OVERVIEW

This file describes the Hole-In-The-Rock road which leads south from Hwy 12 just east of Escalante, Utah. If you've ever wondered what's down the road and what kind of conditions to expect, read this file. Also described are the road through Collet Canyon and the road south to Smokey Mountain and US 89.

 

GENERAL SUMMARY

The road from UT12 to Lake Powell is known as the Hole-In-The-Rock road because it leads to, what else, the Hole-In-The-Rock. It is a dirt road which is maintained by the BLM and except for the last ten miles, is easily passable by passenger cars. As with any dirt road in the desert, washouts are unpredictable and can make a road unpassable to all vehicles. The last ten miles of this road requires a high clearance vehicle to clear a few sections where others have made rather deep potholes while driving when the road was still wet and muddy from rain. These few sections are only about 100 feet long, and could be navigated by all but the lowest passenger cars with careful, slow and attentive driving.

I have ridden my BMW R80G/S along this road and ran into no difficulties. Although there is no washboard and no sand, the road is rough enough to make me think twice before taking a machine which has crackable plastic on it.

The road is ideal as a "starter" road for those who have not ventured off the beaten path before. There are no cliffhangers, no rock washes, sand washes, heavy washboard stretches, stairsteps, or other intimidations. The last ten miles has a little "slickrock" which, as experienced off-roaders know, is anything but slick. If you have a small 4WD pickup, Fourrunner, Pathfinder, a van with adequate clearance, a Suburban, or a full-size pickup truck, you will have no problems. Jeep and VW bus drivers will find no thrills here. 4WD is not required on the main road, but is required on one of the spurs which I will describe later in this file.

 

TIME REQUIREMENTS

You can do about 30 to 35 along most of the road. Curves near the southern end will slow you down, however, and the last ten miles will also slow you down to about 10 mph. To get to the end, sign the book, and boogy back, you will need not less than four hours. Because of the road conditions, and things to see, I'm sure you will want to stop a few times along the way, especially at the end. To lolly-gag a little bit, or to take one of the side roads, allow yourself about eight to ten hours, more if you want to hang around in any one spot for more than an hour or so.

 

CAMPING OPPORTUNITIES

The best camping is actually in Petrified Forest State Park, run by the Utah State Park service. This is about a mile or so west of Escalante off of UT12, and is well-marked. There are about 20 or so camping spots, each with some degree of shade, a picnic table and bbq stand. There are adequate accommodations for any size RV and believe me, all sizes use the facility. Hot showers, a large lawn, and a reservoir for fishing and swimming complement the park. A full-time ranger is assigned to the park and there is a self-guiding nature trail through the Petrified Forest for those who prefer to do their off-roading on foot.

The Hole-In-The-Rock road itself has plenty of places to camp, albeit without hot showers, tables and other amenities. It is open range and as far as I know there are no restrictions. If you want to set up where there is a little natural shelter from the sun, you will have to drive at least 40 miles to where the road begins to follow the ridge more closely. These camping areas are really nothing more than where others have stayed before. There are no services of any kind, so whatever you take in, take it back out.

There is a spot near the Dance Hall Rock turnoff on the east side of the road. It consists of a small corral and a wooden shack (what other kind is there) with (at last visit) an old bed and mattress inside. Because it sits under the road, so to speak, it does offer a little shelter and the trees provide a rest for the eyes as well.

I saw no protected camping areas at the very end of the road, but there were a couple of turn-offs in the last 10 miles which lead to some rock overhangs and juniper bushes. One of these turn-offs is in a gulley and leads to the west. Because it was occupied, I didn't take the turn and so I don't know what the accommodations are. At the time, there were a couple of pick-up campers, some chairs a tent and a few ATV's, so I imagine this would be a good base of operations for a small group of people.

A little further south, another turn-off leads to the southwest towards some low hills (maybe a few hundred yards away). I did stop there, and parked under one of the Juniper trees while I had a bite to eat. It was pleasant and quiet, and easy to see from the road.

 

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

I don't advise ever leaving the pavement without some kind of a map. In this case, the "Indian Country" map put out by the Automobile Club is adequate for this venture, and the mileage callouts are for the most part accurate to within a quarter mile or so. Any road which is not marked with a sign likely leads to a primitive camp site.

