Hike a Slot Canyon
The varied terrain in this high, rugged, remote region makes for some of the West's most challenging-and rewarding-hiking. With only one developed trail, however, come prepared with compass and topo map; the walking is mostly cross-country, and even among the distinctive hoodoos, it's easy to get lost. The developed trail is Lower Calk Creek Falls, which lies between the towns of Escalante and Boulder on Highway 12. It's a moderately difficult 5-1/2 mile round-trip that reaches the shady pool at the base of a 126-foot waterfall.

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Bike a Movie Road
Break out the mountain bike-the unpaved backroads of this monument make for some great two-wheeling. Pick up a road map at the visitor center and start exploring. One great ride heads off to the Paria Movie Set, a faux frontier town created for John Wayne Westerns. It's located on a dirt road, five miles northeast of Highway 89, between Kanab and Big Water City. Another great ride? Grosvenor Arch, which is actually a cluster of white-and-gold arches towering high above the ground. Find it about nine miles southeast of Kodachrome Basin State Park off Highway 12.

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Drive Highway 12
With the variety of colors and a never-ending string of dramatic rock formations, the monument's scenic driving ranks among some of the country's best. One caveat, though: Check on road conditions before you head out. The roads in the monument's interior generally aren't paved-some tend to get washed out, and some simply can't be tackled with a conventional car. That in mind, go cruising on Scenic Highway 12, which cuts through the northern section of the monument, connecting Bryce Canyon and Dixie National Forest. Or drive along Highway 89 between Kanab, Utah, and Page, Arizona: You'll find spectacular vistas of the Vermillion Cliffs layer of the Grand Staircase geologic feature.

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