Hole in the Rock from Escalante 2014

[moab_cj5]

Not having been out to Hole in the Rock for over 10 years, I decided this year was the right time to do both sides of the Hole in the Rock. I finally have a rig I feel comfortable taking into remote areas, and I know a few people that want to do this crazy stuff with me: My Brother in law with his 3 boys and his dad, my dad, and my oldest son.

For the first trip, we decided to do the Escalante side, or road side, in April. I loaded up the Jeep, filled up the Rotopax I bought that morning (I LOVE their setup), and waited for my Brother in Law to get off work so we could hit the road.

We left Davis County around 6 pm with the desire to get to Boulder to camp so we could get some hikes in on Wednesday while we waited for my dad to get down south. We made it just to the other side of Boulder on Tuesday night, and setup camp by the light of the full moon. We camped off the Hells Backbone road near the Boulder Mail Trail trailhead (just to the south of the Boulder Air Strip). I was surprised to see 3-4 other vehicles parked there, with at least one other group camping.

After a shorter night than my body wanted, I was up around 7 am to enjoy the views.

In an effort to pack light, my son and I ate humble meals, like oatmeal and cold cereal for breakfast. Not wanting to spend the money (and give up the space) for a fridge, I bought a new Coleman cooler at Wal-Mart for $40 that is supposed to keep ice for 5 days. The first test was how long it would keep my milk cold for cereal, and ice in the cooler. Day 1 was a success LOL! Meanwhile, my BIL broke out the grill with eggs and other goodies. I was a little jealous, but was on a mission to pack light (I kept telling myself) and enjoyed my Cheerios. I won't describe what they ate for the trip as it was much tastier than what my son and I ate...

We broke camp and headed down the McGrath Point trail to see what was at the end. We were rewarded with awesome vistas of the canyons below us. We looked to the East and found the canyon we would be hiking in to get to Upper and Lower Calf Creek Falls.

(Looking W toward Slickrock Saddle Bench)

(Looking SE toward Calf Creek and the canyons off the Hogback)

(Looking E / NE toward Upper Calf Creek)

After taking tons of pictures, we headed back to the Highway to make our way towards
Escalante.

 

[moab_cj5]

We stopped (eventually) at the trailhead for Upper Calf Creek Falls. I say eventually because I was looking for a sign for the trailhead, a sign that does not exist. You have to know what you are looking for to find the trailhead. I passed it twice before getting it right.

We loaded up the packs, grabbed the camera's, and departed down the 1.5ish mile trail. Going down, I kept thinking how beautiful the area was, but how hard it was going to be to ascend the trail we were descending. I wouldn't say I am out of shape, especially since round is a shape, but I am certainly not fit... The only detractor from enjoying the descent was the knowledge that we would have to ascend it shortly.

(Looking down from near the top of the Upper Calf Creek Falls trail)

(Looking back up the steepest part of the hike)

The views were amazing. We could see the plateau in the distance that we had driven down a while before, and the canyon that Calf Creek had created over the eons of time.

(Looking across to the bench we had previously been on)

(Looking S down the canyon toward Lower Calf Creek Falls)

When the trail leveled off a bit, we rounded a corner and saw a cave and the top of the falls.

We hiked to the bottom of the falls first, and were greeted by the lush greenery you find surrounding water in the desert. It was awesome to stand at the bottom and hear the water fall and feel the mist.

 

[moab_cj5]

After a few moments, we headed up to the top of the falls. I wish we had more time to hike up stream a little and explore where the water flows in from. The wash was inviting, but time and the look of the clouds in the sky were not.

(Wild flowers along the path)

(Approaching the top of the falls)

(The falls from above)

(Looking up stream to the North)

(Group shot of those that made the trek down)

We snagged some more pictures and then began the climb back to the vehicles. The hike is listed as moderate, and that is a true description for fat guys like me, but it really wasn't THAT bad. It was a steep climb up, but manageable by taking ones time.

(I loved this tree growing on the cliff)

At the top, we grabbed some lunch, (minimalists, me and my son ate jerky, fruit snacks, and nuts) and then headed to Lower Calf Creek Falls trailhead.

