Escalante Canyon Utah, Lake Powell

The area around Escalante, Utah offers many hikes and canyons to explore. The possibilities are endless as this expansive area of the Colorado Plateau is home to the Peregrine Falcon, Anasazi dwellings and rock art, and deep sandstone canyons. Remote and rewarding the Escalante Canyon Area delights the hiker and sightseer alike.

Traveling along Highway 89 in Southern Utah, one of the most exciting stops of many offered in this virtual wonderland of geologic marvel is the Escalante area. Take Utah Highway 24 to Utah Highway 12 near Escalante. Once there it is best to ask directions to the numerous recreational sites. The vast variations of these sites range from slot canyons to springs and streams, but the most attractive feature may well be the layered rock of the red-colored Navajo sandstone canyons and shear cliffs.

Mysterious names like, Peekabo Gulch and Little Death Hollow add to the magnetic allurement of this expansive area. Slot canyons, following the ancient pathways of water, stand as one of the Escalante area's most beautiful features. These canyons composed of walls sometimes only meters apart, twist and turn creating convoluted chimneys leading to the vast, blue sky above. The colors blend with the shapes of the slot canyon to paint a picture unimaginable and breathtaking. Twenty-four miles from Utah Highway 12, Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch, narrows to less than two to three meters from wall to wall. In contrast, at times, the gulch widens into valleys of native shrubbery and towering Navajo sandstone cliffs, and even pebble beaches. The hike through this slot canyon takes about twenty minutes and ends with a shallow climb to the surface. Be sure to get directions from the locals, and find the unmatched pleasure of hiking and exploring the Escalante Canyons area near Escalante, Utah.