Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument March 2012

[NateGeesaman]

I recently had the good fortune of spending time along the Hole in the Rock Road area in Grand Staircase with my girlfriend. She has been so busy that she has missed out on my last few trips and it was good to spend an extended chunk of time in the desert and on the road with her. We left SLC around 6:00 A.M. and had a good hundred miles on the road before the sun rise.

We stopped by Bryce on the way to our final destination and had some nice clouds and light.

Ariel Bryce Pano by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Bryce Vertorama by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

We were back on the road quickly though, as I was worried about squeezing in a good size hike and finding a good camp spot before dark. We arrived at the Zebra Canyon Trailhead around noon. Thanks to everyone from the backcountrypost.com/forum/ community for helping me decide on and find this hike. The trail did not suck and had a lot of beauty to share.


Along Zebra Canyon Trail by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


IMG_8982 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Escalante Textures by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

We made our way to the mouth of Zebra Canyon which was not difficult to find with the maps and instructions that backcountrypost.com/forum members led me to:
Zebra Entrance by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

On to the innards of the Zebra:


Zebra Canyon 2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Zebra Canyon by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Zebra Slot by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

After the long drive and deep sand slog section of the hike, we were tired and we reluctantly decided to skip the search for Tunnel Slot.


Ariel Zebra Yawn by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

So back along the beautiful trail we went.

Zebra trail pano low by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Zebra trail pano low by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Zebra Trail Pano 2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr



Now to find a camp spot. We checked out the road to Harris Wash and the primitive spots along that road, but decided to keep looking and continued South along H.I.T.R. Road.

We arrived at Dancehall Rock during a dull sunset:


Dancehall Rock by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

We found the Dancehall Rock area to be quite appealing and started a fire and cooked up our tin foil dinners. I took star shots while they cooked and played with long single exposure star trails. We had beautiful clouds all day, but come night time there was only a thin layer of high clouds to speak of and I had a good 1-2 hour window to shoot some stars. It was a great way to round off an extremely beautiful day.


Southern Dancehall Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Dancehall rock trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

When I woke up after a hearty nights sleep in the back of my Subie, I decided to explore the area east of Dancehall Rock for a bit while Ariel finished getting her z's. I climbed on top of Dancehall and did my morning ritual and took in all the beauty around.


Above Dancehall by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

This area was way more beautiful than one would imagine after seeing it from the road. I had a great time climbing around and looking at the monstrous potholes and the beautiful desert gardens inside them. I didn't get any good pics of the potholes because of harsh bright morning light. There was beauty all around though.


Sand dance by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Back on the road, we went to Devil's Garden and then all the way back out to the visitors center (like we should have done on the way in) to try and talk them into letting me camp there and get night shots in the area. Not happening


gnomage by NateGeesaman, on Flickr
Hoodoo of Devil's Garden by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Devil's Garden Scene by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Then it was on to the Dry Fork Slot Canyons. We hiked down to dry fork the wrong way, which was well marked with cairns. We dropped into the Dry Fork at the mouth of Spooky rather than Peek-a-boo. So we did Spooky first.

Spooky Canyon Curves by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Spooky Canyon Ride by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Spooky2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

This canyon was great! Such a fun, unique, and exciting place to go on a hike. Sadly, this was the only of the 4 slots we experienced. We tried to hike the loop to Peek-a-boo, but wound up cutting the wrong way back to the Dry Fork. We tried for a bit to find Peek-a-boo and even saw it clearly once we started to climb back out towards the trail head, but with tired legs from the back and forth in the deep sand... next time I guess.

Now to look for a camp spot close to Devil's Garden so as to accommodate my "need" to take star shots back there. We found a decent enough spot along the Harris Wash Road that was only 3.7 miles from Devil's Garden. So we cooked dinner and enjoyed the sunset waiting for stars to arrive.
You can see Jupiter and Venus directly above us in the twilight sky.


IMG_9945_2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


IMG_9936_2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Then on to Devil's Garden to capture some stars:


Hoodoos and Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Devil's Garden Night by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

4 gnomes startrails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

I would start one of my long exposures and then go check on Ariel who was reading in the car.
At one point when I went to go check on her, a big truck was slowly pulling into the parking area and I was worried this was the same ranger who told me I could definitely not camp there and the picnic are was for DAY use , but it was just some friendly people from my home state of Illinois who were looking for a spot to camp. I hope I was of some help to them.


Devil's Hoodoo Night by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Metate night by
NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Then it was back to Harris Wash Road. The 3.7 mile drive to our spot was easy, but our spot was hard to find in the dark, even knowing the exact distance. After arriving back at camp I shot some more star trails and we drank some good beers around the fire before going to bed.


Grand Staircase Trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr


Harris Wash Juniper trails by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

There was a decent sunrise in the morning.


Harris Wash Sunrise by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

We had some bomb curry vegetable soup for breakfast and then got on the road home.

