AUGUST 2021
Escalante
Where: southwestern Utah
Directions: Scenic Byway Route 12
Why so good:
IT’S NOT A NATIONAL PARK.
Utah is a revered outdoors destination on the strength of its “Mighty 5” National Parks - Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion - that attract millions of visitors each year. Of course your dog can see these parks only from the car window or the parking lot or an overlook. Not exactly “mighty” for dog lovers. So what can you get at Escalante that makes it a dream destination?
THE WATERFALLS.
Just north of town is the Calf Creek where a delightful three-mile hike halts at the foot of Lower Calf Creek Falls - a desert oasis that could have come straight from a Hollywood western. A crystal clear perennial stream spills 126 feet down the mineral-streaked cliff walls. The footpath is sandy under paw and the going can be slow but you won’t be in a hurry as you soak in the desert-varnished Navajo sandstone cliffs framing the open canyon. Oxidized iron and manganese paint the rocks black and orange and yellow. The mostly level track climbs into the rocks for a spell, working around the marshy areas of Calf Creek. As the canyon begins to narrow and the gambel oaks and boxelder thicken shade is introduced to the canine hike. When Mormon tea takes over the streambed you are getting close. And the reward is an unforgettable photo-op for you and a refreshing doggie dip for your dog. This is a popular hike so try and get an early start. If you want to give the crowds the slip there is an Upper Calf Creek Falls as well. It requires a short and sporty hike from Route 12 down to the 88-foot upper falls with its own doggie swimming hole.
THE PLAYGROUND.
Utah is America’s Canyon Country peppered - seemingly randomly - with pockets of crazy geological formations that demand to be explored. Some are turned into national parks (Bryce) and others state parks (Goblin Valley). The best for dog owners are the smaller obscure ones far from the casual crowds. Just open you car door and watch your trail dog race into the crazy rock formations. Devil’s Garden is such a place. It is off the beaten path, but not too far (12.3 miles from UT 12). It requires a trip down the notorious Hole-in-the-Rock Road but is passable by two-wheel vehicles to this point. And it delivers the multi-chromatic hoodoos, rock domes, and natural bridges all found in Utah’s famous national parks, only in miniature. Devil’s Garden has received a federal designation as an American Outstanding Natural Area. There are no formal trails across the Navajo sandstone slickrock but there are many faded footpaths to try. Explore the “garden” while keeping on the lookout for two signature arches, the delicate Metate Arch and the slab-like ManoArch. Continue poking around until there are no more smoothed sandstone figurines and the garden tour is complete.
THE SLOT CANYONS.
Speaking of that testy Hole-in-the-Rock-Road if you and your vehicle are up to it continue down the road for exploring some of Utah’s best slot canyons - Peek-a-boo and Spooky. Do your research to decide if this adventure is for your dog. Aficionados of slot canyons encounter many obstacles when trying to share the experience with their dogs - ropes and ladders, technical climbs, problematic approaches, “no dogs allowed signs,” etc. etc. At Willis Creek south of Escalante all that is required is to lock your vehicle and walk into the slot canyon. There are no obstacles impeding your hike - save one, which can be bypassed - as the gorgeously sculpted walls close in down the creek. Those slickrock walls are streaked with desert varnish and will eventually grow to over 200 feet high deeper along. The wash-route trail is sand and cobblestones and mostly flat, gaining a nearly imperceptible 300 feet. When Willis Creek can’t be avoided the water level is rarely deeper than splashing through a puddle. (If the water is going to be too deep the access roads will likely be impassable anyway.) The narrow walls provide shade on even the hottest summer days. The dramatic twists and turns in Willis Creek slot canyon end after a little more than one mile as the wash yawns wider. Willis Canyon continues for an- other mile to the confluence of Sheep Canyon but it resembles more of a ri-parian desert hike. At whatever point you decide to turn around it is back through the slot - and keep an eye out for a tiny side waterfall pouring into the canyon - it’s just more fun to be had in Willis Creek.
THE STATE PARK.
A visit to Kodachrome Basin State Park is like pressing your dog’s nose against a fence looking at a park he’s not allowed to visit. That park is Bryce Canyon National Park - Kodachrome Basin even has a campground called Bryce View. Kodachrome Basin is not without its own unique pleasures, however. The beauty of the rocks here is so supreme that a National Geographic Society exploring party named the area after Kodak’s industry standard Kodachrome color film. The Grand Parade Trail travels easily across a wide, sandy path that moves past some of the park’s 67 monolithic stone spires called sedimentary pipes. The pipes can soar up to 15 stories high and their origins are unknown; the best guess is that they are the solidified remains of ancient thermal geysers. The big adventure for dogs on the Grand Parade will be hiking into two box canyons wrapped by tall, multi-hued sandstone walls. Each box canyon includes heavily vegetated short ravines of mystery that lure curious canines inside.
The neighboring Angels’ Palace Trail - also about 1.5 miles long - crosses the Entrada sandstone cliffs that provide the background for the Grand Parade. The footpath is cut into the side of the cliff walls as it ascends to commanding views of the entire Kodachrome Basin. Also visible in the distance are the forbidden Pink Cliffs of that darned Bryce Canyon National Park.
THE BEST NATIONAL PARK ALTERNATIVE.
Disappointed you couldn’t take your dog hiking in Bryce Canyon or Capitol Reef or Zion national parks? Get over it. Head a half hour down Route 12 from Escalante and 13 miles down the road from Bryce to the Red Canyon Visitor Center in Dixie National Forest, which has been described as the “most photographed place in Utah.” Get the camera ready and point your dog to the Pink Ledges Trail behind the center. You will soon be up close with the brilliant red rock formations and the accenting dark green conifers. Continue onto the aptly named Hoodoo Trail and across UT 12 to the equally apropos Golden Wall Trail. The canine hike rambles through a wide valley, trading the bright red cliffs for golden colored rocks and crushed stone paths. To get closer to hoodoos again there is an option to jump onto the Castle Bridge Trail. The views become ever more spectacular as you climb out of the bowl to make a connection to the Buckhorn Trail. Your dog will feel like she is on top of the red rock country world at this point - but there’s more. Carefully step across a long narrow ledge 160 feet higher to trail’s end at Buckhorn Point. Veterans of Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park will recognize the trajectory of this hike. The amazing scenery keeps coming on the way back down until the shade of stately Ponderosa pines to finish your descent and complete the five mile loop. Pink-gold-white-red, your dog has seen all Color Country in southwest Utah has to offer - and without national park crowds and restrictions.