Exploring Escalante and beyond!

[Greg]

My wife and I had a chance for a 3 day weekend with Presidents Day and since it was also Valentines Day on Sunday we decided to make a fun, just-the-2-of-us trip. Rather than camp like we'd normally do, we opted for a hotel with a comfy bed and hot shower. We headed to Escalante, Utah early on Friday morning, stopping in Hanksville to check out the Wolverton Mill at the BLM office. We made the drive thru Torrey, over the 9,500' pass on Highway 12 into Boulder and turned off at the Lower Calf Creek Falls parking lot to start our hiking. This hike is easy, but over 6 miles round trip... I feel like we should have stretched, as we were pretty sore on the way back.

The weather was perfect, mid to high 50's and plenty of sun! It was a bit chilly in the shade with all the snow and even more so at the waterfall itself! There was a pretty good wind coming off the Falls and there was a lot of mist in the air, making it the coldest part of the hike. I was wishing I had brought my jacket along at that point!

 

[Greg]

The 2nd day took us down the Hole in the Rock Road 26 miles, to the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch and a few slot canyons; the Dry Fork Narrows, Spooky and Peak-a-boo. Getting to them required descending some steep, treacherous snow & ice covered slickrock. We decided to pass on Brimstone, as it's very technical and has some places with only 8" gaps!! The slot canyons were the highlight of the trip for me! The trail directions we used recommended going up Spooky first, as to avoid climbing the 25' entrance into Peak-a-boo. This also meant we had to scramble up 2, near vertical 10' climbs. It wasn't too hard for me being a lanky 6' 4" tall, but my shorter wife had some challenges. There were many places in Spooky that we had to turn sideways, side-step and still scrape ourselves against the rock as we passed by! Peak-a-boo had some neat arches and holes to crawl thru, then eventually the 25' drop at the exit. Both those were a blast! The Dry Fork Narrows were a bit of a letdown after the first 2! I believe we did 4 miles on Sunday, but even that short hike it was a workout!

 

[Greg]

The 3rd day we decided to take a break from hiking and spend some time in the Jeep... we decided to drive the Hole in the Rock Road down to the end, which is 62 miles one way! We lowered the tire pressure to 23 PSI for a better ride and hit the dirt, covering ground quickly. We stopped at Dance Hall Rock, where the Mormon pioneers threw a 1 1/2 month long party!

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to the end and the result was worth it! I've been on the Hole in the Rock Trail on the other side, so it was nice to tie both sides together finally! Seeing this gap and decent down to the lake below makes one really respect the massive effort they put in!

I hiked down about 1/3 of the way and it was crazy-steep, I can't imagine what it looked like when the Mormon pioneers dropped their 26 wagons down!

After awhile, we headed North, then into town for air, gas and fuel then headed home!

 

[Caleb]

That's cool, looks like a killer trip. Years ago (like MANY years ago) we "hiked", more like climbed, from the lake up to the monument at HITR. It gave me a huge respect for the pioneers getting wagons through that.

 

[Greg]

That's cool, looks like a killer trip. Years ago (like MANY years ago) we "hiked", more like climbed, from the lake up to the monument at HITR. It gave me a huge respect for the pioneers getting wagons through that.

It was fun, nice to spend a few days exploring down there! I feel like we just scratched the surface, now that I know a little I plan to go back a few more times! I would LOVE to get in good enough shape to hike to Coyote Gulch!

I bet that elevation gain from the lake to the monument was a killer, that's some massive gain!

 

[Gravy]

I've done that too. In full pioneer garb. In the summer. Bad idea is an understatement.



So cool of trip and photos Greg! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Greg]

I've done that too. In full pioneer garb. In the summer. Bad idea is an understatement.

So cool of trip and photos Greg! Thanks for sharing.

Crazy, Stratton!

