Grand Staircase-Escalante and Kodachrome Basin
In doing research for the trip, I learned that two areas near Bryce Canyon National Park offered a lot of additional opportunities for outdoor exploration without the crowds. We spent two days in this area exploring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
Our first day, the kids and I followed a tip from a website called Earth Trekkers and took a six mile dirt/four wheel drive access road to the trailhead for the Willis Creek Canyon. We, again, got to sing our car’s praises as we had no trouble traversing the difficult road. Norah even got to push the “we are really off the road now” button in the car, made specifically to control braking in especially steep conditions, and we all found that to be very exciting.
The Willis Canyon was a perfect hike. It was interesting. It was cool (as in refreshing on a hot day). It was dog friendly. And, best of all, it was flat. It was the first time the kids were hiking somewhat enthusiastically – compared to our previous hikes, where their participation was always somewhat reluctant. We returned, car muddy, dog filthy, feeling victorious.
That evening, we took a short hike in nearby Kodochrome Basin State Park. The views were great – the trail markers were terribly confusing. After walking in circles a few times, we ended up forging our own trail to reconnect with the path that we knew would lead us back down the hillside.
The next day, the kids and I took scenic route 12 towards the town of Escalante, a remote, wild-westy stop, that now serves as a launching point for outdoor activity in the area. I have no proof of this, but I think this Escalante inspired the name of the similar town in HBO’s West World. Some showrunner must have come here once and found it memorable.
We skipped hiking in this area and instead drove the Hogback, a steep, winding road, notorious for big-views, big-drop-offs, and an alarming lack of guard rails. It would have actually made more sense to take this road between Goblin Valley and Bryce, a few days ago. But, as I learned in looking up roads that are not recommended for RV travel, this particular road was rated the “#1 scariest drive” to do while towing a trailer. I was glad to only have the car.
Eli used a fair bit of this time to catch up on work and to do a big run in Bryce Canyon National Park. The kids made use of both the pool and the ping-pong pavilion at the campsite. We took advantage of a cooler evening to have a bonfire, make a few s’mores, and read Harry Potter by the fire.
