Grand Staircase

Hell’s Backbone Milky Way – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Hell’s Backbone Road (Forest Road 153) is a 38-mile mostly unpaved road that connects the towns of Boulder, Utah and Escalante, Utah.

Halfway along the road is Hell’s Backbone Bridge, which is 109 feet (33 m) long, and 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. A 1,500-foot (460 m) drop is on either side. Near the bridge are views of the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness. From late spring to autumn, the road, which climbs to more than 9,000 feet (2,750 m) elevation, is passable by ordinary passenger vehicles, but it is very narrow and winding.

The road was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1930’s. A side road branches off to an excellent campground at Posey Lake.

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Hell’s Backbone Sunrise – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Grand Staircase-Escalante - Hells Backbone (70A10)

Hell’s Backbone Road (Forest Road 153) is a 38-mile mostly unpaved road that connects the towns of Boulder, Utah and Escalante, Utah.

Halfway along the road is Hell’s Backbone Bridge, which is 109 feet (33 m) long, and 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. A 1,500-foot (460 m) drop is on either side. Near the bridge are views of the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness. From late spring to autumn, the road, which climbs to more than 9,000 feet (2,750 m) elevation, is passable by ordinary passenger vehicles, but it is very narrow and winding.

The road was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1930’s. A side road branches off to an excellent campground at Posey Lake.

Continue reading “Hell’s Backbone Sunrise – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument” →

Four Trolls – Devils’ Garden – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Devil’s Garden is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s about 18 miles from Escalante, Utah down Hole-in-the-Rock road.

The road is unpaved with deadpan washboard, but any car is suitatable. The garden features two arches, these trolls and other interesting rock formations.

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Lower Calf Creek Falls – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Calf Creek is a perennial stream located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There are two waterfalls which you can visit, the upper falls and the lower falls. The lower falls is more accessible, a bigger drop, and much more popular.

The 6-mile out-and-back hike to the lower falls is relatively flat, and the trailhead is located just off of Utah Scenic Byway 12, the highway between Escalante and Boulder. There is a sign for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Calf Creek Recreation Area.

Although the trail is flat, it is somewhat of a slug as much of it is in the sand.

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Wahweap Hoodoos, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Part 2

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Wahweap Hoodoos

Hike Details

It’s an 8 or 9 Mile Out and Back Hike to the Wahweap Hoodoos. 4-weel drive vehicles can get a little closer.

The best light is just before sunrise and an hour or so after sunrise.

The elevation gain is minimal, about 400 feet spread out over miles. Getting to the trailhead early enough in the morning then hiking in to be there at the right time is the main difficulty.

Summers are hot. The hike is best in Spring or Autumn. In the winter, there is no direct light on the hoodoos but the light is soft and nice.

Image Details

I took a number of images just before and after sunrise.

The lead image is just after sunrise before the light hit the hoodoos. The caps are of a harder sandstone than the white entrada sandstone that is eroding away much faster.

The lead image was F16 for 1/30 of a second at ISO 200 with a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens on a  EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera at 35mm.

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Wahweap Hoodoos, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Towers of Silence 

 

Hike Details

It’s an 8 or 9 Mile Out and Back Hike to the Wahweap Hoodoos. 4-weel drive vehicles can get a little closer.

The best light is just before sunrise and an hour or so after sunrise.

The elevation gain is minimal, about 400 feet spread out over miles. Getting to the trailhead early enough in the morning then hiking in to be there at the right time is the main difficulty.

Summers are hot. The hike is best in Spring or Autumn. In the winter, there is no direct light on the hoodoos but the light is soft and nice.

Image Details

I took a number of images just before and after sunrise.

The lead image is just before sunrise. The caps are of a harder sandstone than the white entrada sandstone that is eroding away much faster.

The lead image was F16 for 1/60 of a second at ISO 1250 with a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens on a  EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera.

I do not normally shoot at that ISO in the daytime but we were there very early and things were dim.

Additional Images Continue reading “Wahweap Hoodoos, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument” →