This hike was very convenient when I had mechanical problems with the truck. The trailhead is only 1.5 miles from the RV so I just added a few miles of road walking to the actual hike.

I was warned beforehand to wear (or at least take) water shoes since the trail crossed back and forth over the Escalante river numerous times. Turns out it was a very dry winter in UT with very little snowpack to melt so getting my feet wet was not an issue. The low river level was actually kind of helpful. In these parts they don’t do a real good job of marking trails. Back east, if I saw a tree trunk down across a path, it would mean I needed to turn left, right or back the way I came. Around here it just means that’s where the tree fell. With the low river level, my most reliable indicator of the trail was frequently the stone bridges built by other hikers to cross the river. And of course, looking at the boulders strewn through the river, my inner kayaker came out and thought it would be a great river to paddle at higher water levels.

The goal for today’s hike was about 3 miles in, some petroglyphs on a rock wall. Fortunately, when I arrived there were was a couple there who agreed to take my pic standing next to the petroglyphs. As an added bonus, they were in a giant, natural amphitheater. And just walking along the river I had to wonder why there were no rock climbers here. It looked like a paradise for them.

Enjoy the pics!

My primary reason for coming to UT for a month was to see more of the countryside. I was able to complete a very nice hike this morning to Lower Calf Creek Falls, between Escalante and Boulder UT.

The owner of the place I’m working suggested that I download an app called All Trails. This made my life so much easier finding local trails to hike. It also mentioned that this was a very popular hike and could get crowded at times so I planned on a very early start. I arrived at the trailhead about 7:30 and found plenty of parking spots open. There’s also a small campground, mostly suitable for tenters, vans or small Class C motorhomes.

If you’re just hiking here, there’s a day use fee of $5, envelopes at the kiosk. I filled out the envelope, paid my money and hit the trail. I’m still getting acclimated to the elevation so there was some heavy breathing involved due to exertion. Take away the altitude and there might still deep breaths just from looking at the landscape.

I didn’t time this hike, and there’s no cell service so I couldn’t use my fitness app but it probably took about 90 minutes to get to the falls. There were a few stops just for photo opps, numerous ups and downs on the trail and lots of deep sand to walk through but it was worth it. The temp at the falls dropped considerably.

By the time I got back to the parking lot, it was full and cars were parked on the side of the road. Seems like I timed this one very well.

Those sandy parts of the trail? A lot of that sand wound up inside my socks. I found that out when taking off shoes and socks after getting back to the RV. If you find yourself in this part of Utah, I would highly recommend this hike.

It was a lovely day for a hike today. Sunny and temps in the low 70s this morning. A big thanks to Google for providing a nearby trail, located in Colombia TN. There’s been some recent rains in the area so parts of the trail had puddles, but nothing that couldn’t be walked around. There were also rock formations/boulders to navigate so decent hiking boots could be beneficial. The trail was fairly well marked with blue blazes. The only time I lost the trail was while checking out the cave. Since I was hiking solo, I did not venture into the cave but it might be interesting at some other time, with a flashlight.

Fortunately, I was also using a smart phone app called MapMyFitness which showed my location in relation to the trail and got me back on course quickly. The trail was not a simple out and back, but included a loop to circle back onto the main trail. According to the app, it was a 1.15 mile walk

The main wildlife I saw on the hike were squirrels but I did hear a woodpecker at one point. I was also the first person on the trail for the day and walked through a lot of spider webs.

Overall, I would recommend this hike for any fitness level but would probably avoid it after more than light rains.

For those of you who are hikers, you know that all the hard work walking uphill is usually rewarded when you get to the top. I got to prove that again while hiking in the Black Hills just outside Rapid City SD. I also discovered something previously unknown to me. These hills, or at least a depression in them, were home to numerous high altitude balloon experiments beginning in the 1930s. The trailhead on route 16 was unmarked so it really helps to have a local with you 😉 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratobowl