Hole in the Rock Road is an unpaved, bumpy, washboard road. That being said, many of the most popular hikes and attractions on Hole in the Rock Road are located toward the beginning of the road, within roughly an hour of Escalante. The start of Hole in the Rock Road is located less than 10 minutes from Escalante, Utah, about an hour from Bryce Canyon National Park, and 35 minutes from Boulder, Utah.įrom start to finish, the full road can take more than 2.5 hours to drive (one-way), although the exact driving time varies a lot depending on the type of vehicle you drive and your comfort level with off-road driving. In the section below, we’ll cover all the details you need to know about driving on Hole in the Rock Road to help you prepare for your trip. Pack out what you pack in, stay on trail, be well-prepared, leave nothing behind, take only photos and memories with you, treat the area with respect and help preserve this beautiful spot for generations to come. Grand Staircase Escalante is a remote and rugged place. Never set out on a hike in the desert without extra food and water, and avoid hiking midday during the summer.Research trails ahead of time and don’t attempt any hike that outside your skill level. Carrying a GPS device, like a Garmin In-Reach Mini, is a good idea to be able to call for help in case of a serious emergency. Make sure you are prepared to change a tire, carry extra water and food, and have a means of navigation without cell service. Be prepared! There are no services on Hole in the Rock Road and many of the trailheads around Escalante are in remote areas down dirt roads with no cell service.Use waste disposal bags to carry out any human waste.Do not take anything with you that you didn’t bring. Pack out what you pack in – do not leave behind trash.Walk through loose sand, previously disturbed land, or across slick rock where ever possible. When there is no defined trail, avoid trampling the crypotbiotic soil (that layer of black or white crust over the sand and dirt). Do not carve or vandalize any of the rock or plant life.Here are a few important things to keep in mind: You’ve almost surely heard or read about “ Leave no trace“, but it’s especially important in this remote area, as services are limited, the ecosystem is particularly fragile, and there are often no defined trails. Be respectful to this beautiful place!īefore we get into it, we wanted to start with a word about preserving the incredible landscapes found in Grand Staircase Escalante. With tons of amazing hikes, from narrow slot canyons to sandstone arches and even massive waterfalls, there is so much to do in Grand Staircase! Many of the best hikes in Grand Staircase are located off Hole in the Rock Road, making it a great base for exploring the area. While more and more people flock to Utah’s Big 5 National Parks (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef), we have found Grand Staircase to be significantly less crowded and just as scenice, if not more so, than any of the national parks.Īs one of the last places in the US to be mapped, it truly is a wild, Western experience! Grand Staircase Escalante is rugged, remote, and insanely beautiful. Grand Staircase Escalante is one of the largest areas of protected land in the United States, encompassing nearly 2 million acres in southern Utah. The majority of Hole in the Rock Road is located in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, with the exception of the last 5 miles which leads into Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Today, if you drive to the end of the road, you can still see (and hike through) the very same “hole in the rock” that held up the Mormon expedition! Grand Staircase Escalante The expedition continued until it reached the San Juan River and eventually established a settlement that is now known as Bluff, Utah. To reach their destination, the group decided to take a supposed short-cut, but ended up stuck at “Hole-in-the-Rock”, a narrow crack in the canyon wall just west of Lake Powell.Ī trip that was expected to take 6 weeks ended up taking 6 months, as the group slow chipped away at the hole, until widening the opening enough to pass through with their carriages and supplies. The expedition consisted of 250 women, women, and children who set off from Salt Lake City and headed east towards the Colorado River. Hole in the Rock Road follows the general path of the San Juan Expedition of 1879, organized by the Morman church to secure a site for settlement in the area east of the Colorado River.
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