Beautiful Slot Canyons And Waterfalls in Escalante Utah | Cosmic Ashtray

In the heart of southern Utah sits the tiny town of Escalante. Most people drive through this town without thinking twice, but those people are missing out. Our time in Escalante took us to beautiful slot canyons, towering arches, and picturesque waterfalls. Escalante might look like a blip on the map, but it's so much more. Escalante, Utah is little. The town has a population of 821 people. There are no big hotels or grocery stores. The town sits in the heart of southern Utah, in between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, so a lot of people pass through town, but most don't stay long. Escalante is surrounded by Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This national monument is massive, and it stretches across most of southern Utah. There are little gems scattered throughout the monument, but many of its best landmarks sit on the outskirts of Escalante. Our adventure started at the Escalante Natural Bridge Trail. This is a small section of the Escalante River Trail. Escalante's climate is dry and arid. Its summer days can be blistering hot, while its winters can be bone-chillingly cold. On this particular trip, temperatures were in the 40s, which is great for hiking. That is until we reached the water crossings. The route to the natural bridge has six water crossings. Given the circumstances, these crossings were brutal, but Lou and Piper didn't seem to mind. Once we pushed through the river, we could see the Escalante Natural Bridge in the distance. It was massive. This natural bridge is 125 feet wide, and almost 130 feet tall. The size of the bridge makes for a grand scene. We followed the trail another half mile past the bridge. This route required another river crossing, but it led us to the cliff house ruins and the arch that towers above it. Back in Escalante, there's a dirt road on the east side of town that leads south into the National Monument. This is Hole in the Rock Road. It's both famous and infamous. It's famous because it provides access to beautiful trails and slot canyons. It's infamous because it's a notoriously difficult road to drive. It's long, rocky, rough, and practically impassable after bad weather. Still, there are a couple spots that are easy to access that aren't far from town, so I took a solo trip down Hole in the Rock Road to explore a few slot canyons. The first stop was Zebra Slot Canyon. The path down to the slot canyon is easy and well marked. After a couple miles, I came to a dry wash and followed it to Zebra. This slot canyon is named for its striped walls. Zebra has its obstacles. Water pools in the bottom of the slot, and it gets pretty narrow. But it's unique, and it was a worthy stop. Back at the entrance to Zebra, the trail continues to another slot canyon. Tunnel Slot Canyon is less traveled, but it's only a mile east of Zebra. Tunnel wasn't spectacular by any means, but it only added a mile and a half to the hike, so I'd say it was worth it. The next stop was a quick one. 12 miles into Hole in the Rock Road, I reached the Devil's Garden. This is a gorgeous little natural area with a few hoodoos and a couple nice arches. The last slot canyons I ventured into were 25 miles down Hole in the Rock Road. This was a long drive, but these canyons are well known. Although not for the best reasons. Peekaboo and Spooky are two slot canyons that sit on the same trail. Both of them are beautiful, but Peekaboo is notoriously tough to access, with a 12 foot climb needed to reach the entrance, while Spooky is so narrow that it requires hikers to test their girth before entering. Once I passed the test, I headed towards the slot canyons. The trail was relatively easy to follow. Some of it goes over rocks, so the path disappears at times, but Cairns were there to keep me pointed in the right direction. The trail descends into a small, sandy canyon. Once I reached the bottom, I headed to Peekaboo, but this was the scene, so I decided to make a detour to the Dry Fork Narrows. This little slot glows in the morning light, and this detour only took a few minutes, so it was well worth it. From there I headed back over to Peekaboo. The climb into Peekaboo is the toughest part, but the rest of the slot isn't a cakewalk. I was heaving myself over obstacles and navigating tight spaces. Still, Peekaboo is beautiful. This canyon has a smoothness to it that others lack. Its colors were vibrant, and its shapes were mesmerizing. After a half mile, I reached the end of Peekaboo, and turned my attention to Spooky. A rugged half-mile trail connects the two slots. Spooky is so narrow that it's uncomfortable, and it doesn't waste any time. It gets narrow very quick. Then there were the chalkstones. Common sense says to boulder hop across them, but that was fruitless. The path through Spooky passed under the chalkstones. I had to find the gaps in the rocks, and make it to the other side. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, but I don't mind tight spaces. From there, Spooky curled through the sandstone while it narrowed more and more with each step. It had a unique beauty to it, but this wasn't the most enjoyable hike, mainly because of the tight fit. But there were other reasons. In the end, Spooky was only a third of a mile long, but it felt much longer. In between adventures, Escalante had a few stops that kept us busy. Petrified Forest State Park had a couple nice trails, with a decent collection of petrified wood. The Hole in the Rock Heritage Center shared the history of the road, with some dramatic murals to set the tone. The BLM Visitor Center was a good stop too. We walked through the Education Center and refilled our water when we needed to. Escalante also provided us with great food options. Magnolia's Kitchen made great breakfast burritos, and Circle D Eatery had the best burgers in town. But without a doubt, Escalante's best restaurant is Escalante Outfitters. This little place doubles as an outdoor shop and a pizza parlor. And, to our surprise, this was the best pizza we had in all of Southern Utah. The dough was fresh, the ingredients were high quality, and all of it was cooked to perfection. There's still a couple stops left in Escalante, but that's not the only town we explored in Southern Utah. We spent seven months traveling every corner of Southern Utah. We explored its parks, monuments, towns, and so much more. Then we created gorgeous travel guides with itineraries to help people like you plan an epic trip to Southern Utah. Follow the link in the description or visit Sojournexpedition.com to check out all of our Southern Utah travel guides. Southern Utah has some gorgeous landmarks, but there's one landmark that sits just outside of Escalante that always sparked our curiosity. So we threw Lou and Piper into the car and headed down a little dirt road on the north side of town. This trail was a mixture of sand and rock, and the path was not well marked. It was hot and our packs were heavy, and at times it felt like we were aimlessly hiking through the desert. The last stretch of trail made us work the hardest. We were climbing steep sandstone slopes, until finally we reached our destination, the Cosmic Ashtray. This geological wonder is known as a weathering pit. Southern Utah has several of them, but this is the largest by far, at almost 200 feet wide. Add to that the 33 foot tall rock pedestal that sits in the center, and you have Escalante's most unique landmark. While the Cosmic Ashtray is Escalante's most unique landmark, it isn't the most popular. Without a doubt, that title goes to Lower Calf Creek. Calf Creek Recreation Area sits 12 miles east of Escalante. It has a picnic area, restrooms, and a campground. The campground is first come first served, and there are only 12 campsites. We arrived around 2 in the afternoon, and we got one of the last spots. Once camp was set up, we hit the trail. This trail follows a canyon while walking alongside Calf Creek. The path was well marked, and the elevation gain was minimal. Plus, the views were great. Then, three miles into the trail, we could see the falls in the distance. Most of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument seems like dry and barren wilderness, but Lower Calf Creek Falls is a beautiful exception. This waterfall stands 126 feet tall, and it's one of southern Utah's best waterfalls. Just another reason Escalante, Utah is a great destination.