Where to stay between Cortez and Escalante?
April 3, 2006 10:45 AM Subscribe
Where to stay the night that's roughly halfway between Cortez, Colorado and Escalante, UT?
I'm heading out on a two week road-trip/photo expedition later this month (Vegas, Flagstaff, Santa Fe, Cortez, ?, Escalante, Bryce, Zion, Vegas) and this is one of the holes in my plan. I'm trying to break the drive from Cortez to Escalante into two days so I have plenty of time for diversions along the way, but I'm having trouble coming up with a good midpoint for this part of the trip.
Does the hive mind have any suggestions? I'm not camping this time around, staying in hotels/motels along the way.
As an aside to anyone familiar with the area, if I weren't stopping every few miles to take a photo of something, how long would the drive take in one fell swoop. I'm following the route that google maps provides, if you need specifics. Google says 317 miles will take 7 hours, but that seems like a longish estimate.
I'm heading out on a two week road-trip/photo expedition later this month (Vegas, Flagstaff, Santa Fe, Cortez, ?, Escalante, Bryce, Zion, Vegas) and this is one of the holes in my plan. I'm trying to break the drive from Cortez to Escalante into two days so I have plenty of time for diversions along the way, but I'm having trouble coming up with a good midpoint for this part of the trip.
Does the hive mind have any suggestions? I'm not camping this time around, staying in hotels/motels along the way.
As an aside to anyone familiar with the area, if I weren't stopping every few miles to take a photo of something, how long would the drive take in one fell swoop. I'm following the route that google maps provides, if you need specifics. Google says 317 miles will take 7 hours, but that seems like a longish estimate.
I spent a few days seeing Capitol Reef NP a few years ago and stayed in Torrey, UT. When I was there, there were a few motels, some decent places to eat, no supermarkets, and one partially working ATM. It's only about two hours away from Escalante though.
posted by driveler at 10:55 AM on April 3, 2006
posted by driveler at 10:55 AM on April 3, 2006
Oh, and if your car can handle somewhat rough dirt roads, check out the temples of the sun and moon in Capitol Reef.
posted by driveler at 10:59 AM on April 3, 2006
posted by driveler at 10:59 AM on April 3, 2006
Response by poster: Sadly, I'll just be in a generic midsize rental car, so off-roading is not possible.
My main goal heading up through this area is to see a few things and scope out places I want to spend more time in during the next trip. The rest of this trip is for doing exactly that, just for places I visited last time I was out that way, namely Bryce and Zion.
posted by Jase at 11:23 AM on April 3, 2006
My main goal heading up through this area is to see a few things and scope out places I want to spend more time in during the next trip. The rest of this trip is for doing exactly that, just for places I visited last time I was out that way, namely Bryce and Zion.
posted by Jase at 11:23 AM on April 3, 2006
Do the swing up into Arches, esp if you can get there early in the morning, when no one is out. The main entrance to Canyonlands is thataway too. I was just out in that area a couple weeks ago - there's a number of hotels in Torrey, nothing in Hanksville worth noting.
Do plan on taking your time from Torrey to Escalante, though - beautiful high country on Utah 12 right from the very moment it drops down from 24. That drive - UT12 - is likely my favorite stretches of road *anywhere*.
posted by notsnot at 6:02 PM on April 3, 2006
Do plan on taking your time from Torrey to Escalante, though - beautiful high country on Utah 12 right from the very moment it drops down from 24. That drive - UT12 - is likely my favorite stretches of road *anywhere*.
posted by notsnot at 6:02 PM on April 3, 2006
If you're travelling through the area for the first time, in a generic mid-size rental, I'm going to assume that you're going to follow a fairly normal (but still amazing) route.
If you're doing a scouting photo-expedition, the standard way to head between Cortez and Escalante would be to head up to the Moab area and explore Arches and Canyonlands. It's a remarkable area but also one that's been thoroughly explored by other photographers, notably Tom Till.
If you're interest in the Anasazi culture, head west from Cortez to Hovenweep to start the day and then up 191 to Blanding and Edge of the Cedars, then farther north past Monticello and a short jog over to Newspaper Rock. Aim to hit Moab around lunchtime, check in at your chosen accomodations, and then head out to Arches for the afternoon and sunset. You'll probably want to be at Delicate Arch for sunset.
Start the next day with sunrise at Dead Horse Point or Mesa Arch in Canyonlands; take your pick. Head up to the 70 to Green River, then down the 24 and through Capitol Reef to Torrey, then south across the Boulder Plateau to Boulder and then Escalante. There's way too much to cover over this leg, but if you're stuck with your timeline, I'd shoot Mesa Arch at sunrise then have breakfast at Grandview point. I'd leave Canyonlands after that and head pretty much straight across to Capital Reef. You'll go through some amazing country you'll want to return to.
In Capital Reef, hike at least Cohab Canyon, National Canyon, or Grand Wash. Then head south across the Boulder Plateau to Boulder. The road between Boulder and Escalante traverses a region that deserves to be a national park itself; if there's enough time, head to Calf Creek Falls in the late afternoon and then backtrack slightly towards Boulder to shoot sunset at one of the highway pullouts. You'll arrive at Escalante after dark.