For maximum enjoyment, stop in at the BLM office which is on the south side of the road just outside the west end of Escalante. There you will find the latest information and can also obtain a map of the area which will show the few roads which the Indian Country map does not. The map cost me $2 a couple years ago. Also available is a free travel guide specifically describing the area and providing a little history and other interesting information to keep any passengers busy for awhile. Be sure to pick up a copy.

Take plenty of water with you if you travel during the hot season (May through October, as there is no water along the road. Do not expect to go swimming in Lake Powell unless you are prepared for a strenuous hike down the crack known as Hole-In-The-Rock, and a more strenuous hike back up. You won't find no fruit trees or apple orchards either, so be sure to take enough munchies for a stop or two.

If you want to check in at the USFS ranger station, you can, but the road is out of their jurisdiction and they won't be able to give you first-hand information. You can also obtain information from the ranger at Petrified Forest State Park, but my suggestion is to stop in at the BLM office.

Because the area is not a forested one, there is not much in the way of burning material. If you want to have a roaring fire, either haul in your wood or be prepared for some serious foraging. And remember, in this area as in all desert areas, most of the wood which appears "dead" is not. It merely gives that appearance as it conserves its water.

There are several gas stations in Escalante. I always tank up at the station outside of town on the south side of the road.

 

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

You are on your own. This is back-country and not patrolled on a daily basis. The only others you are likely to see are other tourists, as there are no ranches in the area. If you break down and are on the main dirt road, stay there until somebody passes by. Sooner or later, someone _will_ pass by. If you are one one of the side roads I describe, you'd best hoof it back to the main dirt road, as these side roads are seldom traveled.

Your nearest help will come from Escalante, but if there is some kind of a medical emergency, help will most likely come from Page in the form of a helicopter.

If you are a HAM, you can access the Navajo Mountain 2-meter repeater on 144.96 which is just south of Lake Powell. The repeater is open and covers hundreds of square miles. There is no PL (at least there wasn't last time I was in the area, in Fall of 1993) and there is always somebody listening. Unless you are in a hole somewhere or up near the start of the road, 5 watts and a hand-held are sufficient to "get in".

 

WHAT TO SEE

The Shack

There's not a hell of a lot to see, unless you like rocks and history. About 30 miles down and on the east side of the road, you will pass an old shack. Consult your trip guide for the details of the place. If you are in a hurry, you may miss it, as the shack is not visible until you pass the entry-way. You won't miss it on the way back, however. The shack is pretty much shot up, probably due to its accessibility. There are some trees and a lot of nice, green bushes in the area. Also home to meat-bees, a couple of rabbits and a lot of mice. Unlike shacks I have come across in more remote areas, this one has not been kept up and you will not find curtains, tables, chairs, food, etc. in it. Like I said, it is too accessible to the general public for such things to last very long.

Dance Hall Rock

I have never been to Dance Hall Rock. Can't advise on what's there. Unless someone tells me it is one of those "gotta see" places, I don't intend on going there either.

Hole-In-The-Rock

The "hole" is actually a crack, maybe ten to fifteen feet wide, which leads down a rock cliff to Lake Powell. Read your travel guide for more information. You can hike down and back in a couple of hours. After all, the Mormons (I don't know which ones) dug and blasted some of the crack away to make a six-foot ledge up which they pulled their wagons. And that was some 100 years ago.

If my knee were in better shape and I didn't have a truck loaded with "toys", I would have hiked down with my bathing suit and taken a swim. You can see Lake Powell through the crack, and it sure looked inviting to me.

Also visible from Hole-In-The-Rock is the north flank of Navajo Mountain, maybe twenty miles away. Although this 10,000 foot mountain looks like a smooth, round dome from the distance, it's northern side appears to be heavily eroded, and looked to me to be a backpacker's paradise. For anybody who really enjoys wilderness, this is definitely an area to consider.

At the end of the road you will find the usual sign-in book, unless of course, it has been vandalized. Whenever you find one of these sign-in books, be sure to "sign in". Somewhere, some official reads these books and I suppose makes a judgement as to how much use the site receives.

 

SIDE TRIPS

There are a couple of opportunities for "side trips". These will of course add time to the overall trip, and one of them will definitely turn the trip into a full twelve hour run if you expect to return to your starting point.