(The view from the Hogsback of the canyon created by Calf Creek)

 

[moab_cj5]

Again, we loaded up water, camera's and snacks, and headed out on the "Easy" 3 mile hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls. The elevation change from start to finish isn't terrible, hence the "Easy" trail rating, but the distance, accompanied by sand for a good portion of the trail, made this hike as hard on me as the Upper Calf Creek Falls hike. It was a great day, not too hot, not too much sun, and just enough work to make me sweat like a stuck pig.

The scenery on the trail for the lower falls is very different from the upper falls, and in many ways more intriguing. Instead of hiking from the top down at the upper falls, the lower falls trail goes up the wash to the
falls.

We grabbed a paper guide at the trailhead, and stopped at the numbered posts along the trail to see what they wanted us to see.

(Cool rocks just beyond the trailhead)

(The view along the trail)

The ruins and painting on the rock were my favorite areas to stop and take in the surroundings, besides the waterfall.

(Ruins from seen from the trail)

(Views along the trail)

(This looks like a birds head carved into the stone)

When we got to the lower falls, we rested for a time, and took some pictures and video.

(Group shot of those that finished the hike)

After a while, we headed back to the vehicles to try and get into camp before the sun went down. We got back to the trucks and headed into Escalante to top off the tanks, and hit the grocery store for some items I forgot, or couldn't live without (Cheese for the brats that night). Be warned, the grocery store (and almost everything else in town) closes at 7 pm. We were fortunate that the door wasn't locked, and the store owner allowed us to run in and grab some bananas, cheese, and hot chocolate.

After a quick call to see where my dad was at on his trip down, we headed out the Hole in the Rock road to look for a place to camp. A few miles down the road, we found a spot that looked good enough and staked our claim. A little while later, my dad showed up and we had the whole group together. We cooked our dinner and chatted around the fire while the kids played. I was amazed at how much energy the kids still had after all the hiking we forced them to do that day. The adults we pretty beat, so we called it a night before 11.

 

[moab_cj5]

We awoke on Thursday morning with the plan to hit as many of the side roads heading West that we could fit in before calling it a day, and get to a spot my dad and I camped in over a decade before, my last trip to the Hole. A fresh banana made my cereal taste better that morning, and the Hot Chocolate warmed my son up after what would be the coldest night of the trip.

We broke camp, loaded up the vehicles, aired down the tires on all 3 rigs, left my dad's Explorer (what he used to pull his 54 Willy's CJ3B down with), and headed out. Not a mile down the road we headed up Cedar Wash Road in search of Cedar Wash Arch, and Covered Wagon Natural Bridge. We took a couple of spur roads to the south, and found this part of Cedar Wash.

We hiked around a bit, took some pictures, and then headed back on our quest. Unknowingly, we drove past the trailhead to Cedar Wash Arch and came to the bend in the road for Cover Wagon Bridge. After exploring a few minutes, my son yelled back that he had located the bridge, so we all hiked down to find it. What a cool place! It is only a couple hundred yards from the road, but well worth the time to find it and explore a bit.

We walked up the wash a short distance through a bit of a tunnel (it is really just an alcove cut into the rock by the water, closed off by rock and sediment on one side) and then climbed back to the top.

After a few more pictures, we headed back to the vehicles to resume the search for Cedar Wash Arch.

 

[moab_cj5]

After consulting the maps and the surroundings, we finally found the trailhead to Cedar Wash Arch. It is about a quarter mile to the viewing area, and well worth the short hike. The views of Cedar Wash are really cool.

We explored a bit, took tons of pictures, and then headed back to the vehicles for a quick bite for lunch.

After more jerky, nuts, and fruit snacks, we headed out for Devils Garden.

When we arrived, there was only 1 other truck there. We spent about an hour looking around and climbing on the hoodoos, then decided to push on down the road.

As we were about to leave, several more groups showed up, and the noise level went way up from the scout troop that was down for the weekend.

 

[moab_cj5]

Deciding we were short on time, we bypassed some of the spurs heading West, and pushed on to get to the Batty Pass Caves road. On my map, it shows a Jeep trail at the end of the road. Knowing there wasn't anything too challenging on the HITR route, I wanted to explore the road and see what would designate this a Jeep trail on the map.