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Hickey]

Crazy cool pics! Thanks for sharing. I'll have to hit that up one day.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Cool. Those are some of my favorite slots. Did you hike down to the lake? It's a pretty fun, quick hike that really makes you appreciate what those guys did... IN WAGONS! Great TR.

 

[Tonkaman]

Wow Greg great photos! Thanks for the report. I've been looking into going to those same areas this year, is there anything you wish you had done while you were there?

 

[Rot Box]

Awesome

 

[Greg]

Crazy cool pics! Thanks for sharing. I'll have to hit that up one day.

Highly recommended! You should take Lory, it's easy driving and if she's game for the slots they're amazing!

Cool. Those are some of my favorite slots. Did you hike down to the lake? It's a pretty fun, quick hike that really makes you appreciate what those guys did... IN WAGONS! Great TR.

I hiked about 1/3 of the way down, we were headed home that same day and I didn't want to spend all day there. On top of that, our legs were killing us after 10 miles of hiking the previous days.

Wow Greg great photos! Thanks for the report. I've been looking into going to those same areas this year, is there anything you wish you had done while you were there?

We tried to drive Left Hand Collett and it was a muddy mess, only made it less than a mile before turning back. I want to go back in the Jeep (or on the KTM) and head down that way camping. There is so much land out there and it's so remote.... I'm going to need a few trips just to get the lay of the land figured out! I also want to take 2-3 days and backpack into Coyote Gulch, that looks pretty epic!

Awesome

 

[mesha]

I love that area. Nice write up!

Your trip reports always make me wish I took pictures.

 

[mbryson]

Wow, just showed that to my wife and she thought she might actually be up for that trip? (the world will end soon)

 

[RogueJeepr]

The falls is a great hike. That black&white pic is awesome.
I have yet to hike a slot canyon. Hopefully this year I can.

 

[johngottfredson]

Thanks for sharing, Greg. Amazing pics, neat to see you enjoying some beautiful country while we man the cubicles. And yeah, the hole in the rock pioneers were pretty epic - the ORIGINAL Rocky Mountain Extreme off-roaders!!!

 

[Greg]

I love that area. Nice write up!

Your trip reports always make me wish I took pictures.

You go some amazing trips Davy, I wish you took pictures too!

Wow, just showed that to my wife and she thought she might actually be up for that trip? (the world will end soon)

You should do it, it's far from a rock crawling trip and the scenery down there is unmatched. I bet she'd love it!

The falls is a great hike. That black&white pic is awesome.
I have yet to hike a slot canyon. Hopefully this year I can.

Thanks, I was way impressed with the black & white pic! A co-worker saw it and suggested a canvas print... we'll see.

I did those hikes with a sleeping 2 year old on my back. I felt it by the day's end! It was about the same weather, too.

Fun area. I would like to go to the end of the road and check out the HITR, too. Didn't happen the times I was there.

Whoa! The slot canyons, too? The HITR road is LONG... especially the drive back. We made pretty good time heading back, about 1.5 hrs with no stops.

Thanks for sharing, Greg. Amazing pics, neat to see you enjoying some beautiful country while we man the cubicles. And yeah, the hole in the rock pioneers were pretty epic - the ORIGINAL Rocky Mountain Extreme off-roaders!!!

Thanks John! And yeah, the HITR group defined extreme 4x4 travel!

 

[Houndoc]

Fun area. Tried Spooky a few years ago- my claustrophobia kicked when when walking sidesways with front and back touching cliff walls. Forced my retreat! Kids and wife showed me up and finished.

Peek-a-boo was flooded, but looks like could be worth doing despite myself.

 

[DevinB]

We stopped at Dance Hall Rock, where the Mormon pioneers threw a 1 1/2 month long party!

If there's one thing the mormons do well, it's throwing awesome parties, amirite?! Right? Guys? Hello?

 

[Houndoc]

If there's one thing the mormons do well, it's throwing awesome parties, amirite?! Right? Guys? Hello?

Of course we know how to do things right!