Before you begin exploring this region, take time to plan and be prepared with the proper equipment, maps, knowledge, and a backcountry permit. Always carry extra water, food, matches or a lighter, a signal mirror, and foul weather gear.
Always make sure that someone knows your plans, when you are due back, and who to call if you are overdue.
Almost all hiking is on unmarked routes where the use of a map, compass, and/or a GPS unit is necessary. The terrain is rugged. River travel involves numerous water crossings or walking in water for long distances and bushwhacking through dense brush. Side canyons and slots can have deep pools of cold water even in the summer months.
Grand Staircase Area Hiking Trails
Calf Creek
The Calf Creek Trail is the highlight of Calf Creek Recreation Area, a delightful desert oasis maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. The canyon is a haven for birds, beaver, and other wildlife, and it was also once inhabited by the Fremont and Anasazi Indians. Take a booklet with you from the trailhead to help you spot some of the Indian pictographs and two granaries that were constructed by the Indians some 800-1000 years ago. Also, be sure to take a swimming suit with you for use in the pool at the bottom of Lower Calf Creek Falls.
Stats about Calf Creek:
Distance: 5.4 miles (round trip)
Walking time: 3 hours
Elevations: 170 ft. gain/loss
Calf Creek Trailhead (start): 5,340 ft.
Lower Calf Creek Falls: 5,510 ft.
Trail: Popular, well maintained trail. A trail guide is usually available at the trailhead.
Season: Spring, summer, fall, winter. The trail is very hot in the summer, with temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees F.
Vicinity: Near Escalante and Boulder
Escalante River
Among Utah’s serious hikers, the 85-mile-long Escalante River is well known. The small desert river and its dozens of side canyons contain some of the wildest, most scenic desert wilderness in the United States. It is a region of redrock canyons, sandstone arches, and Anasazi Indian ruins. The Escalante badlands contain hidden natural treasures guaranteed to give pause to even the most unenthusiastic of hikers. Sadly, none of the BLM managed Escalante drainage has yet been give the protection of a designated wilderness area, but in 1996 it was included in President Clinton's new Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Stats about Escalante River Trail
Distance: 14.3 miles (plus 14.4 miles by car or bicycle)
Walking time:
day 1: 4 hours
day 2: 3 3/4 hours
Elevations: 530 ft. loss
Escalante Town Trailhead (start): 5,730 ft.
Death Hollow: 5,380 ft.
Highway 12 Trailhead: 5,200 ft.
Trail: The route follows along the shore of the Escalante River. There is a sandy trail most of the way, but often it is easier to walk in the gravel filled streambed; the water is seldom more than ankle deep. Be sure to wear wettable shoes.
Season: Spring, summer, fall, winter. The best seasons for this hike are spring and fall. Escalante Canyon is very hot in the summertime, but you can always count on the availability of water.
Vicinity: Near the town of Escalante
Hackberry Canyon
The Hackberry Canyon hike is well suited to those backpackers who enjoy remote areas with lots of solitude. It is in a rugged part of the state, between the Kaiparowits Plateau and the Vermilion Cliffs, where there are few good roads and fewer serious hikers. Unfortunately water is also scarce in this region, and the first 11.3 miles of the hike are waterless. Only after the gorge has cut nearly all the way through the Navajo Sandstone to the top of the Kayenta Formation, does a spring finally appear to wet the stark white sand on the canyon floor. At this point the canyon begins to undergo a dramatic change as the colors of life are added to the black and white textures of upper Hackberry. In the next few miles even the walls of the canyon change their hue from the harsh white of the Navajo Formation to the softer reddish tones of the Kayenta Sandstone.
Stats about Hackberry Canyon
Distance: 19.6 miles (plus 19.7 miles by car)
Walking time:
day 1: 6 1/2 hours
day 2: 4 1/2 hours
Elevations: 1,340 ft. loss
Round Valley Draw Trailhead: 6,100 ft.
mouth of Hackberry Canyon: 5,360 ft.
Trail: There is no trail for this hike, but the route is easy to follow. You will be walking down the streambeds of two desert canyons. The first 2.2 miles through Round Valley Draw is in the bottom of a very narrow slot canyon and some scrambling will be necessary to get over several chock stones and other obstacles. A 30-foot length of rope will come in handy for lowering packs in a few places. Once you get through Round Valley Draw it is an easy walk down the sandy bottom of Hackberry Canyon. Unfortunately, there is no water for the first 11.3 miles of this hike, so be sure to carry plenty. Some wading will be necessary for the last 6 miles, so you should use wettable boots.
Season: Spring, summer, fall, winter. Spring or fall are the ideal times for this hike. The canyons are very hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winter. For current conditions call the Kanab Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, at (801) 644-2672.
Vicinity: south of Bryce Canyon National Park
Conditions change seasonally and often suddenly. This is a beautiful but unforgiving landscape. Some problems you may encounter are unexpected snow storms, flash floods, lightning storms, impassable roads, extreme heat or cold, dried up water sources, and high water from floods or spring runoff. This is a land of extremes.