I just returned from an amazing wild adventure with Desert Dawn's owner, Jeff Sanders in Boulder,…read moreUtah. When I inquired about tours, he called and followed up personally to see what type of hike I wanted. I explained to him that I wanted to hike slot canyons as a day hike, but I was too scared to hike alone. He tried to arrange a tour with other participants. He kept me updated and gave me care and attention until my trip day got close. He even answered any questions(such as type of shoes, rental car, and clothes) I asked. If I didn't take this tour, I couldn't experience and see such beautiful scenery by myself. Jeff took me to one of the slot canyons, which is not so touristy yet, but is a more locally familiar canyon. He showed me two ways to enjoy hiking the area.We hiked on the Slickrock on the way out and through two different slot canyons on the way back. I was so grateful to spend the day with Jeff who knows the area very well. I really like his philosophy, which is to respect traditional skills and simplicity. He doesn't rely on any convenient modernized tools, which makes sense for his business style. He doesn't advertise much and his business style is very simple-web site and word of mouth of people. I'm really lucky to have found him. Thank you again, Jeff-I can't wait to join another canyon hike with you!

From the owner: Desert DAWN Day Tours ~ Campfire Experiences ~ Multi-day…read moreBackcountry Adventures We look forward to designing your next Boulder, Utah based adventure through which we will share the treasures within the Escalante River Canyons and on Boulder Mountain. Desert DAWN guides live in Boulder, Utah and have hiked, guided and taught extensively on these lands. Come Home to Nature, It Welcomes You.

An incredible hike! Definitely worth taking the time to stop here and hike to the hidden waterfall!…read moreIt's 6.2 miles round trip and I will say there is minimal shade so beware of the heat! There is also a lot of overgrown plants on the path so be careful, BUT the end waterfall is WORTH IT!

I have had the pleasure of hiking this trail three times now and every time I do, I fall in love…read moreall over again. This is a really fun 6.2 mile out and back hike. The falls at the end are the highlight of your hike and well worth hanging out and enjoying this beautiful area. Cliffs abound all around you and a gorgeous creek follows you all the way to the stunning 126 foot waterfall. These falls are one of very few flowing waterfalls in the Utah desert. They are absolutely spectacular! Lots of stops along the way to learn about the geology of the area and flora and fauna. There are also petroglyphs along the way. They can be hard to see but once you know where they are, you will always see them. Parking is provided in a small lot but get there early to score a spot. Small fee to park and use the restrooms before heading out on the trail as there are no restrooms on the trail or at the falls. Camping is also available here. Bring a bathing suit to enjoy this chilly water in the summer but be aware as about a year ago two large boulders crashed down into the water below. Thank goodness no one was hurt but we always need to be aware of Mothers Nature power. Remember to Leave No Trace except your big smiles of joy! Happy Adventuring!

The Devils Garden turn off is on the way to Hole in the Wall. Dirt Road…read more At parking , there is a rest room , no trash. The Actual Garden is a 4 mile unmarked trail trek These photos are within 1000 yards of parking. Great 2 Hours.

We had an amazing time at Devils Garden. Be aware the end of the road is dirt so it can get sketchy…read moreif there's been rain recently. We made it through some mud and were treated to some great closeup views of hoodoos there. On the way back we were treated to a close up view of a cattle drive that passed our stopped car. We loved the whole experience!

Amazingly huge and remote place to explore! We only tackled one trail for the first visit, Lower…read moreCalf Creek Falls. It's an easy, 6-mile hike with minimal elevation change, and a stunning waterfall at the end! Definitely bring plenty of water and sun protection- small sections of shade but plenty of non-shaded areas. A fantastic introduction to this area- plenty of red rocks too. Either display your America the Beautiful parks pass on your dashboard, or pay for a day pass and display in your car (this almost certainly varies in different parts of the park- but signage was pretty good in this trail area).

Wow what breathtaking views! We enjoyed our time exploring the area. Parts of the roads were…read morenarrow but still enjoyed it.

