As a side trip from Capitol Reef National Park, we decided to hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls in the Escalante National Monument. The trailhead to this waterfall is just off of Utah Route 12 near Boulder. We traveled this route numerous times going to and from Torrey and the southern portion of Capitol Reef National Park.
The trail to the falls is only about a mile one way, but it is very steep over slick rock for the first portion, before becoming moderately level, then moderately steep just before the base of the falls. It is so steep that not only is coming back up the trail strenuous, but going down the trail takes some effort to avoid slipping and falling. There were a few places on the trail that required big steps down and up.
The information we found for the trail says the grade is 14% at the top and my son’s trail app showed as much as 20+% grade over some portions. Anyone reasonable fit can do this trail, but care is advised.
We had planned to make the round trip to the falls in about an hour. When we signed the trailhead register, we noted that the two previous hikers had taken hours on the trail, which gave us pause to consider whether much of that time was due to the strenuous nature of the trail.
Anyway, we proceeded cautiously down the trail. I knew the trip out would require me to stop to take periodic breathers, but I had no doubt that I could safely navigate down and back.
Due to the steepness and strenuous nature of the trail, I elected not to carry the weight of my heavy DSLR and lens. So the few photos in this post are via my iPhone.
Upper Calf Creek Falls and Pool, iPhone PhotoUpper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone PhotoUpper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone Pano
We took time at the base of the falls for photography, snacking and hydrating, before heading back to the trailhead. Our round trip time was 90 minutes, 1.5 times as long as we had anticipated. The additional 30 minutes was mostly due to the strenuous nature of the trail both going down and coming out.
We had done the trail to the Lower Calf Creek falls years ago. That trail is three times as long, but mostly on flat, sandy ground along the creek bed.
On day two in Escalante, my two sons and I went back to Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, this time with several cargo tie down straps to use as aids, if necessary in getting into and out of the upper portion of the canyon.
The two sons with me had some experience with rock climbing. The oldest dropped into the canyon via the steep slick rock at the upstream entrance point, leaving his backpack and camera behind on this test entrance into the canyon. He was able to immediately climb out. Now we knew that at least one of us could climb out unassisted and if necessary, he could assist the other two of us out. So we all entered the canyon to begin our exploration and photography inside it.
This entrance point was in a wide, open portion of the canyon with the very narrow, short section at the beginning of the canyon on one end of the open area and the entrance to the main portion of the canyon on the opposite end.
We looked into the short beginning section first, one at a time, since it was too small for more than one person at a time to get into and out of.
Shadow Photographer. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
While waiting my turn to enter the first section of the slot, I killed some time shooting my shadow on the sunlit side of the canyon.
Shadow Photographer. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2.The upstream end of Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/50s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The upstream beginning of the slot is shown in the photo above. It is clear from the photo how narrow the entrance is and one can only go a short distance into this section of the slot.
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, (three shots HDR, 2.0s, 1.3s, 0.8s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Color Efex Pro 4.
We worked our way through the slot, photographing as we went along.
Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 0.4s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
I do not recall meeting anyone coming from the other end of the canyon on our way down towards the main entrance; but we did begin to meet a few others as we went back up to our drop in point.
Upstream side of a small arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 2.5s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Not far from the downstream entry, there is a small arch cut into the rock, which one can see near the bottom center of the photo above.
Downstream end of a small arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 6.0s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
One has to crawl through the small arch to proceed. The downstream view of the arch is the light area in the center of the photo above. The opening is quite small, so only small people can fit through it. There is some room around the side of the arch, which I recall being rather tight; but it might be possible to navigate around the arch, rather than through it. Going through the arch was definitely more fun than trying to go around it, anyway.
Triple Arch in Peek-A-Boo slot canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 24mm, f/11, (4 exposure HDR, 0,8s, 1.0s, 1.3s, 1.6s), ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Just prior to the downstream entrance there are three large arches, which can be seen in the photo above. The large rocks in the foreground form one arch and the other two can be seen behind it.
Triple Arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 15mm, f/13, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Looking over the rock at the bottom of the first arch, we saw a hole with muddy water in it. We could not tell how deep the hole and water were, so we did not attempt to go further, electing to back track up the canyon to our entrance point. One can see the light at the end of the slot near the top center of the photo above.
Thinking back to the previous day here, even had we or the young Swiss man gotten up the sheer entrance wall at the main, downstream entrance, it is unlikely that any of us would have been able to continue past this point.
We encountered several people on our trip back up the canyon, having to wait at the wider places in the slot to pass each other. As we got near the upstream entrance point, we found a 50-ish year old female hiker sitting on a ledge in the canyon wall. She had injured her knee along the way. Those that we passed in the canyon were her family members, whom she had told to go ahead and get her on the way out. She had only a small, almost empty, water bottle, so we first filled her bottle with water from one of our water reservoirs. Then, thinking it was not a good idea to leave her there by herself, we offered to help her get back to the entrance point, at least. She could put weight on her knee, but had to be careful not to let it bend sideways, as it would give way. I let her lean on me as we slowly worked our way back to the entrance. I was a bit concerned about supporting her, as she was not a small (not obese, but hefty) woman.
