31 Incredible Day Hikes in Escalante, Utah

                         Take a Hike Video Escalante Utah 

Willis Creek

When planning a trip to Escalante Utah, it's best to see what are the hiking options. After all, Escalante National Monument has 4 amazing seasons. You can visualize and pick out, the best hike for your vacation by watching the above video, Take a Hike Escalante Utah.                                                         

Escalante Utah Amazing Arch

Only 10 easy scenic miles from Escalante, Utah to visit the colossal Cedar Wash Arch. It's a casual walk to view the arch east to west from where you can park your car.

Cedar Wash Arch 

We discovered swirly gold, grey and white sandstone surrounding Cedar Wash Arch as we explored the many angles to this unassuming arch. Finding a route off the slick rock was an adventure.

Slick Rock

Cedar Wash Arch looking up West to East

Delighted and surprised we found other unusual slick rock formations on our way to viewing Cedar Arch west to east. Amazing, the power of water shaping rock into these unique structures.

Behind Cedar Wash Arch

  

In Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument you are welcomed to go beyond the easy-to-find landmarks.

Harris Wash Escalante Utah

The beauty of hiking in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is you never know what you may discover. We found this grove of Hoodoos off Harris Wash road in Escalante Utah by spying a lone spiral rock in the distance.

Watch this short video on our hike to the Harris Hoodoos:
Harris Wash Hoodoos Video

When visiting Escalante National Monument, keep your eyes open for the unexpected rock formations. They are waiting for you to take their photo. 

Hiking Willow Canyon Escalante, Ut

Easy walk to Broken Bow Arch

Jumping for joy in Willow Canyon

                                                                                                   

                                       
                                   

See Broken Bow Arch, Sunset Arch, and more photos by Dylan H Brown:

DH Brown Photo Blog

Scenic Byway 12 Escalante Utah

The drive on Scenic Byway 12 is worth the trip to Escalante, Utah alone. Experience 124 miles of diverse, remote, and wildly sculptured landscape you'll ever find in the world.

 
 See why Scenic Highway 12 was voted #2 as the most beautiful highway in the world:
                                                  Most Beautiful Highway

Better yet, explore the red rock country, hoodoos, high alpine forests and open sagebrush flats on your road bike. Whatever your transportation mode, Byway 12 will add to your spectacular Southern Utah journey.

Escalante Canyon Utah Sounds of Spring

We spent two nights, March 15 & 16, backpacking 15 miles down the Escalante Canyon, Utah. The birds called, we navigated over thick ice banks along Escalante's river banks and caught some warm rays and few rain showers. Escalante Partners Program, piled downed Russian Olive trees in clumps (on land) for easy traveling through the Canyon. Great camping at the confluence of Dead Hollow creek, where we pumped sediment-free water. Large fish darted up and down Dead Hollow creek. The second night we camped at Sand Creek where a clean spring gave us our drinking water, no filtration needed. Cache ruins still sit near Escalante's Natural Bridge. 

Listen to the sounds of Escalante Canyon and watch the springtime changes.

                                 Escalante Canyon Sounds of Spring

Finding Boulder Creek Utah

Good map, relatively narrow canyon, & confidence was what we needed to find Boulder Creek via Escalante Canyon. Not really. Supportive water shoes are essential, especially when quicksand sucks your shoes off.

The first mile & half down from the confluence of Calf Creek & Escalante River ("The Bridge") the path was easy to follow until the turn-off to Phipps Canyon. We carved arrows in the sand to steer our way back. Then the trails became thready and vague. Chutes in the steep banks plunged us over and over into Escalante silty river as we tried to find the "camping" area at mile 5 from the Bridge.

We camped at who-knows-where and still were determined to find Boulder Creek the following day. After more bush-whacking and butt-sliding into the River, we noticed we were in clear, clean water. We wove our way into Boulder Creek! We tanked up with our water filters.

Steep stained walls curled tightly around Boulder Creek, forcing us to walk in the water between black spewed Volcanic rock. We were shocked to encounter two other hikers coming from Haymaker bench wading down Boulder Creek and hiking back up from further down Escalante River. Their 6 hour loop trek was a lot shorter than our 3 day tour to finding Boulder Creek.

We thought we could put-us-on-the-map on the way back to the Bridge but we never found those arrows in the sand. Instead, we found our next trek: a dry wash canyon where Bowington Arch resides. We'll find it.

Sounds of Escalante Canyons Art Festival 2010

It was double-duty volunteering and filming the Escalante Canyons Art Festival this year. During the week of the Plein Air Competition, artists were sprinkled through-out Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument with their easels and brushes, capturing their visions onto canvas.

The last two days of the festival, energetic & lively music was heard in town as the tensions mounted for the outdoor paintings being auctioned off. Pertinent speakers gave food-for-thought as they orated historical views or futuristic probabilities regarding the Colorado Plateau.

Hear for yourself the excitement of the varied sounds during Escalante Canyons Art Festival and see the diverse award winners & sold paintings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YqY3Gxxb3c

C.O.Y.O.T.E.

Each letter of Coyote describes our week-end backpacking trip in Coyote Canyon.
C: Calm, no winds. We watched leaves fall to the ground and marveled at the warm weather.
O: Otherworldlyness - utopia may be a better word, where clean water spouts from walls and arches & alcoves are prolific.
Y: Yellow was the color reflecting in Coyote stream from huge fan-like yellow cottonwood leaves that also blanketed our path.
O: Outrageous monolithic rocks we hiked around with outrageous views of Coyote Canyon.
T: Travel time to trailhead from Escalante, 1 hour. Ricki's new big tires helped with the washboard roads.
E: Easy-going conversations and fun games at night (Farkle and Cribbage).
Coyote Canyon is the quintessential canyon in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Come hike it.