The Bench --------- The most gruelling of the side trips is the road up along "The Bench", as I call it. The Hole-In-The-Rock road parallels a 1000 foot high bench along its entire length, and 7 1/2 miles south of the Dance Hall Rock turn-off is an opportunity to drive along this bench. I believe the road is marked at this point with a sign but I can't remember. In any event, the road looks maintained and indeed it is, to some extent. For upon the bench is an BLM repeater station which was built probably some time around 1988, I would say. This loop will take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours to complete.

Warning!!! Just south of the shack, you will see a road marked "Jeep Road, 4 Wheel Drive Only". Heed this sign and do not attempt to navigate the road without high clearance and 4WD capability. The best way do drive this road is downhill as described in the following paragraphs.

The marked road which is 7 1/2 miles south of the Dance Hall Rock turn-off is in much better shape. However, it is steep, curvy and rough. I would think twice before taking a sedan up this road, although barring any washouts, it wouldn't really be too much of a task. You would, however, have to return the same way, as the other exit from the bench is the jeep road previously mentioned. This road, as well as the jeep return road, can be ridden with a BMW R80G/S, for those of you who are interested.

The marked road winds up and through the foothills of the bench for about five miles before reaching a fork. Turn south (left) and you can drive for another two or three miles before having to turn around (at least that's what the maps say--I've never taken that turn). Turning to the north will bring you past the repeater site along a pretty decent road for about four miles or so. Don't expect to find any shade along this road which you can park under. If it's hot, you'll have to bail out and sit under a large bush for shade.

The view, while expansive, is not a reason to drive the bench. You won't be close enough to the edge of the bench to see directly below, but you will be able to look out to the east 20 or 30 miles and get a good view of the Henry Mountains. Because this bench is halfway up the side of another, your view to the west is nil. The reason to drive the bench is really only "because it's there", and, to those who want something a little more challenging than the last 40 miles, for a break from the monotony of that last 40 miles.

Shortly after passing the repeater site, the road suddenly gets rugged as it winds steeply down the side of the bench. The surface is rutted and loose, and it made me wonder if my emergency brake would hold should I want to stop and take a look around. Well, I did stop and take a look around, and the emergency brake did hold. Because the truck was nosed down, I had a hard time closing my door when I got back in, though.

The view from the jeep road is really worth while, because there are no obstructions. I needed the low range of my 4WD so that I could "idle down" rather than ride my brakes down in first gear. There were some ruts and some rocks, especially at the switchbacks (none of which required any backing). If I were going to ride this on a motorcycle, I'd ride the jeep road up, head north along the bench, and save the better road for the trip down.

Left Hand Collet Canyon

Just past the Devil's Garden, the road up Left Hand Collet Canyon leads off to the west. It was marked "Collet Top" the last time I was there about two years ago. Because it follows a wash up through the bench and exits about a thousand feet higher, it is subject to washouts at various points. At one point a few years ago, there was a water puddle which had been straddling the road for so long that it was full of water lillies. The next time I took this road, I couldn't recognize where the puddle had been.

Within a couple hundred feet of the Hole-In-The-Rock road, the Collet Canyon road crosses Twenty Mile wash, the wash which carved Collet Canyon thousands of years ago. Here the road is sandy and may be washed out. If this is the case, you will have to hoof it a little to find the best place to cross. I had to turn left in the sandy wash and drive about 100 feet or so before I could pull out of its embankment. The soil surrounding the wash is harder than it looks and you should have no problems whatsoever crossing the wash, unless it is wet. It that is the case, forget crossing it because the road will be impassable further up.

After crossing Twenty Mile wash, the road heads more or less straight west into the canyon. If you are on a motorcycle, watch out for sandy stretches along the way. Once on my G/S, I wasn't paying enough attention and I would up catching some of this sand and not being as proficient as I should be, wound up on the shoulder with the right cylinder in the dirt. It was panic time because after righting the bike, the starter wouldn't turn over. Turned out my right hand had activated the kill switch when the handlebars were jerked out of my grip. Anyway, after finding that out, I fired the thing up and continued on, only to find a lilly pond in the road a mile farther.