The trail was a bit rocky, and fairly narrow for my wide JK on 13.5 in wide tires, but nothing terribly difficult or scary. That is until we got to a point where the road had washed out. The problem was that the side hill had slid onto the road, and there was a 2 foot trench on down the left hand side of the road. If you slid into the trench, you would be on your side in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the road, but we do have some Go Pro video I will post after editing.

We took a few minutes to assess the situation, and pick the most logical line through. We moved a couple of rocks around, then I went first. My first attempt, I went a little too close to the trench at my left, and I felt the front end slide toward the trench. I backed up and thought briefly about trying to straddle the trench, then realized I would likely roll trying to get the front end through. I locked in my lockers and tried again, this time hugging the side hill with the pass side. I crawled through, and once on the other side, relaxed and pulled the seat from my butt. I know it always feels worse that it looks, but I REALLY hate the feeling of going over sideways. What made it a little worse for me at that point was realizing I had to go back the same way! I wasn't very excited about that prospect.

My BIL was next to try. As he rolled up in his LC, his front end started sliding toward the ditch at a worse rate than mine did. We grabbed my shovel and decided to try and dig down the high side so it wouldn't pitch and push you so hard toward the trench. After what seemed to be about 20-30 minutes of digging, he attempted it again. After a little more digging, flattening, and more momentum, he made it through. My dad was next in his Willys. I don't think he slid at all! Something to be said for a short, narrow, light rig.

Once through the toughest driving spot of the whole trip, we proceeded to push on to find the end of the road. About 3+ miles after my map said the road ended, we reached the end of the road, high on the bench. The views were awesome!

We took some pictures, walked around a bit, and decided to head back to explore the caves.

When we jumped in the vehicles to head out, my Dad's Willy's decided it didn't want to start. The starter motor was shot. With a lot of effort, we pushed him up hill a few feet and let him roll start it. Thank goodness in 54 they were using manual transmissions! With everybody running again, we headed down the trail.

(Where the Willys wouldn't start)

The return across the washed out road was uneventful, and had less pucker factor for me since we had done all the digging before. After getting back to the more tame road, I stopped to wait for the rest of the group. After not seeing them for several minutes, and not being able to get them on the radio, I turned around to
go back and find them. About a mile back up the road I found them. The electric fuel pump on the Willys had given up the ghost. Out came the strap. My BIL pulled my dad down the trail to Batty Pass Caves.

We stopped to look around for a few minutes and guess as to the origin and purpose of the caves.

We took a few pictures and then checked out an old shot up car. Not sure the story behind this either, but I am sure it is as interesting as the caves!

(View of the road we came down from the caves)

We formulated a plan for the Willys, and then headed off to the main road. I am surprised my Dad didn't suffer a whiplash injury with as jerky as the ride in the Willys ended up being, being towed through a wash or two, and down a dusty, bumpy road.

Once back to the main road, my dad jumped in with me and we raced back to get his Explorer we had left 20 miles up the road at our camp spot. Towing the Willys out with the towbar was the preferred method, no one
would have to be in it, and it would be a lot faster, so it was decided the Explorer was the way to go. A little less than an hour later, we were back at the vehicles and deciding where to camp. It was getting late, and there was a desire to not setup camp in the dark (yea, like that was going to happen). We pushed south, hoping beyond hope we could camp in our desired location, without really knowing how far down the road it was, or if we would even be able to remember the exact location.

We flew through Carcass Wash, and paused for a moment of silence in remembrance of the scouts and leaders that died there many decades ago, and then pressed on. I was looking for something familiar to trigger my memory to the awesome camp spot all those years ago. As we rounded the corner above Sooner Wash, there it was! The camp spot I remembered was there, but it was full of scouts. The scouts we had seen at Devils Garden had passed us while we were exploring the Batty Pass Caves and road and had snagged our desired spot. Plan B, anywhere else we could get the Explorer / Willys train into without having to back out, or be too challenging to get into. Down the road we went.