About 6mi. R/T if you don't have a high clearance 4WD. Most of the trail is via a wash that is…read morefairly level and pleasant, the last section is up some slickrock to the top of the ridge. All-in-all not too difficult. But OMG is it worth it once you get to the top! One of the most striking vistas you will ever see. Read about the geology before you go, you'll appreciate it all the more, very rare formation with 200mi. views on a clear day. Take plenty of water. The trailhead is like 40 miles from the nearest anything, and that anything is not much. Suggest early in the day or late in the afternoon. We did it at both times and it was like two completely different hikes. The long section in the wash can easily be maneuvered in the twilight but once it gets dark - it gets very,very dark unless the moon is out. No ambient light at all - total dark sky area and if you hang out until about an hour after sunset on a clear night you will be rewarded with a second magnificent view. It's like you can reach out and touch the Milky Way. Just take your time getting out of there - the roads are challenging.

This is Escalante Natural Bridge within the heart of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument…read more It stands at 130 feet high and is located along a 2-mile trail each way just off Highway 12 in Escalante, Utah. To be more precise, the parking lot and trailhead sit 14 miles outside the small town of Escalante. I wasn't so impressed with this Escalante Natural Bridge. If you look up at it...it sort of blends in with the rest of the backdrop. It doesn't really stand out shining by itself high above the canyon floor. My best interpretation of how I witnessed it was like trying to find a hidden object within a colorful collage. And I don't mean to be so specific...but all I'm saying is that overall, the view didn't really "wow" me. I guess I had high expectations since everything in Utah seems to be wondrous...just after trekking all the way to arrive at it, the appearance fell flat. Let me explain the 4-mile roundtrip hike along this Escalante Natural Bridge Trail.... It was difficult. And I don't mean in terms of strenuous...the trail is all along flat ground. I'm talking about having to cross 4 different rivers/streams just to make it here! Yes, be prepared to either take your shoes off and walk barefoot (which I did) or come with water shoes or flip flops! And the water in the rivers (for me being 5 foot 10 inches) actually got up to my knees. I was a little scared traversing these sections. Biggest point of all is that I highly advise you to be mindful about the path of the trail. There are no signs, and you just have to follow footprints embedded in the sand. At times, trust the most logical pathway of the trail. I can't recall the number of moments I had to pause from hiking and backtrack because I took a wrong turn! The 2 miles each way were tough and I had to take my time going slowly. It felt as if the journey lasted 10 miles to get to this Escalante Natural Bridge! In total, I at least used half the day grinding the 4 total miles...grrr! This Escalante Natural Bridge is one of the big highlights for exploring Escalante NM and, there is a 5th stream you can cross to try and capture better/more accessible views looking up at the bridge. Overall, the appearance wasn't so rewarding in my opinion. I tried finding better vantage points but wasn't successful. Though...when I looked at pictures on the internet, I did find more scenic photos than the area I was standing in front of. For those adventurous ones out there hoping to discover better spots for what makes this Escalante Natural Bridge so special...then maybe you can go ahead at your leisure and climb more rocks or even continue further along the trail. I decided to call it quits and return to the trailhead. I accepted my journey's fate and was okay with leaving with the pictures I had taken. Oh well. Not everything can be perfect. I would like to quickly recommend another hike right nearby that was the ultimate best memory from my time in Grand Staircase Escalante. It's called Lower Calf Creek Falls. This was a 6-mile roundtrip trail that took me to Lower Calf Creek Waterfall...simply a stunning waterfall that is an absolute MUST DO! So majestic! I'd say Lower Calf Falls is maybe 3 miles down the road from here on UT - Highway 12. So, although this Escalante Natural Bridge was okay...it's worthwhile in that it can be paired together with Lower Calf Creek Falls. You might as well hike both of them since they're so close to each other. And then for those spontaneous travelers out there...you can actually camp out for the evening in Lower Calf Creek Campground...a terrific setting in nature. Just some final details about Escalante Natural Bridge.... I visited on a Saturday in late July of 2021, and I was virtually the only person hiking on this trail. It's pretty remote and quiet. You can use Google Maps to find the trailhead for not just here at Escalante Bridge, but for Lower Calf Creek Falls as well. In general, Grand Staircase Escalante NM is mostly navigated along dirt roads. It'd be very helpful if you had a 4x4 vehicle to drive to some of the hard-to-reach landmarks. For myself I only had a compact car, so I was limited in the amount of exploring I was able to do. Before coming here and to Lower Calf Creek...you can first stop in at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center. Park rangers provide maps, and they'll offer any advice and itineraries for helping you plan out your days. Alright. This is Escalante Natural Bridge along a 2-mile pathway here in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

