On the third day of our epic hiking adventure in Utah we barely scratched the surface of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and its amazing slot canyons.
When we first pulled up to the {unmarked} trail head I was a little unsure of how we were going to our destination and what we were actually going to see.
But as we hiked through paths of wild sage, dried mud and eventually sand it became more clear.
And once again, just like on day one and two of our hike, it felt like we were on a movie set.
Until it didn’t.
As we hiked closer to the slot canyon the path
The trail to the slot canyon got more narrow the closer we got. I shared a video on my youtube channel last night of our walk through the canyon so you could really get a feel for what it was like to walk through space.
Pictures don’t do it justice! Or even capture how red the rock was. It’s definitely not an area you’d want to be in during a heavy rain, that’s for sure.
I’m so glad I went on this trip with my friend Jen! We had SO MUCH fun.
Parts of it made me feel like I was 19 again and to remember how cool it is to be out in the great outdoors with no cars around.
I told her we should sign up for a trip like this every summer until we can’t do it anymore.
After we hiked through the slot canyons and after lunch we did another little hike in the Box Death Hollow Wilderness.
Hiking on day three of our trip was much, much easier than hiking through Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, that’s for sure.
We checked Jen’s apple watch right before we went to bed and we had walked 19,200 steps. 60,000+ steps in 3 days. Not too shabby if you ask me. 🙂
To be continued…
~Mavis
Cindy R says
What was the range of age of the ladies in your group? Also what did you do for bathroom breaks? When I walk/hike I always keep my eyes peeled for a clump of bushes or trees. We were in Belfast, Ireland last month on vacation and I went for a walk. All of a sudden I needed a bathroom and I was in more of a business section of the area I was in, no bushes, I finally had to stop in at an oil storage facility I was walking past and ask the guard if I could use a restroom. He was extremely nice, and with a straight face suggested I find a “bush”. I told him if I could have I wouldn’t be asking. We both laughed and he escorted me into their facility and showed me where the ladies’ room was located.
Nancy says
Mavis, how did you find out about this trip, it looks fantastic. I would love to do this! I am 63 and in great shape, were there older people on this trip? Thanks.
Nancy
Teri says
Amazing country. Love your photos and videos, thanks so much. Do hiking poles help?
Carrie says
What slot did you guys do?
When we went a year and a half ago we did 2 weeks of slot canyons with our boys. We loved Grand Staircase!
Tish says
Loved Grand Staircase! We hiked Willis Creek Slot Canyon two days after Zion. Zion was so crowded and we were shocked we only saw 12 other people the entire hike. It was amazing!
Peg says
I HOPE your wish to continue to do trips like this come true! We have a family friend, she turned 80 in August, who does things like this all the time. Her absolute favorite thing to do is take a float trip down the Grand Canyon. She’s gone multiple times. I’m 65 but I need to find someone to do things with, like this!
Susan Williams says
My husband and I LOVE that area of Utah!!! Last April, we took our trailer down for a month. We spent 10 days at Capital Reef National Park, 7 days in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and down to Flagstaff, AZ for a week and checked out Grand Canyon National Park, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and Walnut Canyon National Monument.
It’s an amazing area!!! (For the commenter above – my husband is 62, I’m 49 and we’re very active and these trails are very doable!!)
debbie in alaska says
It is so beautiful – but I fear my claustrophobia would kick in … just watching the video made my heart beat a bot faster and my breathing tighten! I hope you and Jen do end up doing these kinds of trips annually — they are life changing.