Of course Bryce was on the way home again so we did the short Mossy Cave Trail:

Bryce Pano by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Mossy Desert by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

This was an irrigation ditch dug by early Mormon settlers in the area:

Bryce Verto 2 by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

The cave's ice was on the wane, but still quite spectacular:


Mossy Cave Pano by NateGeesaman, on Flickr

Then it was back on the road. My camera batteries all pooped out by this point, but there were beautiful Lenticlar clouds all over on the drive home and it made for an extremely scenic and pleasurable time in the car. As if the trip home couldn't get any nicer, we stopped by the hot springs in Meadow and took a nice dip enjoying the beautiful weather and mountain scenery that place had on offer. After that, smooth sailing all the way home.


Featured image for slideshow:

 

[John Fowler]

Great report! Looks like you've got the star photography down pat.

 

[NateGeesaman]

Great report! Looks like you've got the star photography down pat.

thanks. always learning, not quite down pat, but thanks

 

[Nick]

Killer trip report and pics! I'm so jealous. I need to get my arse down to Escalante again!

If you ever find yourself in need of another close spot to Devils Garden, let me know, one of my favs is very near there. Still far enough you'd want to drive but much closer than 3.7 miles.

 

[Yvonne]

wow, what a great report!!
And a lot of killer shots!! :twothumbs:
I definitely like the Devils Garden Night Shots, that's something I want to do this year as well.
And I also like the Dance Hall Rock Camp, I camped there a few times.
I'm surprised, Zebra Slot was dry during your visit.

 

[intuitive cat]

great report. great shots!
Nate, where in Illinois are you from? I grew up in Central Illinois. Lincoln, to be exact.

 

[Tyler]

Awesome TR. Looks like you still took good advantage to experience some diverse scenery, which is what I love about Utah.

 

[NateGeesaman]

Killer trip report and pics! I'm so jealous. I need to get my arse down to Escalante again!

If you ever find yourself in need of another close spot to Devils Garden, let me know, one of my favs is very near there. Still far enough you'd want to drive but much closer than 3.7 miles.

Thanks! I may well be asking you about that spot.

wow, what a great report!!
And a lot of killer shots!! :twothumbs:
I definitely like the Devils Garden Night Shots, that's something I want to do this year as well.
And I also like the Dance Hall Rock Camp, I camped there a few times.
I'm surprised, Zebra Slot was dry during your visit.

Thanks! After hearing a few stories about the pool before Zebra and recent weather, I felt quite lucky not to have trudged through the freezing cold soft sandy bottom pool that often resides there. I look forward to seeing your shots of this area.

great report. great shots!
Nate, where in Illinois are you from? I grew up in Central Illinois. Lincoln, to be exact.

Thanks! Fellow Midwesterners! I was born in Chicago and my old man still lives there. I have family in Geneva and Aurora too. I am super happy to have landed in Utah, but I still visit back there every so often.

Awesome TR. Looks like you still took good advantage to experience some diverse scenery, which is what I love about Utah.

Thanks! Agreed, Utah is bomb.

 

[intuitive cat]

NateGeesaman , I was in Chicago for 18 years before moving to Boulder UT. was a northsider - most of my time living in Ravenswood (Ashland/Montrose area)

 

[pixie1339]

What an awesome trip! Escalante is so beautiful. I'm torn between going there or to The Needles the first weekend in April. The fact that Zebra is dry right now makes a compelling argument for Escalante. Decisions, decisions...

 

[intuitive cat]

What an awesome trip! Escalante is so beautiful. I'm torn between going there or to The Needles the first weekend in April. The fact that Zebra is dry right now makes a compelling argument for Escalante. Decisions, decisions...

we did just have now last weekend (March 17-19 it snowed off and on), so it's possible that water is back in the slot from melt run-off.
NateGeesaman - was this trip before or after last weekend? that will give us an answer to the water.

 

[NateGeesaman]

I

we did just have now last weekend (March 17-19 it snowed off and on), so it's possible that water is back in the slot from melt run-off.
NateGeesaman - was this trip before or after last weekend? that will give us an answer to the water.

I went to Zebra on the 12th. I think that Summit went a few days after me and it was still dry, but that was right before a nasty forecast. All the Dry Fork Slots seem like great alternatives if the pool is too much.

 

[intuitive cat]

thinking about it a little bit more... most of the potholes & tanks in the upper zebra drainage were very dry, so they would have caught the majority if not all of the upper run-off. only the domes & area directly above zebra would have possibly drained into the slot & it was warm & sunny enough that a lot of that probably evaporated.
if I hear any new updates on conditions at Zebra slot I will post them.

 

[Yvonne]

if I hear any near updates on conditions at Zebra slot I will post them.

It's so good to have you around, I really appreciate your help a lot.
And I will definitely ask about conditions in May/June when I'm heading to the Escalante area for a week

 

[pixie1339]

thinking about it a little bit more... most of the potholes & tanks in the upper zebra drainage were very dry, so they would have caught the majority if not all of the upper run-off. only the domes & area directly above zebra would have possibly drained into the slot & it was warm & sunny enough that a lot of that probably evaporated.
if I hear any near updates on conditions at Zebra slot I will post them.

