I just returned from an amazing wild adventure with Desert Dawn's owner, Jeff Sanders in Boulder,…read moreUtah. When I inquired about tours, he called and followed up personally to see what type of hike I wanted. I explained to him that I wanted to hike slot canyons as a day hike, but I was too scared to hike alone. He tried to arrange a tour with other participants. He kept me updated and gave me care and attention until my trip day got close. He even answered any questions(such as type of shoes, rental car, and clothes) I asked. If I didn't take this tour, I couldn't experience and see such beautiful scenery by myself. Jeff took me to one of the slot canyons, which is not so touristy yet, but is a more locally familiar canyon. He showed me two ways to enjoy hiking the area.We hiked on the Slickrock on the way out and through two different slot canyons on the way back. I was so grateful to spend the day with Jeff who knows the area very well. I really like his philosophy, which is to respect traditional skills and simplicity. He doesn't rely on any convenient modernized tools, which makes sense for his business style. He doesn't advertise much and his business style is very simple-web site and word of mouth of people. I'm really lucky to have found him. Thank you again, Jeff-I can't wait to join another canyon hike with you!

From the owner: Desert DAWN Day Tours ~ Campfire Experiences ~ Multi-day…read moreBackcountry Adventures We look forward to designing your next Boulder, Utah based adventure through which we will share the treasures within the Escalante River Canyons and on Boulder Mountain. Desert DAWN guides live in Boulder, Utah and have hiked, guided and taught extensively on these lands. Come Home to Nature, It Welcomes You.

I have had the pleasure of hiking this trail three times now and every time I do, I fall in love…read moreall over again. This is a really fun 6.2 mile out and back hike. The falls at the end are the highlight of your hike and well worth hanging out and enjoying this beautiful area. Cliffs abound all around you and a gorgeous creek follows you all the way to the stunning 126 foot waterfall. These falls are one of very few flowing waterfalls in the Utah desert. They are absolutely spectacular! Lots of stops along the way to learn about the geology of the area and flora and fauna. There are also petroglyphs along the way. They can be hard to see but once you know where they are, you will always see them. Parking is provided in a small lot but get there early to score a spot. Small fee to park and use the restrooms before heading out on the trail as there are no restrooms on the trail or at the falls. Camping is also available here. Bring a bathing suit to enjoy this chilly water in the summer but be aware as about a year ago two large boulders crashed down into the water below. Thank goodness no one was hurt but we always need to be aware of Mothers Nature power. Remember to Leave No Trace except your big smiles of joy! Happy Adventuring!

Incredible hike with stunning views at every turn. Easy enough for kids. Spectacular waterfall at…read morethe end. Be sure to grab a guide before the start so you can read about the marked features along the way. Parking runs out quickly.

There ain't a lot to do out in Escalante. Why not drive down a long, bumpy dirt road to a garden…read moremade for the Devil? If your vehicle can do it, definitely go down there. The drive is pretty boring. Straight, not a lot to see. But when you arrive, holy moly, it's amazing. First, WHY is this group of formations out here? There's nothing like it nearby? Fascinating! There is a dirt parking area and some of those wooden information signs that are hardly legible from the years of sun and sand. Such a delightful adventure to run and play among the hoodoos, arches, sand and rocks. It really did invoke a sense of wonder for me. It was worth every boring mile to get there and get back.

Simply beautiful and a must see. We had an amazing time walking and exploring the area.read more

Wow what breathtaking views! We enjoyed our time exploring the area. Parts of the roads were…read morenarrow but still enjoyed it.

Amazingly huge and remote place to explore! We only tackled one trail for the first visit, Lower…read moreCalf Creek Falls. It's an easy, 6-mile hike with minimal elevation change, and a stunning waterfall at the end! Definitely bring plenty of water and sun protection- small sections of shade but plenty of non-shaded areas. A fantastic introduction to this area- plenty of red rocks too. Either display your America the Beautiful parks pass on your dashboard, or pay for a day pass and display in your car (this almost certainly varies in different parts of the park- but signage was pretty good in this trail area).