I was in the lead, and could cover ground pretty fast with 37's at 15 PSI and a soft suspension. I would see a spur and take off down a little ways, looking for anywhere we could camp than met our needs. Finally, I looked at the map and thought we might be able to make it to Fifty Mile Spring. The road was getting more rough, the light was already gone, and we were a little ways from Fifty Mile Spring when I saw a meadow on the East side of the road at Soda Spring. I pulled off and checked out the area quickly (without getting out of the Jeep), and it seemed to fit the bill. I went back to the road and waited a short time for my BIL to arrive. He went down and assessed the situation while I waited a little longer for my dad to show up. We went down,
and upon further examination found the meadow to be adequate, but a cow toilet. There were cow patties EVERYWHERE! Thankfully, they were dry, but definitely not the most appealing place to camp. It was late, we were tired, and it fit the bill, so we said why not and setup camp. Then we found we couldn't drive tent stakes. There was MAYBE 3 inches of dirt on top of solid rock. There was no hope of getting stakes in the ground, so we were thankful there was no wind that night.

We setup camp and started a fire. It was great to sit around in the dark and enjoy the sounds of frogs, the cooling air, and the stars. We all thought it was odd the moon wasn't out as we remembered it being full the nights before, but then we saw the moon rising to the south east. What a cool site, watching the moon rise and light up the night.

After burning a bag of clothes that were packed by accident (they were supposed to go to the DI, but ended up in my BIL's rig) and our allotted firewood, we turned in for the night.

 

[moab_cj5]

We woke up to a BEAUTIFUL morning! The sky was a deep blue, the scenery was amazing, and the temperature was just right!

We ate our Oatmeal and Cold cereal, broke camp, and threw a ton of stuff into the Explorer to make room for my Dad in my Jeep with me and my son. The plan for the morning was to head to the HITR, hike it, then explore the roads in the area, picking up the Explorer and Willys when we passed them again.

After driving an extra 40+ miles the day before (running my dad back to get his Explorer, then back to the group), and in an effort to lighten the load on the back of my Jeep in anticipation of a rough road ahead, I emptied my 6 gallons of gas from my Rotopax into the Jeep.

Here is a shameless plug for Rotopax. The setup is AWESOME! The tanks don't leak, they are super easy to empty in to the rig, and the storage is secure and easy to use. It was money well spent in my opinion.

We cruised down the road, stopping at Fifty Mile Spring to find a better camp spot, but already occupied (thank goodness we stopped where we did).

(Fifty Mile Spring)

After annoying the campers at Fifty Mile Spring, we pushed on toward the Hole.

(Fifty Mile Point)

We stopped at the marker for Hole in the Rock Arch.

We spent several minutes looking around for the arch before someone looked high up on Fifty Mile Bench and spotted it. It is a LONG way from the marker for it!

Looking back up the road we saw a large convoy of vehicles headed our way. Knowing it was the scouts we had seen the previous day, we opted to head for the Hole and get out ahead of them.

The road was nothing like my dad and I remembered from so many years ago. It sure looks like they have brought in dirt and a heavy CAT and smoothed out the road quite a bit. There is little to no slick rock portions, and there is really no need for a high clearance vehicle to make it all the way out. I was pretty disappointed.

After reaching the Hole, we loaded up the packs with water and cameras, and headed to the bottom. I really don't remember the hike being that hard! Going down was worse than going up! I am not sure you can even call it a hike anymore, it is more like bouldering.

There are quite a few more boulders in the slot than I ever remembered, and it was tough on the group to get down. More than half of our group gave up about 2/3rds of the way down, knowing they had to climb back up everything they had come down. My son, my 9 year old nephew, and I soldiered on to the bottom.

Once at the bottom, we enjoyed the views, drank tons of water and Gatorade, had a light snack, and skipped some rocks.

 

[moab_cj5]

After a few minutes, we decided to make our way back up.

About the time we got to the High Water mark, we ran into my dad who had wandered around on top while we descended the Hole. He decided not to go all the way to the bottom and headed back up with us. As we climbed, we waited for another gentleman that had descended about the same time we did, who appeared to be struggling a little with the climb. Just before we entered the narrowest part of the slot, the scout group caught up and came funneling out of the canyon. With the amount of noise, energy, and rocks that came pouring out of the canyon, I am glad that is where we crossed paths.

About 50 yards from the top, at the biggest wall obstacle of the hike, we caught up to the rest of our group. After helping everyone up the wall, we scurried to the top to rest for a while.

At the top, someone realized that we had cell phone coverage right there, so just about all the adults broke out their phone to call home and check email briefly. I took the chance to text an RMEer that missed out on the trip, and answer a PM from another.

