October 30, 2022

By Tim Briese

7.1 miles, 300’ elevation gain, 3:40 roundtrip time

I looked forward to some new hikes in the Escalante area as I drove there from Green River today.

nice fall colors in the escalante river valley along scenic byway ut 12

ut 12 switchbacking through beige sandstone

As I approached Escalante on UT 12 I turned left onto the Hole in the Rock Road. I followed the washboardy road about 4.5 miles to a point where a major wash crosses the road and pulled into a parking area on the left side of the road just beyond the wash. There were two other vehicles there today. There were also two very large blue semi-trailer water tanks parked there, apparently semi-permanently, since I had driven past them on previous hiking outings in the area.

the parking area and the blue water tanks

I proceeded to hike down the broad flat wash, mostly on a reasonable sandy path that conveniently cut across meanders in the wash.

the beginning of the hike down the wash

further down the wash

After hiking almost two miles down the rather featureless wash I reached a point where Bighorn Canyon came in from the left and I followed a path up the canyon about 0.3 miles to a fork.

entering bighorn canyon

the west fork of the canyon goes to the left here, the east fork goes to the right

I opted to go up the shorter west fork of the canyon first then return and go up the east fork.

interesting stripes on the wall in the west fork

The walls got taller and the slot narrower as I proceeded. It reminded me a bit of famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona.

Sticks and logs lodged in the crack fifteen feet above were a reminder that one wouldn’t want to here in a flash flood!

looking up at debris lodged above

The crack became so narrow that it was no longer passable and I turned back and returned to the fork in the canyon and headed up the east fork.

heading up the east fork of the canyon

The canyon soon narrowed to a slender slot just wide enough for a person to pass through. There were a few minor obstacles to crawl over in this one.

Then the slot widened out and I was treated to a fascinating panorama of stripes, colors, and waves in the sandstone.

I proceeded up the canyon a few hundred yards more, admiring the dazzling variety of color and form as I went, before turning around and hiking back.

i turned around here but could have explored further

a colorful tapestry of sandstone!

This canyon is indeed a hidden gem, and although I saw a few other parties today, I am surprised it is not more advertised and widely known. It reminded me a bit of other more famous scenic places I had visited in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. 

hiking back down the wash to the trailhead

After returning to my truck I rested in my camp chair for a while, absorbing the tranquil silence of the desert before driving into Escalante for the night.