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7-day Tour: Canyons of the Escalante
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Overview
The large swath of land known as Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a collection of geologic splendors and a labyrinth of seemingly endless colorful canyons. Southwest Adventure Tours will take you on an intimate tour through many of these canyons and visit the monument’s unique landscapes. The monument has one of the highest concentrations of slot canyons anywhere in the World and this tour will concentrate on hiking through some of the best ones.
Description
Day 1: Day 1 (Sat) – Arrive in St. George, Utah
Stop At: St. George, St. George, Utah United States
Either fly into St. George (SGU) or Las Vegas (LAS). If flying into Las Vegas, we can arrange transfers on one of the hourly shuttles from Las Vegas to your arrival hotel in St. George. If you plan on driving here, arrangements can be made to keep your vehicle at the hotel.
Duration: 8 hours
Accommodation included:
Abby Inn Best Western Inn Plus, St. George, UT
Day 2: Day 2 (Sun) – St. George – Kodachrome Basin & Round Valley Draw
Stop At: Kodachrome Basin State Park, Kodachrome State Park Road, Cannonville, Utah 84718 United States
Depart St. George at 7:00 AM and travel approximately 3 hours to just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. When we arrive, enjoy a scenic drive through Kodachrome Basin State Park and go on a couple of shorter hikes to hoodoos and other unique formations that inspired the folks from National Geographic in 1949 to name this place after the Kodak film they were using.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Grosvenor Arch, Cottonwood Canyon Road, Big Water, Utah United States
Afterwards, you’ll travel east to Grosvenor Arch for a view of this unique formation. The arch was initially the symbol for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument when it was first formed. Next up, we explore close-by Round Valley Draw, our first slot canyon. This 5-mile round trip hike takes you through a rarely visited slot canyon offering beautiful sandstone formations and the opportunity to see the start of Hackberry Canyon, which is a backpacker’s wilderness.
We’ll then head to our hotel in Bryce Canyon City. After dinner, there will be a private astronomy program for the group where you will learn about the stars you will be seeing for the rest of the week!
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Accommodation included:
Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn, Bryce Canyon City, UT
Day 3: Day 3 (Mon) - Willis Creek & Bull Valley Slot Canyons
Stop At: Willis Creek Slot Canyon, Skutumpah Road, Cannonville, Utah United States
This morning, we explore Willis Creek Slot Canyon, which is a “user friendly” slot canyon and is a great way to break you into what you’ll be experiencing over the next several days. Along the way, there are a few waterfalls where you can experience seeing a slot canyon being formed by Mother Nature. We’ll walk down Willis Creek, which usually is a few inches deep with water and a foot or two wide, for about two miles or more and return back to the trailhead.
We then continue down the road a few more miles so that you can experience Bull Valley Gorge, which is a bit more sinister-looking than Willis Creek. You’ll see where an automobile from the 1950s is part of the road bridge over the gorge. We’ll descend into this deep, dark and ominous slot canyon and explore its bowels for a few miles while we negotiate the chockstones that have been moved here during many flashflood events over thousands of years. Total hiking distance for both slot canyons will be about 4 to 6 miles.
Duration: 6 hours
Stop At: Escalante, Escalante, Utah United States
After we spend the day exploring these two slot canyons, we’ll head over to the town of Escalante, which is about an hour away.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Accommodation included:
Canyon Country Lodge, Escalante, UT
Day 4: Day 4 (Tue) – Escalante Canyon – Arches & Natural Bridges
Stop At: Escalante, Escalante, Utah United States
After traveling to the Escalante Canyons region of the national monument, you'll hike up Escalante Canyon to two unique formations. First will be the Escalante Natural Bridge. This is perched at the top of the cliffs that border the Escalante River. A short distance further we’ll take a look at Cliff House Arch and the small Native American ruins beneath it. After a picnic lunch, you’ll hike down Escalante Canyon to Phillips Arch. Afterwards you will continue down-canyon and hike up to Bowington Arch before returning back to the trailhead. If we have enough time left over, from the trailhead parking area, we’ll climb up a few ledges to view the very rare and unusual Native American pictograph site called 100 Hands.
