Summer Trip 2019, The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Wide Hollow Campground, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park 

During our stay visiting the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument we camped out at Escalante Petrified Forest State Park just outside Escalante, Utah. We were lucky enough to reserve a campsite in the park adjacent to the Wide Hollow Reservoir with great views of the lake and the surrounding Mesa's. The campground has great showers, restrooms and most important of us electric after five days of dry camping. We made our reservations before our tip as this park is quite popular and has just 22 sites

Our campsite at the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

Wide Hollow Reservoir at just after sunrise

We enjoyed our first day hiking and relaxing at our campsite. We took a hike on the Petrified Forest trail near the campground. The trail took us up about 400 feet to the top of a plateau to a Petrified Forest of trees that dated back about 150 million years ago. These crystalized trees were preserved by a process related to volcanic activity in this area just after the dinosaurs disappeared. 

Barbara on the trail to the Petrified Forest, The Wide Hollow Reservoir is in the background

Petrified Log shining in the late spring sun

The view of the campground from high up on the trail

Flower blooming in the warm spring sun next to a petrified log

The Grand Staircase at Escalante National Monument has a varied landscape as it begins in the Dixie National Forest high up at about 9,000 feet gradually descending into the the Colorado River basin. The landscape here transitions from white rock to red rock canyons and multiple geological formations that leave you with a sense of wonder that nature can be so diversified in a way that defies the imagination.

The CCC bridge on the Hell's Backbone road in the Dixie National Forest

The view from the CCC bridge on the Hell's Backbone Road

The amazing beauty and vistas of Escalante National Monument 

We were so amazed at the incredible beauty that makes this area of Utah so special. The Burr trail road out of Boulder, Utah provides visitors a great opportunity to see how special this area is and how it must be preserved for our children's children.

White checkerboard Mesa at the beginning of Burr trail road

A red sandstone arch in Gulch area of the Burr Trail Road

The Gulch area of the Burr Trail Road 

Barbara in front of a slot canyon just off the Burr Trail Road

Happy as I can be, Life is good

View of the steep walls in the slot canyon 

Our stay in the Escalante National Monument area convinced us that this area should always be preserved and never exploited for it's natural resources. Our country has amazing public lands It is up to us to protect these special places and make our voices heard. If we do not they will disappear and just be a memory.