Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - A Travel Guide
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - A Travel Guide
My husband and I recently took off for a ten day adventure to explore Utah and Arizona. We flew into Vegas for convenience and affordability before renting a car and heading east. We had made our way through Bryce Canyon. Our second stop was Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This monument is often overlooked because most tourists find it to be too remote. Being that I am normally drawn to adventures that are remote, I researched the area and landed on two hikes for my itinerary, Zebra Slot Canyon and Willis Creek Slot Canyon.
The trailhead for Willis Creek is only about 30 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park and Zebra is about 75 minutes. In my opinion, neither of them are very remote, but I did love that we didn’t see many other people on the trails when we were exploring.
Zebra Slot Canyon is an out and back trail that is 5.3 miles round trip and it took us about 3 hours to hike and stop several times to take pictures. The trail is mostly flat and very easy.
It first leads you through sand dunes and fields of wildflowers (during the summer months) for a mile or so before deepening into the canyon of sculpted sandstone. The tunnel slot is often filled with water and it was pretty cold. We hiked in to about our waist and then hiked back out. The canyon walls were towering and stunning, they are streaked in pink and white stripes.
To get here, the trailhead and parking start 8 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road, just off of Scenic Byway 12 outside of Escalante. Cross to the east side of the road and follow the unmarked trail northeast towards Halfway Hollow, continuing north and keeping right when the trail forks at Harris Wash toward the canyon entrance.
Willis Creek Slot Canyon is an out and back trail that is 4.8 miles roundtrip and it took us about 2.5 hours to hike and take too many photos.
Unlike the very narrow canyons of Zebra, the Willis Creek Slot is an easygoing, flat hike trail following the water that long ago carved the great Navajo sandstone walls into the canyon of today. It’s a photographer’s dream (especially during the morning when the sun is glowing against the orange rock) and was so much fun to explore. The canyon goes from narrow to expansive several times and the colors, shapes and depth of the canyon walls kept changing.
To get here, there is a parking lot located off Skutumpah Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Skutumpah is a dirt road that is steep in some spots with drop-offs .
I would highly recommend exploring both of these trails, they are incredibly beautiful and very unique landscapes. If you need help planning your trip, contact me here:
Images by Personal Branding Maven Elise Kutt at Mod Bettie Portraits
My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.
I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things. Though we desire adventure and authentic experiences, naturally our fear holds us back.
My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.
Anna VanAgtmael | Yoga Enthusiast | Travel Designer