Freshies In Escalante

What I like about skiing in Escalante is the fresh untracked powder snow. There is no competition with snowmobilers or other motorized vehicles for these forest service roads that run perpendicular to Highway 12 or Pine Creek road heading up to Posey Lake. Breaking trail can be challenging, but our ski tracks are set for the rest of winter so we can kick & glide to our heart's content. When was the last time you skied without seeing any people, with only traces of animal footprints marking the snow?

Slots of Fun

Ever want to keep a secret to yourself? Part of you wants to share this clandestine canyon with friends, giving them the gift of experiencing a pristine, spectacular hike through narrow & slot canyons, with an arch to boot. Another part of me is warning to keep quiet, let this one canyon remain unspoiled by humans & cows.

I'll compromise by giving clues as to the location: We bush-whacked through throngs of Tamarisks. Its off Hole-in-the-Rock road. Red rock is not always lonely.

You may not find what I'm calling "Anvil & Arch" canyon but you may find your own secretive canyon hike. After all, there are millions of acres of wilderness to explore here in Escalante, Utah.

Creamery Cellar Road

Yesterday, we (new girlfriend & I) packed up the dogs & headed NE from Escalante, Utah on Hwy 12 past mile marker 73. According to the GPS we parked the truck at N 37* 46.028' W 111* 25.652'. There was plenty of sunshine and cool breezes, as we hiked across a sage bush field with gobs of eyelash grasses toward Escalante river overlook. We found the tracks of the old Cream Cellar road that once connected Boulder & Escalante, Utah & trekked up toward the Head-of-the-Rocks. The Cream Cellar road has carved in switch-backs & rocks built up along the sides of domed buttes. In yesteryears, vats of milk and cream were taken from Boulder farms via mule & stored under the now dilapidated dugout shed near the Head-of-the-Rocks on Hwy 12, for the Escalante folks to pick-up their diary later.

We discussed how easy this antiquated road was to navigate with only a few cairns to guide you up to the cellar shed. Trail-running & snowshoeing is very doable on this round-trip 5 mile excursion.

The Cream Cellar road is not going anywhere, only us.