Hole in the Rock Road Escalante USA
From Excalante we start a trip along the Hole in the Rock Road. In the evening we check into the Best Western in Bryce.
Sprache wechseln zu: Deutsch
Devils Garden on Hole in the Rock Road
04/2014 In the morning we have breakfast at a small shop in Escalante, Escalante Outfitters. In addition to outdoor things, there is also a small, cozy cafe here. We then head east out of Escalante on Highway 12. On the outskirts of town we stop briefly at the Hole in the Rock Road Heritage. A small, privately funded Mormon museum about the first settlers who reached and traveled through this area. The pioneers were primarily devout Christians who followed a call from the church. Then we drive the "Hole in the Rock Road", an unpaved gravel road, a few kilometers in our car. First we reach Devils Garden after about twelve miles.
Offroad to Dry Fork
A small area on which there are quite clock-shaped stone formations. We take an extensive photo tour through the labyrinth of scattered cairns. Then we drive another twelve miles over a bumpy gravel and sand road to a junction marked "Dry Fork" on the side of the road. We can continue driving for about half a mile, then the road becomes so bad that we, like others, don't dare to drive any further. We leave the car about a mile from the trailhead and walk through the scorching heat. The trail is hardly developed. Fortunately, we can follow other people's footprints in the sand. Every now and then, stone pyramids stacked on top of each other make orientation easier.
Slot canyons in the middle of nowhere
Otherwise you are almost on your own here, as there are only a few hikers on the trail. It is definitely advisable to take enough water and, ideally, a GPS device with you. There are three slot canyons to see. First we go into Dry Fork Canyon. This is easy to walk on and has some very nice places to take some great pictures. Then we try our luck at the Peek a Boo Slot Canyon. Since there is an insurmountable pool of water at the entrance and you can only climb up the wall behind it with a rope, we look for the way into the canyon from the other end. We find the entrance, but there are muddy places here too and we decide to turn around to find the third canyon, Spooky Gulch.
via the gravel road to Bryce Canyon
We hike along the dry riverbed for a few hundred meters before we come across a small marked trail. At the end of the path we reach another very sandy river bed and can already see the entrance to Spooky Gulch. This canyon is partly so narrow that I decide to put my backpack down in a suitable place and move on with only my photo and tripod. The narrowness of the canyon creates great photo opportunities and great impressions. Then it's all the arduous route back. This time steeply uphill to the actual parking lot and further to our car. Then drive the 24 miles on the gravel road back to the highway and continue towards Bryce Canyon. The scenery along Highway 12 is gorgeous. TIP: To really enjoy the landscape, you should drive from Escalante to Bryce Canyon in the morning, otherwise you will always have the sun from the front. You should also make sure your windows are clean at a gas station in Escalante. If you drive from Bryce Canyon towards Escalante, it is best to do so in the evening.
Total government shutdown
In the evening we arrive at our hotel at Bryce Canyon at around 6:00 p.m. We check into the Best Western Hotel. The room is one of the best on our trip. We have dinner at Rubys, the oldest business here at the canyon. However, today's dimensions no longer have anything to do with the small, tranquil company of back then. Entire bus convoys of tourists are transported through here. Since the government shutdown has been in effect since today and all parks are closing, there is a lot of excitement among the tour groups. We also have to replan our trip because the planned stays in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park are now no longer possible.
Follow us on social media