Upon arriving at the entrance, we were considering how we could get her out of the canyon and were in the process of tying the cargo straps together, when another hiker came up from the main entrance direction. He told us he had a friend, a medic with technical climbing gear, back down the canyon, if we wanted to ask him for help. Of course, we did. So the hiker went back into the slot and returned with his friend. At some point the injured woman’s family members returned, as well.
The medic examined the knee and recognized the problem. The injured woman was a large animal veterinarian from upstate New York and she knew quite a bit about anatomy and what was wrong with her knee, with which the medic agreed. The medic also knew exactly how to rig up the ropes to make a sling for getting her out of the canyon. He and others then worked the rope to pull her up the steep slope of the canyon, while others went along by her to help and make sure she did not slip back.
Once on the canyon bank, my oldest son used paracord from his emergency bracelet to tie a portion of a tripod leg to the side of the injured vet’s leg to help keep the knee from bending sideways. She was able to use the remainder of the tripod as a walking stick. She and her family began the hike out, while we stayed behind, having a snack before we started back. We quickly caught up with the injured woman and her party, where they had stopped to rest for a few minutes.
We hiked ahead, thinking it was going to be a slow, arduous hike for the injured woman, especially when they got to the steep, sandy slope followed by the slick rock climb back to the parking area.
On our way back along Hole In The Rock Road, we passed an SUV that was upside down just off of the roadway. There were young boys, maybe college age, standing around and a sheriff’s deputy in his vehicle. Fortunately, no one seemed injured. We speculate that they were driving too fast on the very washboarded road and lost control of their vehicle, sliding off to the side and flipping. We had noted that one had to drive slowly or the bouncing caused by the washboarding would cause a vehicle to drift.
In the late afternoon, we returned along this roadway to an area called Devil’s Garden, where we would shoot at sunset and then star trail photos after dark.
Devil’s Garden Rocks, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 62mm, f/13, 1/25s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
As we were scouting around the area, I heard someone call, “Hey, guys”. I initially thought I had walked into someone’s photo composition and looking around, I spotted the large animal veterinarian. She was wearing a knee brace and walking with crutches. We were happy to see that she had gotten back from her hike and surprised to see her out again. She told us she had been telling everyone about how we came along and helped her out of the slot canyon.
Metate Arch, Devil’s Garden, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f/11, 1/20s, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Escalante Devil’s Garden Rock Formations. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 18mm (prior to crop), f/22, 1/8s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4
I know this has been a long post, but I hope that readers will glean some safety tips here, in addition to photographic tips for photographing in this area.
Metate Arch, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 60mm, f/13, 1/50s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Metate Arch, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1/10s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4Devil’s Garden Star Trails 2014. The foreground rock is light painted and captured with a Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm @ 31mm, f/8, 105s, ISO 200. The star trails are produced by stacking the foreground shot with 65 90s exposures shot with Nikon D90, Nikon 24-70mm at 31mm, f/2.8, ISO 200. Preliminary edits in Adobe LR, photos stacked in Adobe Photoshop.
There is much more to see in this area (we never got to Zebra Slot or to the end of Hole In The Rock Road), so I expect I will return one day.
On our last day near Escalante, as we were leaving, we hiked several miles along a sandy creek to a waterfall. I’m including one photo of that fall here.
Lower Calf Creek Falls, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/22, 1/10s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
This will be the last post for this year. I wish and hope that you all have a happy holiday season.
Since, I do not have anything from a recent journey, I am reaching back into my mental and photographic archives for this post. I have also revised the editing of the photos contained here. The original edits were mostly very conservative. Now that I have more time and getting more comfortable with advanced photo editing, I think I am able to extract better images from some of the original raw files that I initially ignored, considering them unworthy of sharing.
In March, 2014 two of my sons and I traveled to Escalante, Utah to explore and photograph in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We had a couple of interesting events associated with our hikes in two of the well known and popular slot canyons.
Upstream side of a small arch in Peek-A-Boo Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 2.5s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
On Monday, March 24 our first destinations were Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons which feed into the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch. We arrived at the parking area, after traveling down the very washboarded Hole In The Rock Road and a heavily rutted side road with signage recommending high clearance and preferably 4-wheel drive vehicles. We were in a high clearance Jeep, so no problem for us. As we were gathering our gear from the Jeep, a rather low clearance, smallish crossover type vehicle, that we had passed on Hole In The Rock Road, pulled into the lot. We were surprised that anyone in that type vehicle would travel the rutted, dirt road, especially after seeing the warning signs; but the road was not wet or muddy, at least, so a careful driver could navigate it. We met the driver, a young Swiss man, at the trail head marker and chatted with him. He told us that his rental vehicle was 4-wheel drive, but I expect it was the more typical All Wheel Drive rental vehicle.
As we all started the hike, which began on a slick rock slope, then transitioned to a steep, sandy slope down into the dry wash, we noted that the young Swiss man, who was using two hiking canes, had a physical handicap that did not allow him normal use of his legs. Consequently, we soon outpaced him.