This is Escalante Natural Bridge within the heart of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument…read more It stands at 130 feet high and is located along a 2-mile trail each way just off Highway 12 in Escalante, Utah. To be more precise, the parking lot and trailhead sit 14 miles outside the small town of Escalante. I wasn't so impressed with this Escalante Natural Bridge. If you look up at it...it sort of blends in with the rest of the backdrop. It doesn't really stand out shining by itself high above the canyon floor. My best interpretation of how I witnessed it was like trying to find a hidden object within a colorful collage. And I don't mean to be so specific...but all I'm saying is that overall, the view didn't really "wow" me. I guess I had high expectations since everything in Utah seems to be wondrous...just after trekking all the way to arrive at it, the appearance fell flat. Let me explain the 4-mile roundtrip hike along this Escalante Natural Bridge Trail.... It was difficult. And I don't mean in terms of strenuous...the trail is all along flat ground. I'm talking about having to cross 4 different rivers/streams just to make it here! Yes, be prepared to either take your shoes off and walk barefoot (which I did) or come with water shoes or flip flops! And the water in the rivers (for me being 5 foot 10 inches) actually got up to my knees. I was a little scared traversing these sections. Biggest point of all is that I highly advise you to be mindful about the path of the trail. There are no signs, and you just have to follow footprints embedded in the sand. At times, trust the most logical pathway of the trail. I can't recall the number of moments I had to pause from hiking and backtrack because I took a wrong turn! The 2 miles each way were tough and I had to take my time going slowly. It felt as if the journey lasted 10 miles to get to this Escalante Natural Bridge! In total, I at least used half the day grinding the 4 total miles...grrr! This Escalante Natural Bridge is one of the big highlights for exploring Escalante NM and, there is a 5th stream you can cross to try and capture better/more accessible views looking up at the bridge. Overall, the appearance wasn't so rewarding in my opinion. I tried finding better vantage points but wasn't successful. Though...when I looked at pictures on the internet, I did find more scenic photos than the area I was standing in front of. For those adventurous ones out there hoping to discover better spots for what makes this Escalante Natural Bridge so special...then maybe you can go ahead at your leisure and climb more rocks or even continue further along the trail. I decided to call it quits and return to the trailhead. I accepted my journey's fate and was okay with leaving with the pictures I had taken. Oh well. Not everything can be perfect. I would like to quickly recommend another hike right nearby that was the ultimate best memory from my time in Grand Staircase Escalante. It's called Lower Calf Creek Falls. This was a 6-mile roundtrip trail that took me to Lower Calf Creek Waterfall...simply a stunning waterfall that is an absolute MUST DO! So majestic! I'd say Lower Calf Falls is maybe 3 miles down the road from here on UT - Highway 12. So, although this Escalante Natural Bridge was okay...it's worthwhile in that it can be paired together with Lower Calf Creek Falls. You might as well hike both of them since they're so close to each other. And then for those spontaneous travelers out there...you can actually camp out for the evening in Lower Calf Creek Campground...a terrific setting in nature. Just some final details about Escalante Natural Bridge.... I visited on a Saturday in late July of 2021, and I was virtually the only person hiking on this trail. It's pretty remote and quiet. You can use Google Maps to find the trailhead for not just here at Escalante Bridge, but for Lower Calf Creek Falls as well. In general, Grand Staircase Escalante NM is mostly navigated along dirt roads. It'd be very helpful if you had a 4x4 vehicle to drive to some of the hard-to-reach landmarks. For myself I only had a compact car, so I was limited in the amount of exploring I was able to do. Before coming here and to Lower Calf Creek...you can first stop in at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center. Park rangers provide maps, and they'll offer any advice and itineraries for helping you plan out your days. Alright. This is Escalante Natural Bridge along a 2-mile pathway here in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

Nice little visitor center in Big Water, on the south side of the Monument. Very good scientific…read morereview of the Staircase.

We had an absolutely amazing time on our Cathedral Valley tour today. Not only did we have perfect…read moreweather, we had a perfect guide in Tallon. Tallon is an excellent driver, on roads and most especially off road. In addition to taking us to breathtaking views(which we expected), we had the really interesting conversations, which was not really expected. Tallon shared his knowledge and love of Capitol Reef...from the views to the geology to the history. We've been on a number of tours across the States and we've been on ones we wushed we could end early...but not this one! We were in a comfortable enclosed jeep, had water and snacks, and a great guide. Thank you, Sleeping Rainbow!

We had a great Jeep tour with Sleeping Rainbow Adventures. It was easy to book and the person we…read morebooked with answered all my questions and was very friendly and helpful. The driver was very knowledgeable and told us all about the geology of the area and historical facts. She was also fun and funny. She stopped lots of places for us to take photos. I really appreciated having an experienced Jeep driver navigating the mountain switchbacks and knowing where to go. I would not have felt confident doing that drive on my own. I highly recommend them.

As part of our family trip to Utah's National Parks, we stayed at Utah State Parks since they had…read moreopenings. It was a good choice. This is a nice state park with friendly staff and clean facilities. You get access to clean restrooms with showers and even a dishwashing area. These are excellent amenities and exactly what you need after a long day of hiking the nearby national parks. In addition, the park itself has some hiking and recreational activities available and is located on a scenic reservoir. Very good state park.

One of the best state parks I've stayed in. I've stayed in over 80 all over the countryread more

Just got back from The Narrows spring trip with Grant and his outfit. Amazing guides with an…read moreincredible knowledge base about the geology, anthropology, biology of the area we hiked through. The hiking was challenging and often out my comfort zone but Grant, Jill and Rebecca were super patient, helpful and made the non-billy goat people among us increasing confident as the week went on. When I look back on my pictures, I can't believe I was up on those ledges and chimneying down those slot canyons. It was way fun! Beautiful scenery, great food, and hikes customized for many levels...

Escalante Canyon Outfitters offers a unique and unforgettable way to experience the natural beauty…read moreof Southern Utah's high red rock desert. Grant's knowledge of the geography, history, flora and fauna is unsurpassed. Sue's planning was impeccable. The guides were great. The food superb! The hiking spectacular! This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip that I want to repeat and I highly recommend.

Sean was an excellent guide to a slot canyon for my husband and me. He's so knowledgeable about the…read morearea- very interesting information along our hike. He was very patient while hiking too. We highly recommend this company!!

A couple of people in town recommended we contact Shawn at Escape Goats for a private day tour of…read morethe area. We wanted to go to slot canyons and see the area, but unfortunately I had knee surgery a couple of months ago, and after some hiking the day before, my knees just weren't up to the challenge. Nevertheless, Shawn created a unique and custom tour just for us, and showed us some out of the way spots that were breathtaking, a slot that was easier to get to, some pictographs, caves and canyons, a view top with hoodoos, an arch and some moqi balls. All along the way Shawn gave us a rundown of the history of the area, and we learned about the landscape and the plant and animal life. We didn't see anyone else, even though it is high season, because he took us off the beaten track, to places only an expert in the area would know about. Shawn is passionate about the environment and the great outdoors, and he clearly enjoys his work! Shawn and the tour were a highlight in our trip to Escalante and Utah! I highly recommend Shawn and Escape Goats!