Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
place for beginners. To put it bluntly, people die here, and you don't want to be one
of them.
We recommend that unless you are an expert at this specialized sport that you
go with an expert. One of the best is Rick Green, owner of
Excursions of Es-
calante
★★, 125 E. Main St. (P.O. Box 605), Escalante, UT 84726 (
&
800/839-7567;
www.excursionsofescalante.com
)
. Trips, which are available mid-March through
mid-November, usually include four people with one guide, and all equipment
is provided. In addition to canyoneering trips, the company offers day hiking
and backpacking excursions, specialized tours, and 3-day canyoneering courses
($500-$600). Day trips include lunch. Day hiking trips cost $125 per person,
canyoneering costs $145 to $165 per person, and a photo safari costs $170 per per-
son. Overnight backpacking trips cost $250 to $275 per person per day, which in-
cludes practically everything you need, including food. Credit cards are not accep-
ted; cash and checks are welcome. Excursions of Escalante also provides a flexible
shuttle service; call for a quote.
HIKING, MOUNTAIN BIKING & HORSEBACK RIDING
Located about 15 miles northeast
of Escalante via Utah 12, the
CalfCreekRecreationArea
has a campground (see
“Camping,” above), and a picnic area with fire grates and tables, trees, drinking
water, and flush toilets. The best part of the recreation area, though, is the mod-
erately strenuous 6-mile round-trip hike to
LowerCalfCreekFalls.
A sandy trail
leads along Calf Creek, past beaver ponds and wetlands, to a beautiful waterfall,
cascading 126 feet down a rock wall into a tree-shaded pool. You can pick up an
interpretive brochure at the trail head. The day use fee is $2 per vehicle.
Although
CalfCreekTrail
is the monument's only officially marked and main-
tained trail, numerous unmarked cross-country routes are ideal for hiking, moun-
tain biking (on existing dirt roads only), and horseback riding. We strongly re-
commend that hikers stop at the Interagency Office in Escalante or the BLM office
in Kanab to get recommendations on hiking routes and to purchase topograph-
ic maps. (See “Information & Visitors Centers,” above.) Hikers need to remember
that this is wild country, and hiking can be hazardous. Rangers recommend car-
rying at least 1 gallon of water per person per day, and say that all water from
streams should be treated before drinking. The potential for flooding is high, and
hikers should check with the BLM before attempting to hike through the monu-
ment's narrow slot canyons. Other hazards include poisonous snakes, scorpions,
and poison ivy. Slickrock, as the name suggests, is slippery, so hikers should wear
sturdy hiking boots with traction soles.
Among the most popular and relatively easy-to-follow hiking routes is the foot-
path to
EscalanteNaturalBridge.
The path repeatedly crosses the river, so be pre-
