July 6: Today we slept in until 6am before heading to the town of Escalante with my parents following close behind. Just outside Escalante is the Hole in the Rock Road, running 56 miles along the eastern flank of the Kaiparowits Plateau before reaching the Hole in the Rock high above Lake Powell. Our journey only took us 24 miles along this road, which was still plenty for a full day of exploring.

Our first stop was the brand-new visitor’s center just outside Escalante, where we confirmed directions to a little known area where dinosaur tracks can be found. The BLM does not put these in their brochures since it is tough to identify many of the tracks as true dinosaur prints unless you really know what you’re looking for.

Once we were done walking in the footsteps of giants, and making a wrong turn that was my fault, we were at the trailhead for a hike into the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch. From the trailhead, the Escalante River drainage was before us as a sea of pink and red sandstone. After arranging a mini-shelter for my mom and the dogs, Alison, my dad, and I began our hike. Once in Coyote Gulch, we soon reached our destination and the highlight of our vacation, Peek-a-Boo Gulch. Scrambling up the toeholds and squeezing through the passages, we all too soon reached the end of Peek-a-Boo and began our return trip. The trip back up was a pretty rough. Steep, hot, and exposed is not a good combination for hikes in the July afternoon. Thankfully the trip out was only ½ mile.

Following some much needed rest, we returned north on Hole in the Rock Road, stopping at Devil’s Garden, a unique collection of Entrada Sandstone formations, one bearing striking resemblance to the statues at Easter Island.