After about three miles, the road enters the canyon and things become quite scenic. I have always found cattle there, too. The road follows the washbed, mostly visible, sometimes not. The wash bed at that point is made up of gravel so there is little chance of becoming stuck. There will be a few places at which you will have to make "directional decisions", but if you choose wrongly, it usually only means a slightly rougher road, or perhaps a road through the greenery. After all, the canyon at that point is maybe 100 feet wide and all roads lead in the same direction and merge with one another after a few feet.

In the deepest part of the canyon, the road turns to the north and undercuts a (what else) overhang. Good place to take a break. Watch out for rattlers, though. The loose rock under the overhang combined with the water which flows gently through, and the wildlife, makes for good snake habitats. I learned that as I was tending my business.

After passing the undercut overhang, the road gets a little more serious. The first time I was there, I was on my motorcycle, and I had to chug up a little slickrock which I told myself I wouldn't want to have to drive up in a 4-wheel vehicle. The next two times, I was in my truck, and didn't even recognize the area. Either it had vastly changed in a two-year period, or it looked more threatening on two wheels.

In any event, after the road begins climbing, it zigzags up the narrows and out of the canyon. All of a sudden, you will have to open a gate to continue. Be sure to close it again after you to keep the cows in (or out, I'm not sure which). When you reach the gate, you can unlock the hubs because the 4-wheelin' is definitely over.

Smokey Mountain Road

After passing through the gate, the road flattens out and begins crossing a valley. About a mile or so beyond, you will pass a corral and arrive at a major fork in the road. If you turn north (right), you will wind around through the mud hills, past a ranch, through a lot of gulches and eventually come out on UT12 just west of Escalante. This is the recommended route, especially if you have just driven all the way down to Hole-In-The-Rock, or have driven along the bench, or gotten a late start. It is an all-weather dirt road suitable for any vehicle.

If you turn to the south, you will reach US89 after about two hours. This is the Smokey Mountain road, and while boring through most of its 50 miles, it is really worth the effort as it winds down, around and through Smokey Mountain at the southern end. If you have no reason to return to Escalante, this road deserves definite consideration. It is for the most part deserted and except for a rancher during the week, you'll probably see not a soul until just before US89.

This road begins by going through a little red-alternating-with-white sandstone, as covers much of southern Utah. The flora consists of scrub Juniper with a lot a dead wood. You will average maybe 15 to 20 mph because of the turns in the road. This road is suitable for any form of wheels except roller skates, and is also ideal for bicycling.

For several miles the scenery doesn't change, and there are no opportunities to pull off for a little shade. Then all of a sudden, the road makes an abrupt 180 to the right, goes down a little embankment and passes a large Cottonwood on the left. This is really the first opportunity to stop and take a break. It also marks a change of scenery and of pace.

After passing the Cottonwood tree, the road pulls out of the gulley and up to the left. The turns are broader and it begins slowly rounding a rather large gorge. After pulling out of the gorge, it opens up and you can do a go 45 or 50 mph for the next 10 miles or so. You will pass a couple roads leading off in both directions. These are a side roads which I have not taken. Simply follow the signs to Smokey Mountain.

You'll recognize the mountain as you begin descending its flank. Actually, it's not really a mountain, just the edge of the high plateau the road has been following for the last 30 miles or so. As the road cuts across the face of the cliffs, the view is absolutely magnificent, what with Lake Powell off in the distance and the desert spreading out below. Before you know it, the road straightens out and leaves Smokey Mountain.

I have been warned by the BLM personnel that the road down the mountain is like fresh snot after a rain. Extremely slippery. Fortunately, it had not been raining for several days each time I drove this road. Unfortunately then, I'm not sure exactly where the rangers were talking about.

Shortly after the road exits the plateau and straightens out, it forks and for some reason, none of the maps I have seem to be accurate in this area. Certainly the Indian Country map does not show what appear to be major roads at that point. You will need to keep traveling in a general southwest direction.

A couple miles after the road straightens out, it forks, and both forks look evenly used. If you go straight, you will come to a finger of water which is either Lake Powell or one of its feeders. If you bear right, the road goes up over a small rise and appears to head back into the hills in a direction you do not want to go. Bear right anyway. About 1/4 mile later, you will pass a relatively new corral on your right, and shortly after that, the road abruptly turns back to the left towards the southwest.

The farther you drive, the wider and rougher the road becomes. Traffic begins to pick up and soon you will be on US 89 about 5 miles west of Page, Arizona.

 

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