Southwestern Utah
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Southwestern Utah - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Calf Creek Recreation Area
One of the more easily accessible and rewarding adventures in the national monument, this picturesque canyon rife with oak trees, cacti, and sandstone pictographs is reached via the 6-mile round-trip Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail, which starts at the Calf Creek Campground, 15 miles east of Escalante and 12 miles south of Boulder along scenic Highway 12. The big payoff, and it's especially pleasing on warm days, is a 126-foot spring-fed waterfall. The pool at the base is a beautiful spot for a swim or picnic.
Hwy. 12, Utah, 84716, USA435-826–5499Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5 per vehicle -
2. Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
This breathtaking, immense, and often difficult-to-access wilderness became a national monument in 1996. And although its federal status continues to generate controversy that has led to reductions and subsequent restorations of its boundaries, this nearly 1.9-million-acre tract of red-rock canyons, stepped escarpments (the Grand Staircase), sheer rock ridges, and sweeping mesas continues to beguile hikers, canyoneers, and other outdoors enthusiasts. Unlike parks and monuments operated by the National Park Service, Grand Staircase–Escalante is administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and visiting its key attractions requires a bit more research and effort than, for example, Bryce or Capitol Reef, which are relatively more compact and accessible. The best way to plan your adventures within the park is by stopping by one of the four visitor centers in the area, the best of these being the stunning Escalante Interagency Visitor Center in downtown Escalante. The smaller BLM Visitor Center in Cannonville is also helpful, or if you're entering the monument from the south, check out the BLM Visitor Centers in Kanab and Big Water. Given that many of the monument's top attractions are in remote areas with limited signage and access via unpaved (and sometimes very rough) roads, many visitors hire one of the area's many experienced outfitters and guides—this is an especially smart strategy if it's your first time in the area. Some of the monument's top attractions are big draws—including Calf Creek Recreation Area and the several hikes and vistas along Hole-in-the-Rock Road ( see Escalante), the Burr Trail ( see Boulder), and the Paria Movie Set and Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness ( see Kanab).
755 W. Main St., Utah, 84726, USA435-826–5499 -
3. Highway 12 Scenic Byway
Keep your camera handy and steering wheel steady along this entrancing 123-mile route that begins at U.S. 89 south of Panguitch and meanders in a generally northeasterly direction through Red Canyon, the south end of Bryce Canyon National Park, and the towns of Escalante and Boulder, before climbing Boulder Mountain and winding through Dixie National Forest to Torrey, just west of Capitol Reef National Park. The roughly 25-mile stretch from Escalante to Boulder is the most spectacular. Allow time to pull off and stop at the many scenic overlooks; almost every one will give you an eye-popping view, and interpretive signs let you know what you're looking at. Pay attention while driving, though. The road is sometimes twisting and steep—the section over Hogback Ridge, with its sheer drop-offs on both sides, will really get your heart pumping.
Hwy. 12, Utah, USA -
4. Kodachrome Basin State Park
Yes, this remarkable landscape in Cannonville, about 40 miles southwest of Escalante, is named after the old-fashioned color photo film, and once you see it you'll understand why the National Geographic Society gave it the name. The stone spires known as "sand pipes" are found nowhere else in the world. Hike any of the trails to spot some of the 67 pipes in and around the park. The short Angel's Palace Trail takes you quickly into the park's interior, up, over, and around some of the badlands. Note that the oft-photographed Shakespeare Arch collapsed in 2019; although the trail leading to what is now a pile of rubble is still open, it's not as interesting as the Angel's Palace or Panorama Trails.
Off Cottonwood Canyon Rd., Utah, 84718, USA435-679–8562Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10 per vehicle -
5. Bryce Wildlife Adventure
Imagine a zoo frozen in time: this 14,000-square-foot private museum contains more than 1,600 butterflies and 1,100 taxidermy animals in tableaux mimicking actual terrain and animal behavior. The animals and birds come from all parts of the world. An African room has baboons, bush pigs, Cape buffalo, and a lion. There's also a collection of about 40 living fallow deer that kids delight in feeding and ATV and bike rentals for touring scenic Highway 12 and the Paunsaugunt Plateau.
1945 W. Hwy. 12, Utah, 84764, USA435-834–5555Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8, Closed Nov.–Mar. -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
This park just 2 miles northwest of downtown protects a huge repository of petrified wood, easily spotted along two short but moderately taxing hiking trails (the shorter and steeper of the two, the Sleeping Rainbows Trail, requires some scrambling over boulders). Of equal interest is the park's Wide Hollow Reservoir, which has a swimming beach and is popular for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, trout fishing, and birding. Keep an eye out for Escalante Rock Shop, just before you reach the park border, which sells petrified wood and other geological wonders.
710 N. Reservoir Rd., Utah, 84726, USA435-826–4466Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10 per vehicle -
7. Hell's Backbone Road
For a scenic, topsy-turvy backcountry drive or a challenging mountain-bike ride, follow 35-mile Hell's Backbone Road (aka Forest Road 153) from Escalante, where it begins as Posey Lake Road, to Boulder. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, it's a gravel-surface alternate route to scenic Highway 12. You can make the drive with an ordinary passenger car in summer (it's impassable in winter), assuming dry conditions, but a four-wheel-drive vehicle is more comfortable. Allow about two hours to drive it. At roughly the midway point, the dramatic 109-foot-long Hell's Backbone Bridge, which crosses over a breathtaking 1,500-foot chasm, makes for a memorable photo op.
Hell's Backbone Rd., Utah, USA -
8. Hole-in-the-Rock Road
On the way to southeastern Utah in 1879, Mormon pioneers chipped and blasted a narrow passageway in solid rock, through which they lowered their wagons. The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail, now an extremely rugged 60-mile unpaved washboard road that's officially known as BLM 200, leads south from Highway 12, 5 miles southeast of Escalante, to the actual hole-in-the-rock site in Glen Canyon Recreation Area. The original passageway ends where the canyon has been flooded by the waters of Lake Powell—you can hike the half-mile from the end of the road to a dramatic viewpoint overlooking the lake. Just keep in mind that it can take up to three hours to drive to the end of the road, and high-clearance vehicles are best (and a requirement when muddy—check with the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center before setting out). However, there are some amazing hiking spots located along the route, including Zebra Slot Canyon (at mile 8.5) and Devil's Garden (at mile 12), which are less daunting to reach. Other worthwhile hikes and stops along the route include Peek-A-Boo Gulch (off Dry Fork Road, at mile 26) and Dance Hall Rock (at mile 36).
Hole-in-the-Rock Rd., Utah, USA
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