Nice little visitor center in Big Water, on the south side of the Monument. Very good scientific…read morereview of the Staircase.

We had an absolutely amazing time on our Cathedral Valley tour today. Not only did we have perfect…read moreweather, we had a perfect guide in Tallon. Tallon is an excellent driver, on roads and most especially off road. In addition to taking us to breathtaking views(which we expected), we had the really interesting conversations, which was not really expected. Tallon shared his knowledge and love of Capitol Reef...from the views to the geology to the history. We've been on a number of tours across the States and we've been on ones we wushed we could end early...but not this one! We were in a comfortable enclosed jeep, had water and snacks, and a great guide. Thank you, Sleeping Rainbow!

We had a great Jeep tour with Sleeping Rainbow Adventures. It was easy to book and the person we…read morebooked with answered all my questions and was very friendly and helpful. The driver was very knowledgeable and told us all about the geology of the area and historical facts. She was also fun and funny. She stopped lots of places for us to take photos. I really appreciated having an experienced Jeep driver navigating the mountain switchbacks and knowing where to go. I would not have felt confident doing that drive on my own. I highly recommend them.

We did the one mile walk and it was super. We saw lots of…read more50 million year old petrified wood as it was created when this area was a sea bed. It wasn't everywhere , but pieces were well marked in the map given at the gate. Colors you have never seen. 600 year old trees still living. Types of cactus i ve never seen And if you know about Lichen, there were many many growths in multiple types and colors. Lichen is alive in full sun and partial shade. There are over 16,000 types in the world. You are highly discouraged to not keep anything you discover. I obey. I went to a rock shop to buy what i saw today. Great Day!

As part of our family trip to Utah's National Parks, we stayed at Utah State Parks since they had…read moreopenings. It was a good choice. This is a nice state park with friendly staff and clean facilities. You get access to clean restrooms with showers and even a dishwashing area. These are excellent amenities and exactly what you need after a long day of hiking the nearby national parks. In addition, the park itself has some hiking and recreational activities available and is located on a scenic reservoir. Very good state park.

A couple of people in town recommended we contact Shawn at Escape Goats for a private day tour of…read morethe area. We wanted to go to slot canyons and see the area, but unfortunately I had knee surgery a couple of months ago, and after some hiking the day before, my knees just weren't up to the challenge. Nevertheless, Shawn created a unique and custom tour just for us, and showed us some out of the way spots that were breathtaking, a slot that was easier to get to, some pictographs, caves and canyons, a view top with hoodoos, an arch and some moqi balls. All along the way Shawn gave us a rundown of the history of the area, and we learned about the landscape and the plant and animal life. We didn't see anyone else, even though it is high season, because he took us off the beaten track, to places only an expert in the area would know about. Shawn is passionate about the environment and the great outdoors, and he clearly enjoys his work! Shawn and the tour were a highlight in our trip to Escalante and Utah! I highly recommend Shawn and Escape Goats!

Sean was an excellent guide to a slot canyon for my husband and me. He's so knowledgeable about the…read morearea- very interesting information along our hike. He was very patient while hiking too. We highly recommend this company!!