If you are up for some climbing but left the gear at home, try Round Valley Slot Canyon, a narrow slot canyon with three stages of 15 ft drops to the floor. Getting down is the easy part, its getting back up that will require a little canyoneering. Take Cottonwood Canyon road for about 5+ miles to the Round Valley Draw. From the draw turn right and continue for a couple miles until you come to a parking area, you will continue on foot from here. Follow the wash until it starts to open up and drops you into the narrows.

Willis Creek crosses Skutumpah Road about 6 miles up from the intersection with Kodachrome road. From the trailhead, follow the drainage for about 100 feet until you enter the slot canyon. You will want to bring a camera on this hike. The ease in navigating will make it easy to take lots of pictures. There is a collection of pictographs about 10 minutes down the canyon at the confluence with Sheep Creek.

(Canyoneering Experience recommended) From the Kodachrome Roade take the Skutumpah road for 7+ miles until you actually drive over the canyon. You will know it by the deep canyon overlook. There is a south rim trail that is navigable by most everyone, the North rim is a little bit tricky. You will have to navigate a few drops but the mile hike down the canyon is very fun and photo friendly.

This cemetery is all that remains of the town of Georgetown. There are many headstones and markers that are still legible and are researched by genealogists still today. Some descendants of the pioneer settlers are still opting to be buried there. From the small town of Cannonville head south on Kodachrome Way to Yellow Creek Road. The cemetery is about a ½ mile down Yellow Creek Road.

As the name suggests, this attraction starts in the town of Tropic. In tropic take Bryce Way for 5+ miles until it dead-ends. From this turn-around area you can take the Tropic Trail in to Bryce Canyon National Park. You will be treated to the famous multi colored arêtes and hoodoos that visitors to Bryce usually see from the rim above the main amphitheater. On the Tropic Trail you will get to see them from the bottom up!

Mossy Cave is a nice diversion. Take Kodachrome Rd North up to Highway 12. At the junction turn left and continue on that road for 7+ miles. There will be a parking lot there. You will be able to see the famous red rocks of Bryce Canyon from the lot. From the parking follow the hiking trail for about half a mile and you will be treated to a fantastic waterfall that you can hike right up to (and underneath!).

This is a little known treasure that you don’t want to miss. You need to pay attention to the mile marking posts in order to find the trailhead for this hike. Travel west on Highway 89. When you dip into the Paria River Valley,start looking for mile markers 19 and 20. Between those markers there is a parking area where you will find the trail. The trail is very established and easy to follow. Stay with the trail as it descends into a winding wash. The toadstools are about ½ a mile up this wash. Look for cairns (rocks stacked on top of each other at the side of the trail) to guide you to the famous “Red Toadstool”. If you climb up to the top of the ledge you will find a bunch of smaller “mushrooms”.

Devils Garden…can you imagine what kind of weeds you could find there? For this excursion you need to begin in the town of Escalante. In Escalante take Center Street south out of town. Stay on this road for about 9 miles (keep to the right). You will come to an abrupt left hand turn with a small wash on the right; stop here, The Covered Wagon Bridge is a short 5 minute walk down that wash. The Devils Garden is farther down the road so head back to the car and follow the road to the “Hole in the Rock Road” (seriously, that’s the name). Turn right and follow that road until you reach the Devils Garden turn off. Right after the turn there will be a parking lot with picnic tables and restrooms. Explore around the area and you will see why it’s called the Devil’s Garden.

To get to this attraction you need to drive for awhile. Outside of Escalante, about 4+ miles to the east, lies “Hole in the Rock Road”. Take this road south for 25+ miles to the “Dry Fork” turnoff. Turn there and follow the road ½ mile or so, keeping to the left, until you reach the trailhead parking area. This trail is marked with cairns (small piles of rocks at the side of the trail) that will mark the way to bottom of the gulch. These cairns are your only “signs” so make sure you pay attention to their locations because you will need to follow them out on the way back! The first side canyon you encounter downstream will be home to the “Peek-A-Boo” They call this type of formation a hanging canyon, it has a roundish opening and there is an arch at the top. To get to the “Peek-A-Boo” you need to look up on the wall of the canyon where you will see some hand and foot holds that you need to shimmy up to the entrance. It is worth the effort.

After you climb down, keep going about a quarter to a half a mile just past a big sand dune until you hit another drainage to the left.”Spooky” will be the big sandy wash just ahead. ”Spooky” gets narrower and narrower as it goes along, be careful not to get stuck. There is no way out of ”Spooky” so you need to return the way you came in.

For this hike you will need to begin in the town of Boulder. In Boulder, look for Burr Trail Road (just off of SR 12). Turn on to Burr Trail Road (at the diner) and continue for about 10+ miles. At this point you should see a dirt road pullout on the left. Park here. Looking across the wash in front of you, you should be able to see a narrow slot canyon. There is no bottom exit to the canyon so it will be an in-and-out the same way hike. This is a pretty nice canyon so take your time and enjoy.
(15 minute round trip hike)

If you like adventure but you are not the greatest at canyoneering this is the hike for you. Take Highway 12 and look for mile markers 80 and 81. Between these posts there will be a dirt road leading to the trailhead parking area. Looking at the face of the canyon the trail is on the right. Like many of these area hikes you need to follow cairn piles to find the route across the slickrock. Be sure to keep looking back so you can recognize the way out. This hike is worth the effort, the falls at the end are amazing.

Much like the Upper Calf Creek Falls, this hike has beautiful waterfalls at the end. This hike starts in the town of Escalante. Head east on Highway 12 to the Calf Creek Campground. From the parking area the hike is 5+ miles round trip. Expect several sandy areas along the way and this hike is usually pretty hot so bring lots of water, especially in summer. You can cool off by swimming at the falls. If you bring your canine friend make sure they are leashed. This is a developed campground with restrooms and is a fee area with a $7 camping fee and a $2 day use (hiking) fee.

Driving down Hwy 89 to get to Zion is worth the drive just for the scenery. Zion National Park is a jewel in the crown of the South West. Zion now uses a shuttle system to take visitors into the main canyon so park your vehicle and relax as you tour the majesty of Zion. Towering sheer multi-colored walls on your sides, flowing water of the Virgin River and cool meadows in the valley floor await you.

11 miles away, Bryce Canyon with its famous hoodoos beckons to the young and old alike. Take your camera and make sure you have lots of room in the memory because every outlook and trail offers some of the most fantastic views around. Wind carved canyons with pinnacles and meandering labyrinths carved in the pink stone are sure to fill many a memory card.

Be sure to allocate time for this day trip. Take the Burr Trail Road as you leave Boulder, follow for about 20 miles. During the drive, especially the last 5 miles or so, you will be treated to an amazing red canyon with very deep red colored rock walls. On the other side of the canyon you will find a turn-around spot with fantastic views of the adjacent valley.

Another amazing destination along Hwy 89 is Lake Powell. Located both in Utah and Arizona Lake Powell is the second largest man made lake in the country. Lake Powell can store over 24 MILLION acre feet of water. Visitors love to waterskii, fish, and rent houseboats to explore the many twisting turning side canyons that compose the lake. If you have the time, the weather most always cooperates during the summer months.

The Grand Canyon is the 3rd point in Utah's Golden Circle (Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon). Your scenic drive down Hwy 89 culminates at the jucntion at Jacob's Lake. From there enjoy a gentle climb in elevation up Hwy 67 to the Park entrance. At the rim there are many short hikes and scenic drives that show off the majesty of the Grand Canyon. Standing on the edge at the observation platform you can see why this is listed as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.