Hells Backbone & Posey Lookout

It was early afternoon when we completed the Lower Calf Creek Falls trail, so we thought we'd take the longer (mostly unpaved) way back to Escalante by using the Hell's Backbone road.  A majority of this route (38-miles) is on a well graded gravel Forest Service road road that takes you near the top of the Aquarius Plateau before descending into the Upper Escalante River drainage.  Along the way you can see engineering marvels from the 1930's, cross many streams and visit high mountain lakes.  Our only concern was that the road might be blocked by snow, but with our mild winter this wasn't an issue.

Of course, as we were planning our 3-day Escalante getaway, we checked for benchmarks in the area . . . 
This one was right off the road, but we're sure most people pass it, not knowing it's even there

New Home Bench benchmark . . . 1927
(There were no reference markers with this particular benchmark)

At about the 6-mile mark (from where the road turns to gravel), the Hell's Backbone bridge becomes visible . . .
The road begins to switchback over the next 3-miles before topping out at the bridge
(Click on the picture for a larger view of the bridge)

The bridge doesn't look like anything out-of-the-ordinary (other than being a single lane) . . . 
But be prepared for heart stopping views as you cross this 100 ft span that separates two drainages

This interpretive sign is very interesting . . . make sure to stop and read it while you take in the views
(It tells the history of the bridges that have been constructed since the original one in 1933 by the CCC)

This is looking off one side of the bridge into the Sand Creek drainage

The other side looks down on the Death Hollow drainage

After another 3-miles you will come to a turnoff that will take you to Posey Lake

A coworker, of Kent's, said the Posey Lookout Trail would take us to a nice viewpoint of the lake

Okay, so this unplanned hike was not on our list . . . but who could resist a 1/2 mile hike to a 1930's lookout?
(By the way . . . the sign lies . . . it's really 3/4 of a mile!)

What a great little trail!
We met a two-member trail crew at the top . . . it was nice of them to clear the path for us!

At the Posey Lookout

Hard to believe this lookout still stands after 90 years!
(It was in remarkably good condition)

Heading back down through some aspens . . . there was also a small pond off to Kent's right

Almost back to the trailhead which starts at camp site #14

Looking back at the ridge we just ascended . . . the arrow points to the lookout
(Hopefully, clicking on the picture will make the structure more visible)

Often times some of our best adventures are the unplanned ones . . . such was the case when we decided to take this different route back to Escalante.  It's always fun to think back on what it must have been like to live and work here in the 1930's.  We often take for granted our paved roads that cut miles and hours off a route and forget what these early settlers had to do to travel between Escalante and Boulder.  What they accomplished was certainly incredible!

Lower Calf Creek Falls

You would think in the 28 years we've lived in Southern Utah that we might have hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls . . . nope!  (Wouldn't have anything to do with the hordes of people we always see at the trailhead parking area, would it?) But, on this trip to Escalante, we made a point of completing this popular trail of the Grand Staircase National Monument.  We also decided we might as well knock out the Upper Falls, as well, but that would be a hike for tomorrow . . . today we need to find out what makes this Falls so popular.

If we're going to beat the crowds we need to start early . . . it was a cool 44 degrees!
(We began at 8:00am and there were only three other vehicles in the parking area)

Claret Cup Cacti

The trail follows the canyon floor the entire way . . . 
You are constantly looking up at beautiful cliffs and enjoying a gorgeous desert stream

A good portion of the trail is sandy (but not deep sand) and elevation gains (500 ft)
are minimal as you work your way up the canyon

Calf Creek had several bog areas that have been created by the local beavers . . . 
Many dams can be seen along the way

Several miles up the canyon you will come to this distinctive water stained cliff (interpretive marker #8) . . .
What's so unique about this cliff?  See the next picture for what's hiding at it's base

You will need binoculars to see these Fremont style pictographs . . .
They are actually life size or slightly larger according to the interpretive pamphlet

More gorgeous cliffs . . . 
There is occasional shade, but be prepared for an exposed trail for the majority of the path . . . 
Just our way of saying, bring lots of water!

Fremont mahonia were in bloom along the trail . . .
The strong honey fragrance couldn't be missed as we passed by

A nice alcove that wants to become a natural bridge . . . in a few years!

Starting early had it's advantages . . .
One, of course, being the morning shade as the sun tried it's best to get over the cliffs

Spotted Towhee

Okay, maybe this is going to be better than expected!
(That's a drop of a 125 feet)

Another advantage of starting early . . . only four other people at the Falls

Yep, we'd have to say these Falls are a real gem . . . we see why they are so popular!

28 years later and we finally made it . . . why did we wait so long?

Heading back and admiring another pond made by those industrious beavers

Almost back . . .
These rock formations just don't get old

It was really starting to warm up by the time we returned to the parking lot . . . 
This has become Allison's drink of refreshment after our hikes . . . it's delicious!

