It’s a land of seemingly infinite slickrock and canyons, anchored by the Escalante River and its tributaries. The landscape’s intense colors are dominated by red and ivory sandstone and accented by brilliant green cottonwoods and willows along the waterways. In the deep slot canyons, the reds take on shades unimagined…maroon, purple, and indigo. Easy it’s not. Exceptional, it is, and worth every ounce of effort for the experience.

Within the massive Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument of southern Utah, the canyons of the Escalante region offer endless opportunities for hiking, with plenty of tantalizing slot canyons to entice the adventurer. On a recent trip to the area I met my hiking buddy, Joan Whitacre, for a stay in the town of Escalante and three days of exploring the canyons. She had traveled from Idaho and I had come up from Oklahoma; we intended to make the most of our time in southern Utah and planned three hikes, Neon Canyon/Golden Cathedral, Lower Calf Creek Falls, and Spooky Gulch.

Golden Cathedral and Neon Canyon

It is mid-September and the weather is warm. We get a late start our first day, arriving at the Golden Cathedral Trailhead a little before noon. Getting there is an adventure in and of itself, traveling 16.3 miles from Utah Highway 12 on the legendary Hole-in-the-Rock Road before turning off onto Egypt Bench Road. Hole-in-the-Rock is named after the actual “hole” in the rock, a crevice in the western rim of Glen Canyon which Mormon pioneers laboriously expanded, building a road 2,000 feet down the side of the cliff to the Colorado River. On a “dugway” with an average grade of 25 degrees (and in some places as steep as 45 degrees), they lowered 250 people, 83 wagons, and more than 1,000 head of livestock on their journey to establish a new colony on the San Juan River.

The actual Hole in the Rock is still there, 55 miles down this road, but we are not going there today. Once reaching Egypt Bench Road, we travel about 10 miles to the Egypt Trailhead. The dirt road is washboarded and it’s a teeth-chattering ride to the trailhead. There we scramble over the lip of a ridge for a long walk down the slickrock to the Escalante River. The day is heating up as we look back at the long, steep ascent we will face on our return.

As we approach the river we appreciate the shade offered by the riparian vegetation, and after 2.8 miles, the trail actually enters the shallow, brown-yellow waters of the Escalante River. The stream cools our feet as we cross, boots on. At this point, the trail becomes very difficult to follow, winding in and out of the river and through jungles of willow and salt cedar growing along the muddy banks. Eventually we decide simply to use the river as our trail. Its waters are only ankle-deep and our path takes us downstream. At mile 3.7 we reach the turn-off for Neon Canyon, marked by a huge cottonwood tree. The canyon’s colors range from pink to ochre, bright greens of trees and grasses illuminated by the afternoon sun. From the turn-off it is an easy 0.9-mile walk on a well-trod, sandy path to our destination, Golden Cathedral.

What a sight with the sun’s rays entering the skylights of the massive cavern. In the floor of the alcove the pool of water is golden, its surface reflecting the sunlight. Two people are there ahead of us, sitting on the sandy floor, contemplating the amazing scene.

It’s definitely a place that invites a pause for quiet contemplation. The waters of the pool are tempting but I am reluctant to disturb them by stepping in. Ferns grace the moist, red stone walls and the filigree of lichen suggests manmade pictographs. It’s easy to see how this place got its name, as its high-ceilinged structure calls to mind soaring gothic cathedrals and their homage to the almighty.

Eventually we turn back and decide to simplify our return by using the Escalante River as our trail. We now travel upstream, but in the shallow waters it’s only a little more effort. And, being in the water helps us stay cooler. Without incident we make it back to the spot where we first entered the river and take a dunk to soak our clothes before beginning the 1,260-foot ascent in the heat of the day. It is a grueling climb, especially in its steep final stages. The trail is dim and we get off trail. The line we end up on is likely steeper than the actual trail; nevertheless, we can see the lip of the ridge and keep moving toward it. It is a great relief when we pull ourselves over the edge onto the plateau, get in the car and turn on the air conditioner after this challenging, nearly 10-mile hike.

Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike

A rest day is in order on day two, and a hike to Lower Calf Creek Falls is an easy option. Unlike the isolated Golden Cathedral Trail, this one is busy with all manner of folks. From Escalante, we drive 15 miles north on Highway 12 to the Calf Creek Recreation Area and the trailhead. Much of the six-mile round trip through Lower Calf Creek Canyon is shady and offers interesting sights such as an ancient granary on a distant cliffside, with signposts so you know what you are seeing.

The falls themselves are spectacular but the crowds of people picnicking and playing in the pool at the base of the falls make it seem more like a city park than a backcountry hike. Still, it is just the right level of activity after the Golden Cathedral effort.

Hiking Spooky Gulch

Our third day of hiking is the one I am most excited about. We are heading down Hole-in-the-Rock Road yet again, to Peekaboo and Spooky Gulches, two well-known and relatively easy to reach slot canyons. This time we drive 26 miles down Hole-in-the Rock Road from Highway 12, then another 1.7 miles to the trailhead. The hike involves another descent over slick rock, but this time only for a short distance. We have gotten an earlier start today and are slightly ahead of the heat.

We decide to trek around Peekaboo to the upper end of Spooky Gulch and descend from the top of Spooky. We start at a sandy wash which narrows, leading to a rock jam. We stop, stymied about how to negotiate it. Soon we hear voices ahead, and two young women climb up through an opening in the boulder field. One is a skilled canyoneer, and she helps the other to ascend the six-foot climb. When we talk with her, she realizes we are going to struggle, and offers to help us down. We don’t hesitate to accept her offer and she climbs back down to the canyon floor, coaching each of us on the descent. An angel of mercy, we decide.

The canyon continues to narrow, its passages serpentine and eerie. In places the floor is so narrow that chimneying is required. Daypacks have to be taken off and carried in order to squeeze through, scraping chests and backs against the sandstone, which has a strange, knobby texture in spots. In the darkest, twistiest sections, the sandstone takes on hues of purple. It’s exhilarating. I am disappointed when the slot begins to widen and we reach the end.

We leave Peekaboo for another day, although the usual progression for these two slots is to hike up through Peekaboo and down through Spooky. As we drive back to Escalante, I notice cars parked at other trailheads on Hole-in-the-Rock Road, and feel a twinge of regret that we’re not staying longer for more hiking in the Escalante. But Escalante will be here, and I will be back.

Need to Know

Information

The Canyons of the Escalante area is one of three regions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), one million acres of protected land in southern Utah administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The erosional landforms of the region include high vertical canyon walls, slot canyons, waterpockets, domes, hoodoos, natural arches and bridges. The other two components of the GSENM include the Grand Staircase and the Kaiparowits Plateau.

Best Time to Go

Fall and spring are the best times to go; ideally, mid-March through April and mid-September through October. The heat of summer can make for difficult hiking. Rainy weather can cause flash flooding in slot canyons.

Getting There

Boulder and Escalante, Utah are the closest towns to hiking in the Escalante region. Both offer lodging and dining options, Escalante more so than Boulder. The closest major airports are Las Vegas, Nevada and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Maps and Books

WOW Guides: Utah Canyon Country, Kathy & Craig Copeland, Hiking the Escalante by Rudi Lambrechtse. The Trails Illustrated Canyons of the Escalante Map by National Geographic covers much of the area. For getting to and from trailheads, the Utah Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer can be useful.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 41 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.