In this page, you will find informations and advices we can give, based on our experience
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Utah
"Cottonwood Canyon Road area"
What to do if you have little time : Toadstool Hoodoos and Grosvenor Arch
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, with an area of about 1,87 millions acres is full of sights to visit. As a result, you can easily spend 2 to 3 days or more there (you'll find plenty to keep you busy even if you stay a week).
Many of these sites are on the Hole in the Rock Road, a 62 miles long trail that can quickly become impassable after heavy rains. In dry weather, it is passable for any taller car except for the last 5 miles, which require a 4WD. However, if you want to venture on the secondary tracks, they are often sandy and a 4WD is imperative. Ask about road conditions at the BLM in Escalante.
The other popular trail is Cottonwood Canyon Road with its iconic sites such as Yellow Rock and Grosvenor Arch. Again, the trail becomes impassable during heavy rains. The very sticky clay can keep you trapped. Ask about the weather conditions before you go.
Perhaps less well known are the Skutumpah Road and Johnson Canyon Road areas, which also have their own attractions, such as Willis Creek and Johnson Canyon, respectively. Finally, around Escalante are a few sights including Lower Calf Creek Fall, the Burr Trail which allows you to leave the National Monument to the east, passing through fabulous scenery, and finally the magnificent Highway 12.
Advices :
- It is often very hot, between 95°F and 104°F in summer, and very dry. Because of the often difficult weather conditions, it is necessary to bring plenty of water.
- It is imperative to check the condition of the trails, no matter which one, before going on them: they can all be treacherous. Even if the weather is good but the forecast indicates that it will rain, you should not use them. If you get stuck, it can take a long time to fix the problem and it can be very expensive!
- Don't miss the pizzas at Outfitters Campground Restaurant in Escalante. They are delicious and huge. Special mention for the Kings Mesa!
Wahweap Hoodoos
This site, not very big, is absolutely gorgeous. And the most famous hoodoo itself is worth the many hours of walking. These hoodoos are certainly the best known, with their long white fireplace topped with a brown hat. The hoodoos are grouped in several places, but two locations are more interesting. The first group (GPS: N 37 ° 09,733 'W 111 ° 42,739') where is the most famous hoodoo and a second group, 700 or 1000 feet to the south (N 37 ° 09,590 'W 111 ° 42 752 ').
Wahweap hoodoos are not very crowdy. During the seven hours we spent on the trail and on the site, we have seen ... nobody. A form of natural selection occurs because to achieve the hoodoos, you have to walk for about 5 miles (one way). To complicate matters, almost all of the walk is done in a wash, which is mostly dry, but after storms it can fill with water. We wanted to visit these hoodoos in September 2013, but the BLM rangers had warned us that the water level in the wash reached 8 feet. Therefore impassable. In 2014, two days before our visit, it rained and the wash was still wet but only a shallow stream a few yards wide was in the Wash. This did not discourage us. Finally, the last reason for the low attendance of the site is that the best time to visit is in the morning at sunrise. This involves starting the 5 miles walk at night. There is no real risk of being lost as you just follow the wash, but it discourages many. Otherwise, you must resign yourselves to visit this site at times that are not the best.
It is important to inquire BLM at Bigwater before going to the Wahweap Hoodoos. You will have the latest updates on the status of the trail and weather forecasts. And importantly, the rangers will give you a plan describing access to the hoodoos.
4,8 miles one way
Half a day
Free
GPS trail to download
The hike of 4,8 miles one way (from the 4WD parking area, add half a mile from the 2WD parking area) presents no difficulties in dry weather. The whole hike is in the wash. Therefore, there is no denivelation.
Access : from Bigwater on US89, take the Fish Hatchery Road for 3.3 miles to the wash. There you have 2 options:
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Yellow Rock
This is a place we wanted to go for a long time, but where we could only go in September 2017 because of the state of the Cottonwood Road. In 2013 and 2014, this road was indeed closed following heavy rains that made the track impassable.
Yelow Rock is a place that is beginning to be known, but you are likely to be almost alone.
As the name suggests, it's a yellow, orange hill with some shades of pink and white.
This hike can be combined with Red Top (where we did not go), so it will be necessary to count the day for this loop.
