Utah - Day 8: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Kodachrome Basin State Park
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
On Saturday, May 8, 2021, Heidi and I set out from Torrey, UT at 6am for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. We drove the scenic Highway 12 Byway, stopping at overlooks to capture photos of the stunning sunrise as we made our way to Lower Calf Creek Falls.
We arrived at the Lower Calf Creek Falls parking lot around 7am and were fortunate to secure two of the last available spots on a Saturday morning. Lower Calf Creek Falls is one of the more accessible and popular hikes in Grand Staircase-Escalante, partly because the trailhead is located directly off the main highway. Most other trails in Escalante require navigating dirt roads. For those planning to hike this trail on a weekend, arriving early is highly recommended.
The 6.7-mile out-and-back hike winds through a picturesque canyon and leads to a soaring 126-foot waterfall. It was such a wonderful way to start the day. According to my Garmin watch, it took us about 4 hours to complete the hike.
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Heidi and I departed from Grand Staircase-Escalante around 12:30pm to drive to Kodachrome Basin State Park, where we embarked on the Panorama Trail hike. The park offers six hiking trails, most of which are less than 1 mile in length, with the Panorama Trail being the exception. The full loop is 6 miles, but if you skip the spur trails, the distance is only 3 miles.
We chose the shorter route and spent nearly 2 hours hiking 3.85 miles, according to my Garmin watch.
We left the park around 4:30pm to check into our hotel at Stone Canyon Inn in Tropic, UT, a beautiful inn offering breathtaking views of Bryce Canyon National Park. That evening, we treated ourselves to dinner at Stone Hearth Grille, an upscale restaurant located at the inn.
