, that roads inside the monument are dirt that becomes mud, and often impassable, when it rains.
One particularly popular road is the Hole-in-the-Rock Scenic Backway, which is partly in the national monument and partly in the adjacent Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Like most roads in the monument, it is safe in dry weather only. Starting about 5 miles northeast of Escalante off Utah 12, this clearly marked dirt road travels 57 miles (one-way) to the Hole-in-the-Rock,