Tip: provide plenty of water in the summer, it is very hot and there is no shade.
1,3 miles - 45 minutes
2 hours
Free
GPS trail to download
The beginning of the hike is easily done in a wash then we turn right and that's where things get complicated. Seen from below, we have the impression that we are going to attack a wall. The climb is very steep, 260 feet of elevation gain, over a distance of 787 feet (slope of 33%!). In addition, this short part is done on a mixture of sand and unstable stones. Then, the slope softens but we continue to climb anyway. Just follow the cairns on the trail to reach Yellow Rock, well visible in the distance. The slope becomes steeper over the last 400 meters to reach the top of Yellow Rock. The total altitude difference is 810 feet.
Access : between Page and Kanab, take the Cottonwood Road for 17 miles and park in the parking lot. This track is quite practicable in dry weather but if the rain threatens, do not engage.
Toadstool Hoodoos
1 mile one way
2 hours
Free
GPS tracks to download
GPS trail to download
Short easy hike of about 2 miles roundtrip to admire some brown and white hoodoos. First you see Toadstool Hoodoos (brown). Rimrocks hoodoos are on the left (West), when walking along the rim. The site is small and not crowded. It's usual to be alone there.
Photo tip : to get a good light on Toadstool, you should come here in late afternoon. For Rimrocks, you must come earlier because they are quickly immersed in the shade.
Access : 26,6 miles north of the dam on US89 North. Parking is on the right. 
Sidestep Canyon
Colorful and Sidestep Canyon are 2 canyons relatively easy to access if you want to walk. One is frankly white, the other, as the name suggests, is much more colorful. Viewed from above, Sidestep presents a strange aspect that we discover only at the very last moment. Its shapes look like mushrooms glued to each other. Colorful, meanwhile, is smaller and contains a particularly known hoodoo : Twisted Hoodoo. Here, yellow and pink dominate.
Loop of 9 miles including Colorful Canyon - 4h00
5 to 6 hours
Free
GPS trail to download
When we went to Sidestep Canyon in September 2017, we combined the hike with Colorful Canyon, which represents a 9 miles loop. The access walk is relatively flat but is done in sand and scrub. It is therefore not particularly interesting and seems very long.
Access : In Churchwell on the US89, take Wells Street to the end, pass the fence and turn right immediately after. Continue straight on following the trail to the water reserve (N37 ° 08 '01.8 "W111 ° 45' 38.9"). Park here and continue on foot. There is however a wash to cross : when it is dry, there is no problem but if it is wet, park before and continue on foot. That's what we had to do and it's this loop that is 9 miles long.
Colorful Canyon
Colorful and Sidestep Canyon are 2 canyons relatively easy to access if you want to walk. One is frankly white, the other, as the name suggests, is much more colorful. Viewed from above, Sidestep presents a strange aspect that we discover only at the very last moment. Its shapes look like mushrooms glued to each other. Colorful, meanwhile, is smaller and contains a particularly known hoodoo : Twisted Hoodoo. Here, yellow and pink dominate.
Loop of 9 miles including Sidestep Canyon - 4h00
5 to 6 hours
Free
GPS trail to download
When we went to Colorful Canyon in September 2017, we combined the hike with Sidestep Canyon, which represents a 9 miles loop. The access walk is relatively flat but is done in sand and scrub. It is therefore not particularly interesting and seems very long. From Sidestep, head west along a fence to the Jeep Trail. Follow this track then turn left (for example GPS: N37 ° 09 '31.1 "W111 ° 44' 49.2" but you can also turn before) to Colorful.
Twisted Hoodoo : N37 ° 09 '23.5 "W111 ° 44' 57.3"
Access : In Churchwell on the US89, take Wells Street to the end, pass the fence and turn right immediately after. Continue straight on following the trail to the water reserve (N37 ° 08 '01.8 "W111 ° 45' 38.9"). Park here and continue on foot. There is however a wash to cross : when it is dry, there is no problem but if it is wet, park before and continue on foot. That's what we had to do and it's this loop that is 9 miles long.
White Rocks
White Rocks is a low-traffic site. It must be said that to see hoodoos in the region, there is easier.