Feeling somewhat rested, we headed back out the road. We ran a few spur roads near the marker for HITR Arch, and then cruised up to get the Explorer. We picked that up and headed North up the road.

(Cool camping spot near the marker for HITR Arch)

(Cave Point)

After passing Cave Point, we pulled off onto an interesting spur road to see where it went.

With my dad riding with me, the trail proved to be really fun! A little ways up the trail we found a really cool potential camp spot, and then pressed on a little further until the road dead ended at Cave Spring. We spent a few minutes exploring that area, and then turned around, back to the main road.

 

[moab_cj5]

We cruised a little further up the road until we came to the Sooner Slide, and left the Explorer there while we went to explore Fifty Mile Bench.

I don't know the origin of the road, but I am grateful to whomever cut it. What a cool road! It was VERY steep, and a little rutted from someone climbing it while wet, but fun none the less. At the top, we headed back south to see how far the road went.

The trail was definitely a road less traveled by full size rigs, it was TIGHT! We got a little pin striping from the brush growing into the trail, but the view at the end was worth it.

Looking at the sky, we decided it would be best to get back down in case the sky let loose and drenched the road. It wasn't the type of road I wanted to be driving down when super slick. We took a few more pictures and headed out. My next trip down, I am going to complete the loop and come off the mountain at Willow Tank Slide, but since the Explorer was sitting at the bottom of Sooner Slide, we dropped down the way we went up. It was cool to see the views of the valley on the descent that I had missed on the ascent.

We grabbed the Explorer and headed out to Dance Hall Rock.

We hiked around, on, and behind Dance Hall Rock.

I found this really cool pit with water in it. No telling how deep it is, but once in, it would take a rope to get out.

Just to the south was an Oasis in the rock. I spotted the tree from the top of Dance Hall Rock, and was curious as to where it was growing from.

If I knew how to rappel, I would have gone down to look at the little area, but alas, I stayed comfortably away from the edge and took the best pictures I could.

With light fading, and the sky's threatening, we decided it was time to look for our next camp spot. Again, the desire was to not be setting up camp after dark. We looked south and saw Forty Mile Spring just below us, so we decided to check it out. It was interesting and cool, but tons of cow patties, and it was a little low if the rain came. We didn't really want to setup camp in a wash if it did rain on us, so we wanted something on higher ground. We continued north, checking a few spur roads, before coming across a meadow just south of Big Hollow Wash. The meadow wasn't the most desirable location, but it fit the bill for the Explorer/Willys train to turn around.

We setup camp and started heating water for our freeze dried meals. My dad, not wanting to camp in the rain, and being frustrated his Jeep broke, decided to take off and try to get home. He departed and we started a fire. Just before my dad left, he offered to empty his jerry cans into my Jeep, but thinking I had plenty of gas, I declined his offer. The next day, I ALMOST regretted the decision to forego the gas.

After dinner, sitting around the fire, thoughts and words turned spiritual as we thought and talked about the pioneers that had followed the call and made the road we were traveling. It was a great evening, and an uplifting "Fireside." As thoughts were winding down, my 11 yo nephew and my BIL heard something that sounded like a June Bug buzzing near their chairs. When my BIL shined his light down on the ground to see what was making the noise, he was shocked to see a little snake coiled up ready to strike!

We figure it was under a nearby rock and was attracted to the warmth of our fire. Heaven only knows how long the snake had been there, and I certainly thank God no one was bit, but I got up, grabbed my shovel, and after determining it was a rattle snake, regretfully killed it to keep our camp safe. I am not a snake fan, but understand they have a place and purpose in the desert. If I had been alone, I likely would have moved it out of camp with my shovel and let it live, but since we had kids with us, it wasn't worth the risk and he had to go.

After that little bit of excitement, the desire to sit around and enjoy the camp fire was less than enthusiastic, so we threw dirt on the fire and hit the sack. I am not sure it ever rained that night, but the wind howled most of the night, and snake nightmares filled the camp, so few got a good night's rest. With the storm rolling in, I hoped it would cool off that night, but it never did. I roasted all night having only brought a zero degree sleeping bag on the trip. I even used it more like a blanket, but still roasted all night long.

