More times than not, Terry’s spring break is synonymous with road trip, and this year we decided on southern Utah—again. Both of us are hooked on this slickrock wonderland. Which is why we have ventured into these parts frequently over the years. This time we would be taking the camper van, which hadn’t seen a road trip in almost two years—in fact, the engine hadn’t been cranked over in five months! Would it even start? I pulled the car cover off and put the key in the ignition... It fired right up.
Okay, the van runs. But what about me? I’ve been on the bench much of the past seven months, in addition to a creaky knee that has slowly been getting worse over the past year, further bloating my curmudgeon demeanor. But Terry was having none of it. She knew that the best medicine was to lose myself under a big desert sky.
“Suck it up,” she razzed me lightheartedly. “And we’re bringing the mountain bikes.”
Mountain Bikes. I have a love-hate relationship with those two-wheeled demons. They’re thrilling to ride, but more precarious than a drunken late-night shootout in a Tombstone saloon. “Easy trails only,” I insisted. Which was amenable because neither of us were in peak shape. Mellow hikes and bike rides with the dog were on the agenda, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was to be our prime objective. I organized the trip; packed and loaded up the van while Toby supervised—which was his way to assure I didn’t forget his favorite treats and tug toy. When it comes down to it, he seems to enjoy road trips more than we do.
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GOOSEBERRY MESA
This was our first stop, just across the Utah border. It’s the premier mountain-biking destination of the region, overlooking the town of Hurricane with sweeping vistas in every direction. Six bumpy miles of dirt road get you to the top of the mesa, where we camped in a stand of pinyon pine. The single-track trails are well-developed, from cruiser routes to solid black diamonds.
Practice Loop
Camp Gooseberry
The nice view near our campsite.
Ready for more in the morning!
The obligatory pic of my trusty Fuel FX.
A spectacular view of Zion National Park from Windmill trailhead.
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STATE ROUTE 12
Utah’s Route 12—designated a National Scenic Byway—wanders through some of the most beautiful and remote slickrock country in the state. Driving west to east, it starts at US-89 near Panquitch and ends at Capitol Reef National Park. Between those two points are Red Canyon State Park; Bryce Canyon National Park; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. You’ll pass through the tiny hamlets of Tropic; Cannonville; Henrieville; Escalante; Boulder. There are no stoplights. But there’s plenty of breathtaking scenery.
Our destination was the town of Boulder, population 225. Founded by Mormon settlers in the late 19th century, today it’s a tranquil community of small farms and ranches with some tourist lodging sprinkled into the mix. We stayed two nights at the Boulder Mountain Lodge, which came highly recommended by our good friends, Kevin and Denise. There’s also an award-winning restaurant on the premises, the Hell’s Backbone Grill, to which Kev & Dee raved about as well. We ended up having dinner there both nights. It was that good. Other than those two cushy nights in Boulder, we were “roughing it” in the camper van.
Blossoming fruit trees on Boulder Mountain Lodge property.
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CALF CREEK CANYON
The hike up-canyon to Lower Calf Creek Falls is one of the more popular jaunts in Grand Staircase-Escalante. It’s fairly easy (6 miles round trip). It’s scenic. And on a sunny spring day, the small parking lot at the trailhead will be full by noon. Ranchers discovered the secluded canyon in the 1920s and utilized it for holding cattle, which is how Calf Creek got its name. But long before that, it was home to the ancient Fremont people. They abandoned the site 800 years ago, but if you look closely along the base of the canyon walls, their pictographs and remnants of stone granaries are still visible. Our afternoon hike in was warm. The waterfall was refreshing. And then, while lounging at the pool under the falls, in the middle of the Utah hinterlands 580 miles from home, we bumped into one of Terry’s work colleagues. What are the odds of that?
The canyon walls close in as you near the falls.
Der Pudelhund has a knack to finding shade along the trail.
Lower Calf Creek Falls
The falls is 130 feet high. The water was rather chilly.
We ran into Grace, one of the teachers at Terry’s school. Small world!
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PEEK-A-BOO & SPOOKY SLOT CANYONS
“You takin’ that dog into the slots?” the man asked incredulously as we scrambled down the slickrock slabs into Dry Gulch.
“He’s not a dog,” I corrected him. “He’s a poodle. But yes, we were planning on it.”
The man and his lady companion, who were hiking out of the gulch, warned us about the tight conditions in the Peek-a-boo and Spooky slot canyons, and that a dog wouldn’t make it. There was rock climbing involved; he’d probably get stuck; we wouldn’t be able to pry him out, etc, etc.
“I wouldn’t take him if he were my dog,” he advised.
“He’s a poodle,” I corrected him again. And then we continued down the slabs.
That was the second time we had been cautioned about taking Toby with us: the first had been in the parking area as we were preparing to start out. But we had just driven twenty-eight miles down a bumpy, wash-boarded dirt road to get to the trailhead, so there was no turning back now. We would just have to play it by ear.
The view looking out of Peek-a-boo after ascending the 15-foot headwall.
Solo canyoneer.
Entrance to Spooky Gulch slot.
Are we having fun yet?
Getting narrower.
Deep in Spooky, where it’s a tight squeeze—except for poodles.
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ENCAMPMENT AT DEVIL'S GARDEN
After exploring the Peek-a-boo and Spooky slot canyons we returned to the van and drove in search of a place to camp. We found a secluded spot near Devil’s Garden, about ten miles back up the dusty Hole-in-the-Rock road. The sun was setting as we cooked dinner. The stars came out and a full moon peeked above the horizon. There was not a sound to be heard but an occasional owl. In the morning, a cow paid us a visit (open range grazing here), striding through camp with not a care in the world and not the least ruffled by a barking poodle. Terry made coffee. Another day begins on the Grand Staircase.
Tranquility under a big desert sky.
Rin Tin Toby
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HOMEWARD BOUND
Alas, it was time to start back home. For the return trip, we drove west over the Markagunt Plateau via SR-14, where the snow and alpine forests certainly contrasted with the desert slickrock of the past week. Down in Cedar City we gassed up. Then we jumped on the southbound I-15, chalking up another outstanding spring break in Southern Utah.