There's no way to cover everything in your first trip, as much as I'm trying to work it out for you. I've spent weeks at a time in the area and yet to even come close to run out of things to photograph and explore. Don't try; enjoy your first scoutings and plan on coming back later.
posted by mhespenheide at 6:17 PM on April 3, 2006
If you're doing a scouting photo-expedition, the standard way to head between Cortez and Escalante would be to head up to the Moab area and explore Arches and Canyonlands. It's a remarkable area but also one that's been thoroughly explored by other photographers, notably Tom Till.
If you're interest in the Anasazi culture, head west from Cortez to Hovenweep to start the day and then up 191 to Blanding and Edge of the Cedars, then farther north past Monticello and a short jog over to Newspaper Rock. Aim to hit Moab around lunchtime, check in at your chosen accomodations, and then head out to Arches for the afternoon and sunset. You'll probably want to be at Delicate Arch for sunset.
Start the next day with sunrise at Dead Horse Point or Mesa Arch in Canyonlands; take your pick. Head up to the 70 to Green River, then down the 24 and through Capitol Reef to Torrey, then south across the Boulder Plateau to Boulder and then Escalante. There's way too much to cover over this leg, but if you're stuck with your timeline, I'd shoot Mesa Arch at sunrise then have breakfast at Grandview point. I'd leave Canyonlands after that and head pretty much straight across to Capital Reef. You'll go through some amazing country you'll want to return to.
In Capital Reef, hike at least Cohab Canyon, National Canyon, or Grand Wash. Then head south across the Boulder Plateau to Boulder. The road between Boulder and Escalante traverses a region that deserves to be a national park itself; if there's enough time, head to Calf Creek Falls in the late afternoon and then backtrack slightly towards Boulder to shoot sunset at one of the highway pullouts. You'll arrive at Escalante after dark.
There's no way to cover everything in your first trip, as much as I'm trying to work it out for you. I've spent weeks at a time in the area and yet to even come close to run out of things to photograph and explore. Don't try; enjoy your first scoutings and plan on coming back later.
posted by mhespenheide at 6:17 PM on April 3, 2006
In case people haven't recomended it enough, CAPITOL REEF.
I've camped there not once, but twice on my way from Durango, Colorado to the Escalante side of Canyonlands National Park. It's exactly in the right spot on that road trip.
When around the Escalante River area, I'd reccomend the Paria Canyon above all others (Takes a few days, is one way - you park your car at the start, and this awesome old lady runs a shuttle to pick you up at the exit). Also reccomended is a trip down the Coyote Creek wash down to the Escalante, a great trip.
Do not, under any circumstances, go down Harris Wash to the Escalante. Trust me, just don't do it. It's a bad deal, they should remove it from the standard guides.
posted by blasdelf at 2:19 AM on April 4, 2006
I've camped there not once, but twice on my way from Durango, Colorado to the Escalante side of Canyonlands National Park. It's exactly in the right spot on that road trip.
When around the Escalante River area, I'd reccomend the Paria Canyon above all others (Takes a few days, is one way - you park your car at the start, and this awesome old lady runs a shuttle to pick you up at the exit). Also reccomended is a trip down the Coyote Creek wash down to the Escalante, a great trip.
Do not, under any circumstances, go down Harris Wash to the Escalante. Trust me, just don't do it. It's a bad deal, they should remove it from the standard guides.
posted by blasdelf at 2:19 AM on April 4, 2006
The Paria river is a seperate river/drainage. It's an awesome backpack, but requires anywhere from 3 days to a week. It starts at the Paria BLM station east of Kanab and ends west of Page (roughly). There is no direct access to the Paria from Escalante; at minumum you'd have to drive west to Cannanville and then south on the (dirt) Cottonwood Wash road.
There is another excellent backpack down from the town of Escalante, along the Escalante river, that comes out where UT12 crosses the river; that's somewhere around 12-16 miles long and is doable in a day but most people would enjoy it more as a backpack of 2 days (or more to explore side canyons like Death Hollow).
The best part about going down Harris Wash is not Harris Wash itself but the many intriguing side canyons.
As a photographer, I still think your most reliable bet is Arches and Canyonlands, but you'll definately want to come back to Capital Reef, Boulder, and Escalante again in the future. If at all possible on this trip, give the area a little more time. Personally, I wouldn't go as far as Santa Fe if I only had a week.
posted by mhespenheide at 10:33 PM on April 4, 2006
There is another excellent backpack down from the town of Escalante, along the Escalante river, that comes out where UT12 crosses the river; that's somewhere around 12-16 miles long and is doable in a day but most people would enjoy it more as a backpack of 2 days (or more to explore side canyons like Death Hollow).
The best part about going down Harris Wash is not Harris Wash itself but the many intriguing side canyons.
As a photographer, I still think your most reliable bet is Arches and Canyonlands, but you'll definately want to come back to Capital Reef, Boulder, and Escalante again in the future. If at all possible on this trip, give the area a little more time. Personally, I wouldn't go as far as Santa Fe if I only had a week.
posted by mhespenheide at 10:33 PM on April 4, 2006
Response by poster: Actually the whole trip is 2 weeks. Santa Fe, Bryce, and Zion are getting the bulk of the time for this excursion.
posted by Jase at 4:08 PM on April 5, 2006
posted by Jase at 4:08 PM on April 5, 2006
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Your other option is to drive to Halls Crossing and take a ferry across the Colorado River there. I have heard it's a beautiful remote drive, but I couldn't offer any advice for where to stay or what to do or how long it would take.
posted by billtron at 10:54 AM on April 3, 2006