Overview

This interesting scenic byway takes visitors from just outside Escalante through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the dead end at the Hole in the Rock above Lake Powell. Mormon settlers seeking a route to southeast Utah in 1880 came to this 1,200 foot cliff and had to lower their wagons down to the canyon floor and cross the Colorado River. The hole-in-the-rock refers to the crack in the rock wall of Glen Canyon which the pioneers had to widen to descend to Lake Powell.

Driving Directions

Hole-in-the-Rock Road is 46 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park along Hwy 12.

Drive 5 miles east of Escalante to the start of Hole-in-the-Rock Road, signposted off Hwy 12. Follow this steep dirt road in a south-easterly direction for 57 miles to the dead end at Hole-in-the-Rock, high above Lake Powell.

The final 6 miles require high clearance vehicles and the road is impassable when wet.

Maps and information are available from the Escalante Visitor Center.

Time/Distance

Allow at least 8 hours driving time for the out-and-back trip, and longer if stopping for hikes at Hurricane Gulch and Coyote Wash.

Highlights

• Devil’s Garden, a collection of unique rock formations and arches, 13 miles south of Hwy 12
• Slot canyons in the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch
• Dance Hall Rock, a sandstone amphitheater and gathering place for the original Hole-in-the-Rock expedition, 42 miles from Hwy 12
• Excellent views of the Straight Cliffs of the the Kaiparowits Plateau and Escalante River slickrock
• Hike down the cliffs to Lake Powell in the footsteps of the pioneers and their 1,000 head of cattle