Awesome, thanks! The weather will probably be the biggest factor in where I end up. If the forecast is sunny in Escalante I'll probably head there, since there are a couple slots I'd like to check out. If you hear anything on Zebra I'd really appreciate an update.

 

[intuitive cat]

It's so good to have you around, I really appreciate your help a lot.
And I will definitely ask about conditions in May/June when I'm heading to the Escalante area for a week

my pleasure. i enjoy helping people find great routes & making sure they know conditions and are safe. (a holdover from my time doing interp at arches i think - mixed with my sense of stewardship)

working at the store, i have to vet who gets what information - always weighing how experienced hikers are of if they are clueless ( you'd be amazed at how many people don't 'get it' when it comes to going into the wilderness.during monsoon season i am constantly having to stop unwary tourists from going to peekaboo and spooky)
i get asked all kinds of questions.
Just found out I will likely be doing hiking information Q&A at the Boulder Mountain Lodge a couple evenings a week this year.
should be fun, could be frustrating...time will tell.

 

[AustinCronnelly]

Awesome TR!

my pleasure. i enjoy helping people find great routes & making sure they know conditions and are safe. (a holdover from my time doing interp at arches i think - mixed with my sense of stewardship)

Thanks, you will be quite an asset for many I'm sure!

 

[Yvonne]

working at the store, i have to vet who gets what information - always weighing how experienced hikers are of if they are clueless ( you'd be amazed at how many people don't 'get it' when it comes to going into the wilderness.during monsoon season i am constantly having to stop unwary tourists from going to peekaboo and spooky)

don't tell me that. Even with being a tourist by myself I very often see a lot of silly behavior. In most cases it is just unpreparedness, sometimes even worse.
I was in Peekaboo last June with 0% chance of storms in the forecast. But storms don't care about it and all of a sudden tstorms were popping up in the sky and I canceled Spooky. Better safe than sorry, you know. On my way back to the trailhead I tried to stop and warn some French tourists.
But they didn't care, or maybe didn't understand. No idea.
Back at the trail head a nasty storm started with rain, thunder, lightning and all that stuff. I somehow felt bad, but at least I tried to warn those clueless tourists.

i get asked all kinds of questions.
Just found out I will likely be doing hiking information Q&A at the Boulder Mountain Lodge a couple evenings a week this year.
should be fun, could be frustrating...time will tell.

Isn't it sometimes exhausting to answer all those questions hundreds of times a year?
But it definitely sounds like an interesting project.

Because I attract bad weather like a magnet, I'm always prepared for the worst. And sometimes I just have to come back and cancel all my activities.

 

[intuitive cat]

On my way back to the trailhead I tried to stop and warn some French tourists.
But they didn't care, or maybe didn't understand. No idea.

The french...i'll bite my tongue about how some of them are. let's just say i put a no urinating sign in my yard written only in french. tour buses of French folks don't like to wait for the restroom at the store. theres nothing like looking up from working in my garden and seeing a bunch of people wandering through my yard picking things up looking for artifacts and peeing all over the place.
yes, this really happens.
There was also a time when i was at the petroglyph boardwalk at Capitol Reef and one of their buses pulled up and about a dozen French women walked down below the boardwalk and squatted to synchronize pee.

Isn't it sometimes exhausting to answer all those questions hundreds of times a year?
But it definitely sounds like an interesting project.

it can get tiring, but at the same time, i get to pick other people's brains and i learn a lot & the repetition burns things into my brain.
it forces me to study routes I have not yet done as well - which makes them that much easier when i finally get to do them.
plus the concept of making a few extra dollars doing something i love to do - talk about the land and hiking - is appealing.
I'll find out soon enough what the reality is.

but we should get this thread back to Nate's awesome trip report...don't want to hijack it

 

[NateGeesaman]

The french...i'll bite my tongue about how some of them are. let's just say i put a no urinating sign in my yard written only in french. tour buses of French folks don't like to wait for the restroom at the store. theres nothing like looking up from working in my garden and seeing a bunch of people wandering through my yard picking things up looking for artifacts and peeing all over the place.
yes, this really happens.
There was also a time when i was at the petroglyph boardwalk at Capitol Reef and one of their buses pulled up and about a dozen French women walked down below the boardwalk and squatted to synchronize pee.



it can get tiring, but at the same time, i get to pick other people's brains and i learn a lot & the repetition burns things into my brain.
it forces me to study routes I have not yet done as well - which makes them that much easier when i finally get to do them.
plus the concept of making a few extra dollars doing something i love to do - talk about the land and hiking - is appealing.
I'll find out soon enough what the reality is.

but we should get this thread back to Nate's awesome trip report...don't want to hijack it

Highjack away amigo. I really enjoy the discussion; It's all relevant. Sorry, but thinking of your garden's sufferings gave me a good chuckle