The notebook of Grand Staircase-Escalante
Seek the horizon beyond the climb.
Plates, canyon slots and isolated roads in a desert still wild.
At your own pace
Identity summary
3 to 8 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Desert · Nature
Variable accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Grand Staircase-Escalante
Plates, canyon slots and isolated roads in a desert still wild.
Kodachrome Basin, Escalante Petrified Forest and Devils Garden give the most telling landmarks of Grand Staircase-Escalante. Together they form a destination where desert areas and natural spaces meet, with atmospheres that change over the stages rather than just one uniform decor.
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For a stay of 3 to 8 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: conditions to be checked according to the season. A car is usually the easiest way to connect the different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be verified step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Kodachrome Basin
- Escalante Petrified Forest
- Devils Garden
Before you choose
- Car often useful
- Conditions to be checked by season
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
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Kodachrome Basin
Kodachrome Basin is distinguished by its sandstone chimneys erected in a basin with light colours, between pink, ochre and white cliffs. The trails are accessible and very visual, with isolated rock shapes that are well detached from the razing light; the site is particularly suitable for travelers who like to photograph the details of the desert.
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Escalante Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest Escalante exposes fossilized trunks with mineral colours, scattered on slopes overlooking the neighbouring reservoir. The walk climbs in a dry setting where pieces of wood changed to stone reveal unexpected red, yellow and purple; the place gives a clear geological pause between two canyons of the Escalante.
Culture and heritage
Devils Garden
Devils Garden brings together Hoodoos, small arches and blocks of sandstone carved in an easy access area of Grand Staircase-Escalante. The terrain lends itself to a free discovery between the formations, without great hiking, with silhouettes that vary according to the angle and a light often very beautiful in the late afternoon.
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Hole-in-the-Rock Road
Hole-in-the-Rock Road sinks into the backcountry of Escalante, serving slit canyons, arches, secondary runways and slickrock landscapes. The road is long, unpaved and weather sensitive, and is intended primarily for travellers who are preparing their stops and accept a more isolated day.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Similar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
