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This past weekend we went down to Escalante to do some hikes that we hadn’t had a chance to do the last time we were down there. I knew going in June would be risky since it gets unbearably hot in Southern Utah in the summer, but it was the first weekend in June and this spring has been unusually cool. Reality did not cooperate with my logic. As the weekend got closer and closer, the forecasted temps just kept going up.

But plans had been made and time requested off. The trip must go on.

We headed down Friday afternoon and met up with a friend for dinner at the Circle D hotel’s new restaurant. The food was good, and they let us sit with Stevie on the patio. The next morning we headed east on Highway 12 to Kiva Koffee. The breakfast there was delicious, and the views were even better.

My only complaint is that they didn’t open until 8:30, which ended up pushing the start of our hiking time back to 9:30. The weird thing is that everything in Escalante seems to open at 8-ish. The only coffee to be had before then is at the gas station on the way out of town.

The planned hike was Lower Calf Creek Falls. It’s a popular hike because it’s flat, fairly easy, and ends at a dramatic waterfall.

The scenery along the way was also stunning.

A woman in the parking lot warned us that she’d done the hike at noon the day before and had to carry her dog out because the sand got too warm for him to walk on. Good advice looking back, but we thought we’d be able to do the hike in two hours total and get out of there before the day really heated up. That was not to be. Stevie was slow in the heat, and we didn’t get to the falls until 11:30. By the time the clock hit noon, we hadn’t made much progress back, and the dogs started whimpering as their paws hit the sand.

We put Amos in our friend’s backpack. I carried Izzy, and Brian lugged Stevie over his shoulders. It was a long 2 1/2 miles back to the trail head.

After we all made it out alive, I declared a moratorium on hiking to Southern Utah during June, July, and August. It’s just too likely to be unbearably hot.

After resting up in our cabin, we decided to head back home the next day. On the way back, we drove along Hell’s Backbone road. It’s a well-maintained gravel road that runs through the mountains between Escalante and Boulder. Climbing up, the temps dropped, and we did a short walk along the beginning of the Upper Box.

It was a whole other world compared to the previous day’s hike. The trail runs along a creek and starts at about 9,000 feet. I’d definitely recommend it if you need to get out of the summer heat.

The drive down into Boulder along Hell’s Backbone was amazing.

I’m hoping to get back down there in September when the weather will be more cooperative. In the meantime, I’m eying Flaming Gorge.

This year we decided to explore our own backyard instead of traveling to far off lands. Initially, we’d planned to venture down to Zion and Grand Canyon because we’d never been and/or spent substantial time in either place. Then I picked up a few guidebooks and read about Monument Valley and Cedar Mesa in the southeastern corner of the state. The sites sounded amazing, and the hiking was generally dog friendly.
We started the trip with two full days in Bluff. Bluff is about an hour and a half south of Moab and in the middle of nowhere. The nowhere around Bluff is filled with Anasazi ruins and amazing geologic formations, and it’s mainly BLM land where you can hike for a minimal amount or nothing. The grandeur of the setting really can’t be described; it has to be seen.

We split our first day in Bluff between Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods. Monument Valley is a fairly popular destination known for it’s dramatic rock formations and as being a backdrop for many a John Wayne film. It’s about an hour south of Bluff and part of the Navajo nation. While it’s gorgeous, the only thing you can do on your own is drive down a busy and deeply rutted dirt road for $5/person. You have to hire a guide to explore beyond this very beaten path.

Valley of the Gods, on the other hand, is nearly as dramatic a setting, but it’s on BLM land with a very well maintained dirt road. You can hike or camp anywhere you like. We liked it so much that we visited twice on the same day: once on our way to Monument Valley and once on our way back.

The next day we headed for Cedar Mesa, an area of BLM land west of Bluff home to a number of Anasazi ruins. To get there, you drive up a steep gravel road called Moki Dugway. The drive could nearly be an attraction in and of itself because of the spectacular views of Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods.

We had intended to hike Road Canyon to an Anasazi ruin that morning, but our guidebook suggested a shortcut that proved difficult to find. We ended up hiking the rim of the canyon and missing the ruin completely. We heard from other hikers that it was pretty amazing, but the hike along the rim wasn’t so bad.

There were loads of ruins to be had in the afternoon. We drove north and then east to the Butler Wash Ruins. It’s a quick hike from a roadside stop to view these ruins, and they were quite amazing to see.

From there, we continued east to Upper Butler Wash Road, a 20 mile long dirt road connecting Highway 191 to Bluff. There are a number of short hikes off of this road to petroglyphs and ruins We chose one of the shortest hikes to Fish Mouth Cave. The hike basically takes you a mile down a wash to ruins and then a cave. Unlike the Butler Wash Ruins, we were able to walk right up to these ruins.

I could have easily spent weeks exploring Valley of the Gods and Cedar Mesa without even scratching the surface. The ruins are amazing to see from a distance, but even more amazing when they just appear in front of you on a hike. Plus the sheer remoteness means that you often have them all to yourself. If that doesn’t entice you, Bluff is also home to an amazing restaurant called the San Juan River Kitchen. Brian and I ate a crimini mushroom and onion sandwich there that was the best sandwich I have ever eaten.
The next day we headed to Torrey. This was the one day that it rained, but we decided to stop at Natural Bridges National Monument. Even in the rain, the bridges were inspiring, and there were yet more ruins to be seen. We ended up doing two hikes from overlooks down to Sipapu and Kachina bridges. A better plan probably would have been to hike the wash that connects all three bridges in the park.

Natural Bridges doesn’t allow dogs on trails. We took this trip in early October when the temps were cooling off and highs were in low 60s. This made it possible to leave the dogs in the car while we did short hikes. This wouldn’t have been an option had the temperature been much higher given the intensity of the Utah sun.
After spending the night in Torrey, we headed down Highway 12 toward Escalante. We stopped at the Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder for breakfast, and then continued south down one of the most scenic drives in America. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop for photos. Outside of Escalante, we turned down Hole-in-the-Rock road for some hiking. We hit Devil’s Garden, Dry Fork, and Peekaboo. Peekaboo is definitely not to be missed. It’s a narrow slot canyon that feels like a playground for adults.

While dogs are theoretically allowed here, the canyons are very narrow and would be nearly impossible for a dog to get through. We let the dogs run around Devils Garden, but left them in the car while we explored Dry Fork and Peekaboo.
From Escalante, we headed home to Salt Lake with a couple quick stops in Kodachrome Basin State Park and Red Canyon. Overall, it was a great trip, and I’m already making plans to get back to Bluff and Escalante.
For dog-friendly accommodations, we stayed at the following:

• The Recapture Lodge in Bluff: Our room was basic, but the hotel has a number of trails behind that were great for walking the dogs. They also had a hot tub which was really nice after a long day of hiking and exploring.
• Torrey Trading Post Cabins in Torrey: The cabins here were really pleasant and cozy. The bathroom is shared and in a separate building, but there’s Direct TV and the owners were very nice. It’s $5/dog/night.
• Escalante Outfitters in Escalante: The cabins here are nice but tiny, and the bathrooms are shared in a separate building. They do have a nice store and cafe adjacent. It’s $5/dog/night.