Escalante River: Escalante Town to Highway 12 Bridge

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Features Fall Colors · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Towering sandstone walls on both sides, massive cottonwood trees, and amazing geology along a relatively easy route. Note: The ascent/descent summary and elevation profile is wrong due to inaccurate GPS elevation readings inside the canyon. The actual route has virtually zero ascent and a slight downhill grade the entire way.

You'll need two cars (one at the starting trailhead and one at the exit trailhead) or arrange a shuttle. There is no cell service at the Highway 12 bridge so don't count on Uber or calling a friend to pick you up. I tried hitchhiking from the Highway 12 bridge to Escalante Town once and didn't find it to be a very hiker-friendly place as I waited for more than 4 hours for a ride.

Use of this area is free, but you must obtain a backcountry permit from the BLM office in Escalante or fill out at a permit at the trailhead register box.

This river flows west to east so I prefer hiking it in that direction as it has a gentle downhill grade, and when you are hiking in the river, it takes less energy to move with the water flow instead of against it. But many people like hiking it east (starting at the Highway 12 bridge) to west (Escalante Town Cemetery).

The Escalante riverbed is sandy, wide, and shallow, and the valley is enclosed by Navajo sandstone. Sometimes you alternate from one side of the river to the other to mitigate curves, but the south side of the river generally has the most interesting features. Look for the Escalante Natural Bridge along the way, as well as an Anasazi cliff dwelling slightly west of the bridge, which includes petroglyphs. Most of the route is best accomplished by hiking in the river itself.

The length of this route makes it perfect for an overnight trip, which does require a permit but these are free to get from the Escalante Visitor Center. At the river confluence about halfway through the route, there is a grove of trees perfect for setting up a hammock to spend the night. Tent spots are plentiful as well.

This hike reminded me a lot of Zion's Narrows at Zion National Park, but it is a lot more accessible, easy to schedule, a less regulated area, and less dangerous for flash floods.