This hike was much better than we anticipated!  The big deterrent, for us, has always been the crowded parking lots (which were overflowing when we returned) and the mass of human beings on the trail.  However, after enjoying the Falls for ourselves, we can't blame anyone for wanting to come and see this special place.  You would think, at a little over six miles (r/t), and little shade that many would think twice at doing this hike, but it seems the beauty of the Falls overrides most people's concerns . . . we can see why!  Don't wait to do this hike like we did . . . it's totally worth it!

Cosmic Ashtray

Kent first came across the Cosmic Ashtray when he was watching a photo collage, highlighting some of Utah's natural wonders, taken by KSL's Chopper 5.  Seeing the sandstone bowl, he thought this huge pothole was filled with muddy water . . . as it turned out the water was really rusty colored sand!  This unique natural phenomena piqued his interest and he began searching, using Google Lens, to find out what the name of this formation was and where it was located.  The search didn't take long and, surprisingly, there was a lot of information and directions on how to get to the Cosmic Ashtray.  Since we already had plans to do a couple of hikes in the Escalante area we decided to add this attraction to our list.  Time to go exploring!

The trailhead is a large piece of slickrock at the end of a two-track road . . .
As you can see, the road continues but is blocked from further travel at this point

We followed the sandy road for about a half mile until it turned away from the cliffs pictured above . . .
Fortunately, we quickly caught a well used social trail that guided us to the much easier walking slickrock

Once we arrived at the slickrock the rock cairns mostly disappeared

Make sure you have enough water for this hike (very exposed most of the way)  . . .
It was the only depression that had any moisture . . . thankfully, we didn't have to filter water!

Moqui marbles were everywhere

It's a good idea to have GPS tracks or, at least, coordinates for this trek as there isn't a trail . . .
Kent's GPS route shows we need to head for the rock formation above his right shoulder

Mojave Sand Verbena

Kent thought we were supposed to head up the slickrock, but quickly realized we had turned too soon . . . 
We needed to continue southeast for another quarter mile before heading south
(Our best advice . . . just keep the sandstone ramps on your right and keep walking!)

A Moqui marble that never broke free from the sandstone

Once we rounded a point and began heading south things became much easier . . .
As you can see, walking the slickrock was just like walking a trail . . .
In the distance (about a mile away) you can see the south facing lip of the Cosmic Ashtray

Indian Paintbrush

Looking back towards the point were we began traveling south rather than southeast . . . 
The rock butte, on the left, is the same one that was above Kent's shoulder six pictures back

As we neared the Ashtray, there were some nicely colored striations in the sandstone

Almost there!

We have arrived!
Pictures, of course, don't do justice . . . The Ashtray is 200 ft wide and 85 ft deep!
(You could lay the Statue of Liberty, along with her base, sideways in the depression)

There are "moqui" steps carved into the sandstone, should you choose to go down into the basin . . .
Our advice:  If you want to go home tonight, don't go down unless you have a rope . . . it's steep!

There was another couple here when we arrived . . . they were kind enough to take our picture
(This couple took a different [shorter] route to get to the Ashtray and were surprised to see us
when we showed up)

We headed up to the top to take a snack break before heading back

After our break, we decided to take a slightly different route back . . . rather than stay low on the
sandstone ramps, we traveled across the top of the mesa to explore some rock formations
(You can see the same prominent rock butte we used for navigation, above Kent's right shoulder)

More interesting striations

We're headed for these three beehives . . .
The one on the right has something interesting going on with it . . . we need to check it out!

At the base of the beehive were "tons" of interesting rock features that had broken off from the top

Here's a closeup of the beehive from where they had come

What on earth went on here?  Talk about the great unconformity!  What a mess!

After the beehives we decided to head cross country, over the mesa, towards the nipple
at the top left of the picture.
(Click on the picture for an enlarged view)

At the base of the nipple from the last picture . . . 
We were surprised at the effort it took to reach this mound . . . there was a deep wash, sand and no shade . . .
At this point we dropped off the mesa and rejoined our route as we headed back to the truck

Looks like we aren't the only one's feeling lost!

What a good sight to see!
It's been a great day, but much longer than we had expected!

What a great adventure!  Part of the fun was navigating the terrain, using the GPS, to locate the Cosmic Ashtray.  By the time we reached the truck we were pretty worn out.  We were expecting our route to cover about 7.5 miles, but ended up doing close to 8.7 . . . it's been awhile since we've hiked that far!

If you'd like more information on this hike, check out Road Trip Ryan's website.  As we mentioned earlier there are two routes to get to the Cosmic Ashtray.  The one we took is known as the "Old Sheffield Road" route . . . it involves a six-mile drive on a good scenic road, but a longer hike.  The other route is called "Harris Wash" . . . you must travel 25-miles on dirt roads, but shortens the hike to about a mile. (Click on the links above for more information on the two routes).  Thanks, again, to Road Trip Ryan for making this information free and for providing GPS tracks that we could download!