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Show I Escalante Primitive Area Beauties "So, tomorrow I take the trail I again, to the canyons south." ? Everett Ruess Before departing the small town of Escalante in 1934 to search for whatever incredible beauty awaited ( in the canyon country of the Escalante Es-calante River drainage, Everett : Rucss concluded a letter home with ! those words. The young artists left town that autumn day to continue : pursuing his lifelong dream of wandering along in wild country and to satisfy his lust for the adventure of exploring unmapped regions of the Southwest Today, many others also seek the beauty and solitude to be found within the Canyons of the Escalante. Es-calante. The primary feature of the region, the Escalante River, is a J . shallow meandering stream flowing J between towering canyon walls. i Numerous tributaries, some with perennial streams, are also deeply entrenched into colorful sandstone formations. Waiting to be enjoyed by hikers, many of the canyons offer of-fer exploration opportunities ranging rang-ing from relatively broad canyons to narrow slots and dry washes to lush riparian habitats along streams. The Canyons of the Escalante are reminiscent of Glen Canyon before the waters of Lake Powell filled in behind Glen Canyon Dam. Found here arc sandstone walls painted by desert varnish, natural bridges spanning streams, arches jutting out from canyon walls, and quiet plunge pools lying in the shade below be-low pouroffs. Today, more than 250,000 acres of the Escalante Canyons are administered ad-ministered by the National Park Service (NPS) within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Another 471,000 acres are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Portions of the area are under un-der consideration for wilderness designation. Everett Rucss used two burros to ) undertake his journey when he departed de-parted Escalante. Most travelers to day, however, access the area by means of trailheads reached from the unpaved Hole-in-the-Rock road. This route, first used in 1879 by Mormon pioneers en route to southeastern Utah, begins at Utah Highway 12 five miles east of town. The road then proceeds 55 miles south to the Hole-in-the-Rock historic site where the pioneers pio-neers built a road down to and across the Colorado River. The last 10 miles are especially rugged and require a high clearance vehicle but, before this stretch, 6 trailheads are accessible via signed spur roads. The eastern side of the Canyons of the Escalante may be accessed by the Moody Creek road off the Bun-Trail Bun-Trail just west of Capitol Reef National Na-tional Park. This road leads to upper Moody and Silver Falls Creeks. The conditions of all access roads can vary so check with the NPS or BLM in Escalante before striking out. Lake Powell boaters may also enjoy a few of the lower canyons, such a Davis Gulch and Fifty mile Creek, by boating to the Escalante arm of the lake. From the trailheads many trip combinations are possible. There are few established trails in the area, rather only possible routes of travel depending on the hiker's time, interests, in-terests, and hiking abilities. Hikes range from dayhikes to two week or longer backpacks. While many routes merely follow canyon bottoms, bot-toms, some require route finding ability over and around ledges or across benches between canyons. Routes may vary in difficulty from easy wash bottom walking to boulder hopping or steep and exposed ex-posed scrambling over slickrock. Many hikes require wading in streams, usually ankle deep, but deeper wades and occasional swims across pools may be encountered. A visit to the National Park Service Ranger Station in Escalante, next door to the BLM office, is recommended recom-mended to map out a hike tailored to your interests and abilities. Perhaps the most well known and popular hike in the area is Coyote Gulch with its waterfalls, a natural bridge, and two arches. Hikes into Coyote can begin from any of three trailheads and are only moderately difficult. Because of Coyote's popularity, however, : solitude is often lacking, particularly particu-larly during the spring and fall hiking hik-ing seasons. Also popular is Harris Wash. This fairly easy hike follows an ever deepening canyon from the Harris Wash trailhead to the Escalante Es-calante River, about 10 miles away. Uprivcr about one-half mile from the mouth of Harris Wash is Silver Falls Creek, so named for the streaks of desert varnish decorating the canyon walls. Hikers seeking solitude may wish to explore other less well known or seldom visited, but equally beautiful, canyons such as Moody Creek, Twentyfive Mile Wash, and Scorpion Gulch. Pleasing Pleas-ing dayhikes include Lower Calf Creek Falls, Willow Gulch, and Fiftymile Creek. Preparation for a hike into the Escalante Canyons is essential. The best months for hiking are March-June March-June and September-October. Deer flies and No-see-ums abound in the spring and early summer so insect repellent is a must. Flash floods may occur at any time, particularly during the thunderstorm season, so it is wise to keep an eye on the weather. In addition to sturdy hiking shoes, bring canvas shoes for walking in water. Quicksand may be encountered but it is rarely more than ankle to knee deep, occasionally occasion-ally waist deep. Hot weather may prevail from spring to late fall so carry plenty of water. Springs are available but should not be counted upon; always boil or treat water from natural sources before drinking. drink-ing. Before beginning your hike, be sure to obtain a required free back-country back-country permit available from the NPS or BLM offices in Escalante or at trailheads. When planning and V ;.i ;. : .,. " ,'. X n " , .. j . Is,, ,&fTm?ttf , " t y ;. V t V . if'-!' V j " is0-' f" I '. I ; ' I . , V;. Harris Wash, in the Escalante River Drainage, is a tourist attraction seen by relatively few people. The grandeur of the scenery is some of the most beautiful in southern Utah. (National Park Service Photo) conducting your canyon excursion, please keep low impact camping practices in mind to preserve the pristine desert country. These practices prac-tices include using a backpacking stove and not building campfires. Fires leave unsightly scars and their effects remain visible for years. Also follow proper sanitation procedures: Carry out all of your litter and take care of restroom and washing chores at least 100 feet away from any water source. Human Hu-man waste should be buried in a hole six to eight inches deep and the toilet paper carefully burned. (Continued On Page 12D) s -.'-,. 4.' " ' ' , . V y - Old wagons, typical of many to be seen in Bryce Canyon Country, are reminders of pioneer heritage of area residents. Crumbling ghost town, old cemeteries, rusting turn-of-the century farm machinery all serve to remind the visitor of an era long gone. Primitive Area (Continued From Page 7D) J The area abounds in archaeological archaeologi-cal sites. Treating these sites with care and not collecting any pieces of pottery or other artifacts will preserve pre-serve them for your descendants to enjoy. Appreciate the beauty of the desert and remember that it is a harsh yet fragile environment where damage to plants and soils may last for decades. Treading lightly will preserve our national heritage of cultural and natural resources for other visitors and future generations to enjoy indefinitely. The National Park Service encourages en-courages everyone to learn more about the Escalantc Canyons and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Write or call at P.O. Box 511, Escalantc, Utah 84726, (801) 826-4315 or visit the Escalante Ranger Station next door to the BLM office in Escalantc. Information Informa-tion about local BLM adminstcrcd lands is me Manager, E.v in s EscaUic. L- ;he 4291. 7ffi |