Duration: 5 hours
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Accommodation included:
Canyons Lodge, Escalante, UT
Day 5: Day 5 (Wed) – Hole in the Rock Road – Sites & Slots
Stop At: Hole In The Rock Road, Escalante, Utah United States
Today you’ll explore and experience sites along one of the monument’s well-known roads that was named and made famous by Mormon Pioneers that trailblazed this road to settle regions in southeast Utah and Arizona – Hole in the Rock Road. Our stops and hikes include:
Covered Wagon Natural Bridge, a series of unique and large natural bridges that you’ll walk under;
Nearby Cedar Wash Arch, which is located inside a beautifully sculptured canyon;
Devil’s Garden, containing some not-so demonic sandstone hoodoos and arches;
Twenty Mile Wash Dinosaur Track Site, with its series of footprints and tracks left behind by two different prehistoric animals during the Jurassic Period;
And finally, a series of slot canyons situated close by including Dry Fork Coyote Gulch, famed Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon and Spooky Gulch.
The total hiking distance around these slot canyons and the other sites will be 3 to 5 miles. We’ll return to Escalante again for the evening.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Accommodation included:
Canyons Lodge, Escalante, UT
Day 6: Day 6 (Thu) – Calf Creek Falls
Stop At: Lower Calf Creek Falls, Escalante, Utah United States
Lower Calf Creek Falls may be the crowning jewel of the monument and you’ll see why. Since parking at the trailhead fills up quickly, this morning will be an early start at 7am. This iconic hike meanders through 3 miles of lush canyon scenery with colorful walls and a flowing stream in the middle. Along the way, you’ll see some more pictographs, these being almost the size of a person. Be sure to look into the river for trout, which may or may not be on the menu tonight.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Upper Calf Creek Falls, Boulder, Utah United States
After the 6 mile roundtrip hike, it’s time for a hearty meal at the unique Kiva Koffeehouse, which is perched above the lush Escalante Canyon we hiked through a few days ago. We’ll enjoy lunch enjoying the views and building our strength for our afternoon hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls. To get to the trailhead for this hike, we cross over the notorious Hogback of Hwy 12. The hike to these less visited falls is only three quarters of a mile one-way but entails a drop in elevation of almost 600 feet, while walking on solid Navajo Sandstone. Overall hiking distances today is about 8 miles.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Accommodation included:
Canyons Lodge, Escalante, UT | Meals: B, L
Day 7: Day 7 (Fri) – Bighorn (Slot) Canyon – St. George
Stop At: Escalante, Escalante, UT 84726, USA
Your last day in the Escalante area involves yet another slot canyon called Big Horn Canyon. Unlike the other slot canyons you will have hiked through taking this tour, the sandstone here is very swirly, stripy and colorful. Portions of the slot canyon may be blocked. But that’s not a problem because it’s easy to bypass these areas unlike other slot canyons. We’ll hike up Big Horn about 3 to 4 miles, then return back down the same way. When we’re finished, we’ll head back to St. George in the afternoon, a 3-hour drive.
We will return to St. George by 5:00 PM. Book any flights or transportation after 7:00 PM or consider spending another day or two in beautiful St. George.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
Breakfast
Lunch
Schedule
- Reservations are REQUIRED for all bookings
- Book Your Package On-Line and Receive Your Confirmation
- Departure point: Detailed check-in instructions - including the address and parking information if applicable - will be included in your final confirmation email.
- Duration: 7 days (Approx.)
- Departure Time: 04:00 PM
- Return Details: Returns to original departure point
What's Included
- Dinner
- Gratuities (Optional)
What To Bring
- Confirmation Voucher (printed or mobile)
- Any required or suggested items listed on your confirmation email.
- A Smile!
Additional Info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews
Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 1 traveler reviews collected by Cool Destinations and partner sites such as Trustpilot, Viator, and TripAdvisor
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Non-refundable
This tour is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.