Unseen Utah: The 5 Best Grand Staircase Hikes

By Blake Snow  |  August 3, 2023 | 1:08pm
Photo by Michael Kunde, courtesy of Visit Utah
Travel Features Utah
Unseen Utah: The 5 Best Grand Staircase Hikes
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“Get Out There” is a column for itchy footed humans written by Paste contributor Blake Snow. Although different now, travel is better than ever. Today we visit Southern Utah’s Grand Staircase National Monument.

Southern Utah is well-known, if not sometimes overrun, for its five otherworldly National Parks. But most travelers have yet to discover nearby Grand Staircase National Monument, which is actually larger than the five neighboring parks combined and legitimately just as eye-popping. As a bonus, Grand Staircase is a lot less crowded, regardless of season. 

Although best-known for The Wave—the iconic, permit-only, and Mars-inspired day hike on the state border—Grand Staircase is filled with similarly inspiring hikes that are as good as just about anything you’ll find in a more “prestigious” National Park. If you’re looking for something a little more wild, look no further than these five hikes.  

Peek-a-Boo & Spooky Slots

Millions of visitors come to Utah every year for its narrow and towering red rock canyons. But two of the state’s most stunning and funnest slot canyons are actually found inside Grand Staircase National Monument. Better yet, Peekaboo and Spooky are next door to each other and pair nicely for a moderate, if not slightly challenging, family-friendly 4 mile loop. 

That said, these slot canyons are no joke. To get there, you’ll need to travel on an incredibly bumpy gravel road for about an hour. Once there, larger hikers will need to squirm or suck in to shimmy through the tight squeeze. And everyone must scramble, climb, and likely require a rope at the start, if the rangers remove the ones hikers normally leave behind (which they often do). To further complicate matters, the trail is poorly marked, so it’s easy to veer off course unless you download an offline map. 

But if you can manage all of that, you’re in for a real, off-the-beaten path treat.

Willis Creek Narrows

If Peek-a-Boo and Spooky are too claustrophobic-inducing, the similarly moderate (but longer) six mile Willis Creek Narrows might just fit the bill. Although not as tight or dramatic, this roomier hike is still very much “slotty” and marvelous.

I first heard of it while lunching at a Southern Utah diner, this after finishing another hike on this very list. “Where is that!!??” I curiously asked my server, pointing to the poster of an unfamiliar but inviting canyon. “That’s Willis Creek,” she replied. I hiked it the very next day and have been singing its praises ever since. If you don’t like the full six miler, there’s also a shorter three mile version of the canyon. 

Toadstool Trail

If Nintendo ever created a real-life Super Mario level in the desert of Southern Utah, it might look something like this. Officially known as the Toadstool Hoodoos Trail, this easy, two mile hike is what you might expect if Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley had a baby together. Similar to towering Saguaro cacti, the inanimate toadstools appear as if they could come to life at any moment. And they’re a lot of fun to hike around and run up onto. 

Unlike the other, harder to access hikes on this list, the Toadstools are as easy to get to as they are to hike—located just off the scenic highway 89. As with all other hikes on this list, however. Don’t expect any bathrooms, visitor centers, or amenities. Sometimes you’ll find a port-a-potty, but expect to rough it when nature calls. 

Wire Pass Trail

Part of the larger and multi-day only Buckskin Gulch, Wire Pass Trail is a side canyon that grants quick access to deeper slot canyons. But it’s only four miles round-trip and offers lots of shade and a fun ladder climb. 

Once you t-bone into the larger slot canyon, you can hike as far north or south as your return window will allow. Regardless of direction, be sure to travel at least a few turns into the deeper gulch for the full experience. And watch for bats on the way in. As with all red rock hikes, Wire Pass is especially golden at sunset. 

Lower Calf Creek Falls

Outside of The Wave, if you’ve seen photos of one Grand Staircase hike, it’s probably this one. It’s called Lower Calf Creek Falls and it puts off some serious Havasupai vibes. Better yet, this one’s free to enter without a permit or entrance fee. 

Granted, the six-mile round trip hike is a bit of a slog in the sandy trail. But the route is mostly shaded and the payoff is fantastic! At the end of the first three miles, you’ll encounter a desert oasis, replete with a powerful waterfall and refreshing swimming hole to cool off and play on. Not only is Lower Calf Creek one of the best hikes in Grand Staircase, it’s arguably one of the best hikes in a state that’s known for great hiking. Happy trails!

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and frequent travel columnist. He lives in Provo, Utah with his adolescent family and two dogs.

 
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