Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Trekking and Backpacking Overview

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

• Almost all hiking is on unmarked routes, some of which are very rugged, so you'll need to use a map and compass. A GPS unit can be handy. Be prepared for flash floods, lightning, impassable roads, and extreme temperatures.
• On a trek through the canyons of the Escalante River and its many tributaries, you'll experience some of the quiet beauty of Glen Canyon, much of which has been lost to the waters of Lake Powell.
• The upper Escalante River is a good overnight hike of 15 miles from the town of Escalante to the UT 12 bridge. Add another day or two for side trips into lower Death Hollow and Sand Creek.
• You could spend weeks in the lower Escalante River Canyon, exploring side canyons and admiring arches. It's 70 miles from the UT 12 bridge to Lake Powell. Harris Wash and other tributaries on the west have trailheads off of Hole-in-the-Rock Road.
• Hackberry Canyon offers fine scenery in the west half of the monument on a 20.5-mile hike from the mouth of Hackberry Canyon to the mouth of Round Valley Draw. Tributary canyons and Sam Pollock Arch offer diversions along the way.