A Little Canyon in a Long Canyon. Photographs from the Escalante.
I love the Escalante region of southern Utah. The southwestern deserts are amazing.
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“Let’s try this road,” Maciej said, showing me his iPhone screen with the familiar Google map on it.
“I recognize that road,” I exclaimed, “Oh hell yeah.”
We had rented an SUV in Vegas and drove up to Zion.
Maciej had hired me for a three day consultancy, and my favorite way to do that is by road trip. Maciej jumped at the opportunity.
This road trip took us to the little town of Boulder, Utah, where we grabbed a diet soda and contemplated our next move.
We had spent a day in Zion, a day in Bryce, and now we were going to spend the night in Escalante before heading back to Vegas the following morning.
It was early February, and cold as hell on Boulder Mountain. Snow drifts were 10 feet, and most of the pullouts were buried. So sure, we were going to take a road east from Boulder toward Capitol Reef. In the snow with absolutely no idea of road conditions. (They were fine.)
Did I mention it was a rental?
The road. East Burr Trail was supposed to be legendary for the infamous Burr Tail Switchbacks, and I was eager to see them.
Grabbing some supplies for if something went wrong, you know, like Hostess Cupcakes, matches, BBQ Chips… the important things, we headed east on the Burr Trail.
This was an amazing day of adventure.
The Escalante in snow is absolutely a bucket list must. Hiway 12 is one of the most beautiful drives in the world, and going in winter means no crowds and even fewer cars to deal with.
Cause the Switchbacks are narrow and steep. Other cars are a PITA.
I would love to tell you about the whole trip, but I am going to focus only on one section of it - Long Canyon.
The first 20 miles in were simply gorgeous, with rock, snow, and a brilliant blue sky full of fluffy clounds.
We were heading toward a lower elevation, so the snow began diminishing along the route.
At about 20 miles, the road slips into a narrow canyon called Long Canyon. And it is quite long.
This is a desert trekker’s paradise. From slot canyons to winding rivers, to incredible sandstone cliffs, the spectacular views are wherever you are looking at the time.
The photos don’t show it, but the temp was moving up into the mid-30s, and we were very happy to be able to take off the bulky jackets and explore the area a bit.
Singing Canyon
Just after entering Long canyon, less than a mile, actually, we came to a little pull off for a slot canyon named Singing Canyon.
We pulled in to take a look, and were simply captivated by the narrow walls and depth of this unique landscape.
Guarded by a huge tree, the canyon was just a bit exposed by the tree bones of winter. In the summer I would imagine you could drive right by without even knowing this little gem was there.
Singing Canyon is sort of a micro slot canyon, only a few hundred feet into the rock. But it has such amazing acoustics that I can absolutely understand its name.
(We found out later at dinner in Escalante, that various musicians go there to record themselves or give mini concerts. Cool.)
As a musician, I instantly started to make sounds to hear the remarkable natural acoustics and faint echo.
The hike in is only about a third of a mile, and easy for almost anyone of any age. No scrambling or boulder hopping is necessary.
I wanted to capture the light as it created colors and gradients along the smooth sandstone. I figured it would be a great place to find petroglyphs or other ancient drawings, but alas none were seen.
As you make a little turn around a large outcropping, you face an incredible sight.
The canyon seems to close as though it was clipped shut by some enormous energy. The canyon vanishes into an impenetrable wall of rock.
With the little light filtering in from above, I bumped my ISO (I hate doing that) and photographed the reflected blue sky above on some of the naturally varnished rock.
Here (below), you can see what I mean when I say it looked like it was slammed shut at some point. The giant rock canyon seems to exist against this verticle and very powerful rock wall.
We spent an hour and a half in that narrow little gauge of a canyon and looked for ways to bring the massive quality to the tiny frame.
And that’s the fun of photography, isn’t it?
Finding the shot. Knowing it’s there, but not seeing it until you query it through the lens. Searching, trying, revealing, and doing it again till you finally get it.
If you ever do get it.
I want to go back in the fall, catch the changing leaves and colors at the entrance, and see what late summer light looks like bouncing around the walls of this forgotten chamber.
But we wanted to get to the switchbacks and down into Waterpocket Fold before we had to turn back for the night in Escalante.
As I was walking out, I noticed a small tree backlit against the darkness of the crevasse. The delicate branches seemed even more fragile against the incredible power of stone.
I will someday write about the rest of this day, the switchbacks, Waterpocket Fold, and the stillness of the valley in Capitol Reef. This is an amazing place and I am going back this fall.
As soon as the heat dissipates.
Capitol Reef, and the rock of the Escalante can be brutally hot in the summer.
As you leave Long Canyon to the East, you are greeted by an extraordinary vista stretching out before you. In the distance are the Henry Mountains. Few roads, no people, and scarce campgrounds.
Nearly an entire wilderness mountain range.
If you get a chance to take this road, you are fine in a sedan, although right after Long Canyon the road turns to dirt. It is maintained. The switchbacks are steep, but the road is wide and fairly safe unless you are trying to impress some knucklehead.
Dont impress knuckleheads.
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(BTW, the photo on the bottom of that page was taken on Boulder Mountain, about an hour before we headed down to Singing Canyon.)
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The best and life changing trip for me!!! Best memories! Im in for a repeat! 💪😁🔥
What a job you have. Fantastic