Attention, it can be very hot on this site and there is no shade.
1,9 miles one way
2 to 3 hours
Free
GPS trail to download
To see the most important hoodoos group, you have to go 1,9 miles. However, you must find a path to go up hoodoos that can be seen from below. Hoodoos come in a variety of sizes and shapes.
You can hike up to 6,8 miles round trip (which we did) but you do not see much more hoodoos. The return seems interminable, especially since the hike has very little interest.
Access : from Glen Canyon Dam in Page, take US89 North for 20 miles to the city of Churchwell. Turn right on Wells Street for 1 mile. At the end of this street, pass the cattle fence and continue on the track to the right. Follow the track for 2.3 miles. We arrive at a wash. Cross this wash if it is dry, otherwise continue on foot. The parking is located 1 mile after the wash.
White Valley
White Valley is another hoodoos area that borders the Utah-Arizona border. Here, the hoodoos are among the biggest we've seen. Attendance is very low although access is easy.
Usual cautionary reminder : provide plenty of water as it is hot.
1,4 mile one way
2 to 3 hours
Free
GPS trail to download
Short 2,8 miles round trip hike. The beginning of the path is very easy because completely flat. It is only at the edge of the rim that things get complicated. You have to find a not too steep passage to go down to the hoodoos.
Access : from the US89, take the Cottonwood Canyon Road for 3 miles and park on the small roadside parking lot. Then follow the path that runs south.
Grosvenor Arch
650 feet one way
30 minutes
Free
High white arch less known. The site is very small and very isolated. The hike is easy, short and partly paved, quite surprising here !
Access from South (Page) : from Glen Canyon dam, take the US 89 North for 25 miles. Turn right onto the Cottonwood Canyon Road (track) for 29.2 miles. Turn right for 1 mile. Parking is on the left. It is imperative to learn about the Cottonwood Road conditions before venturing there. It is not uncommon that this one is impracticable in August and September because of the violent storms (flash floods) which severely damage the track.
Access from North (Cannonville) : from Cannonville, head south on Main Street (also called Kodachrome Road) for 2.5 miles. This road becomes the Cottonwood Road. Keep going straight. After 4.6 miles, the road becomes a track. This one is practicable if there was no storm in the previous days. It is better to inquire about the condition of the track at the visitor's center in Cannonville before venturing on it. Take this trail for 9.6 miles. Turn left for 1 mile. Parking is on the left.
Nautilus
Nautilus is a rock formation in the shape of wave / tunnel. It is like a fracture in the middle of a white rock. It's still a totally unknown place, near Page.
0,4 mile one way
1 hour
Free
GPS tracks to download
GPS trail to download
From the parking, walk eastward in the wash for 0,4 miles until you reach the the big white rock and the Nautilus.
Access : from the dam, take US89 North for 28 miles. Take left on the track indicated by a sign on US89 "Bureau of Land Management Visitor Info": White House trailhead road. After a hundred yards, take the track that goes left. Follow it for 1.6 mile and park in a square car park just after crossing a wash.
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Old Paria Movie Set
No hike
Depending on wish
Free
Old filming site destroyed several times. The very colorful badlands remain the only attraction of the area.
Ideal for a picnic with a view!
Access : from Kanab, take US89 East for 33 miles, then BLM585 indicated by a sign. Follow the trail for 5 miles to the parking of the site.
Cottonwood Canyon Road
No hike
Depending on wish
Free
The Cottonwood Canyon Road through the Grand Staircase Escalante NM provides a connection between Kanab/Page and Bryce/Escalante without a major detour. Although it can be driven in a small car, it can be impassable in heavy rain - be sure to ask before taking it. Its landscapes are varied and colorful.
This track leads to Grosvenor Arch, Yellow Rock, White Valley...
Access : from Kanab, on the US89 towards the East, drive 46 miles. From Page, drive 26 miles west. A sign indicates the entrance of the trail.
Lodging
We have tested :
The accommodations, although abundant in Page, are however insufficient and very expensive. It becomes very difficult to find accommodation in Page. We strongly advise you to book in advance. Otherwise, you may not find accommodation or pay very expensive. We have tested :
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Copyright Magali and David BELLEC