Everyone was timid about venturing off too far from camp for fear of meeting Mama snake and have her take revenge for the death of her little one, so each child that needed to take care of their bodily functions went with an adult escort with lots of lighting and a shovel.

 

[moab_cj5]

In the morning, we had our lovely breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate, broke camp, and came up with a plan for our last day.

With my BIL and I both running low on gas, we decided to hit a few spur roads, then head for home early afternoon. Looking at the map, we decided to backtrack to the south a little and head out to Chimney Rock. I am glad we did! What a cool place!

We stopped and looked around a bit, then headed to the end of the road.

After more pictures, we headed north, debating on whether or not we should hike Peak A Boo Gulch while we were there. With the clouds not cooperating, we blew past the Dry Fork trailhead, and buzzed north to the Coral at the Early Weed Bench turn off. Feeling the need to explore, and in need of some more adventure (that last qtr tank of gas went quick!), we turned up the road to get to the other end of Peak a Boo and Spooky, and see the views.

The road was pretty interesting, and washed out in a few spots, but fun and scenic none the less. At the top, we stopped to look down into Twenty-Five Mile Wash and across to Scorpion Flat. The views were AMAZING!

Further down the road, we came across a parked Nissan Pathfinder, the newer street utility version. I was amazed to see it there after driving the road. I guess I am more conservative than other people are with their
vehicles.

At the end of the road, I was able to spot both Spooky and Peak a Boo Gulches, but still didn't dare enter with the clouds looking dark and ominous. So, we snapped some more pics and headed back out.

About 3/4 of the way back to the main road, my fuel light came on. Knowing I had driven about 30 miles of highway with the light on without issue before, I thought I would be fine to make it back to Escalante (roughly 35 miles from where we were at the time) without running out of gas, so we pointed the rigs Northwest and were on our way.

We passed the scout troop again, but this time they were just wrapping up a repair on a trailer they had pulled down the road. They had broken an axle on a small utility trailer as they drug it down the washboard road, but by the time we arrived, they had jerry rigged a repair and were underway again.

At the end of the dirt road, we broke out the air hose and I aired up my Jeep and my BIL's Land Cruiser. I absolutely love my ARB dual compressor. I had his 33's from 20 to 40 psi, and my 37's from 15 to 33 psi in about 20 minutes total. It would have been MUCH longer with almost any other setup. I just need to add an air tank now to make it go that much faster.

With highway pressure in the tires, and tired, hungry occupants in the vehicles, we ran into Escalante to fuel up the rigs and the bodies for the long drive home. When the pump stopped filling my JK, it took 20.25 gallons. I believe I have a 20 gallon tank! I sure hope I don't have to see where empty is!

With a few snacks, and some gas for the road, my son and I headed out a head of my BIL who wanted to check out the HITR museum in Escalante. I wish I had stopped in there before heading home.

Wrapping up this novel of a trip report, I will certainly be back to the Escalante side of HITR again! There are SO many more roads to explore, canyons to hike, and things to see, it will likely take countless more trips before I could possibly get bored of the area.

In a mere 4 weeks, we are setting out to do the Halls Crossing side of HITR. I can't wait!

To those that have read all the way through, hopefully you found it worth your time! I am not blessed with the gift of gab through text, but hopefully I did it enough justice to give an idea of our trip, and remind me, and those in my party, what we did and how much fun we had.

Happy Exploring!

 

[simplyjeep]

Looks like a blast, thanks for the great report and pics!

 

[sixstringsteve]

now THAT is how you do hole in the rock. Nice!

 

[mbryson]

Good stuff! Great report

 

[Kevin B.]

Great report, thanks for the pics.

 

[sLcREX]

Awesome trip! Thanks for taking the time to write that all up! Very well detailed, sucks that I missed it!! But I'm glad I wasn't around the rattlesnake that night, glad everyone was safe though!

 

[moab_cj5]

Awesome trip! Thanks for taking the time to write that all up! Very well detailed, sucks that I missed it!! But I'm glad I wasn't around the rattlesnake that night, glad everyone was safe though!

It would have been fun to have you there. The snake was interesting, to say the least!

 

[LT.]

Another excellent trip report. Thank you for the time and effort that goes into a trip and report like this.

LT.

 

[Tonkaman]

Excellent write up and pictures! Thanks for sharing your memories with us