We arrived at the entrance to Peek-A-Boo slot and, just as one of our references describe, there was a shallow pool of water in front of a sheer drop off from the slot canyon. Someone had put a few rocks across the pool, stacked a few at the base of the sheer wall and leaned a small tree trunk or maybe a large tree branch against the wall as aids for climbing the sheer wall. There were also a few shallow toe holds cut into the sheer face of the rock wall. After some consideration, we decided that with all of our gear, it would not be wise to attempt this entrance to the canyon. We knew, from our reference for this hike, that one could hike up slope in the general direction from which the canyon came and eventually find a place to drop down into the canyon from above. So we began hiking up away from the dry wash. We were not always able to stick close to the canyon, but we were able to hike back in the direction of the slot and eventually found an entrance point at the upstream start of the canyon. However, we were not sure that we would be able to climb back out at this point and we had no ropes with us. We had cargo tie down straps back in our motel room, so we decided that the safest plan was to come back the next day with a few of those straps, which we could tie together and use, if necessary.
We hiked back to the dry wash on our way to the next slot, known as Spooky. As we were passing the entrance to Peek-A-Boo, we were incredibly surprised to see that the young Swiss man, with his hiking canes, camera, tripod and day pack, had managed to ascend the sheer wall to the first level. (There were two or three levels on the wall, where one could stand). We were concerned that the young man might injury himself and we tried to talk him into coming down. He insisted that he had to go ahead, so we stayed there to make sure that he got up safely. As he tried to lift his leg to put his foot into the next foot hold, it became obvious that he was physically unable to raise his leg sufficiently to continue. He then realized that he could not go on, but he seemed afraid of getting down from his perch. We assured him that we would help him down. He passed his gear down to us, asking us to please be careful with his camera. My oldest son was quite helpful guiding his feet into the foot holds, while we were all making sure he did not fall. He was obviously concerned about his safety during his descent and expressed his gratitude to us, when he was safely back in the wash.
We suggested that he walk along with us to Spooky. He agreed, but said he would be slow and we assured him that we would stay with him.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, (three shots HDR at various shutter speeds) ISO 200. Edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4
We arrive at Spooky after about a half mile of walking in the wash. Spooky is a very narrow slot, frequently requiring one to walk sideways with arms outreached with backpack in one hand and tripod with camera in the other hand. The walls are also rough and abrasive, which wore holes in our backpacks as these were pulled through the narrow passage. I am not a big person and both my chest and back frequently scrapped against the walls. Anyone much larger than me would not be able to squeeze through this slot.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 3.0s, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11 (several exposure HDR), ISO 200. Edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The best time for photography in the slots is when the sun is high enough for sunlight to penetrate into the dark, narrow canyon. Light reflecting off of the sandstone walls can create interesting color, highlighting the texture of the rock.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/8, 1.3s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The low light within the canyon can also require larger apertures, slow shutter speeds and maybe even multiple exposures for creating HDR images.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/8 (two shots, 2.5s and 8.0s), ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
Eventually, the slot opened up into a wide, sandy wash, which we used to walk back to the main trail. The young Swiss man took off across country in the opposite direction. He had a GPS and we never heard of anyone going missing here during our visit, so I am assuming he got back safely.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1.3s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/11, 1.3s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
(On a subsequent trip in the hot summer, by two of my sons, they encountered a woman and her children in the parking lot, asking them to keep an eye out for her husband. They had been hiking and got disoriented. The husband hiked up to a higher elevation to try to see the way out and disappeared. He eventually perished, before he could be found. The environment here is deadly for those not sufficiently prepared).
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/11, 6.0s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4
One does not want to be in one of these slots, when there is any rain in the area. Flash floods through these canyons will be deadly for anyone in these canyons during one.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/8, 4.0s, ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/8, two shots HDR at 2.0s and 5.0s), ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
These canyons are beautiful and a joy to hike through, just make sure to use care in getting here. Carry plenty of water, snacks, wear proper clothing and either know the area well or carry a GPS and/or map and compass.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/8, 6.0s, ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4
The rough texture of the canyon walls is clearly visible in the above photo.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/8, 0.6s, ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
And yet, some portions of the walls are rather smooth as shown in the above photo.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/8, (two shots HDR 3.0s and 2.0s), ISO 400, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The sandstone looks purplish in low light and reddish in brighter light.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm DX at 12mm, f/8, 3.0s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
The narrowness of most of the route is obvious in the above photo, which is just a slightly different angle of the same section as in the previous photo.
It is amazing how flowing water over many years has carved and sculpted the rock walls of these amazingly beautiful canyons.
Spooky Slot Canyon, Escalante, Utah. Nikon D90, Nikon 12-24mm at 12mm, f/8, (three shots HDR, 1.6s, 0.6s, 0.5s), ISO 200, edited in Adobe LR, Skylum Aurora 2019 and Color Efex Pro 4.
Part II of this blog will relate yet another significant experience involving a hiker in distress in our subsequent trip to Peek-A-Boo Slot on the following day. So stay tuned for more in a week or so.
