As you walk down a sandy trail meandering through a fertile canyon floor the wind in your face and hot sun overhead you start to feel enlightened. Not because of the towering cliffs of red that surround you or endless birdsongs keeping rhythm with the babbling stream. You feel enlightened because you realize this is a sacred place, an ancient home to people we know almost nothing about. You’re feelings start to harden like concrete when you pass the blood red pictographs and ancient granaries high above the cliffs walls. As the cliffs begin to narrow and the trees lend out more shade you will find yourself in a special oasis we know as Lower Calf Creek Falls.

How To Get There

Lower Calf Creek Falls is located in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument at the Calf Creek Campground off of scenic byway 12 about eleven miles south of the small town of Boulder and fifteen miles east of Escalante. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument encompasses almost two-million acres of federally protected land maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM maintains the trailhead and the Calf Creek Campground which is on first come first serve basis. Being there is a campground at this easily accessible trailhead there is a good chance you will run into people on the trail. Oh yea, you also have to pay $5.00 to park.  However, this doesn’t take away from the rich history and the awe of this 130 waterfall in a desert oasis.

The 5.5 mile hike itself is relatively easy but bring water because most of the trail is uncovered and through soft sand. If you take your time and enjoy it, the hike will be about three hours long. A bulletin board outside the bathrooms in the parking lot offers maps of the trail with a great interpretive guide. The guide corresponds to numbers marked on the trail to point out and inform about history, geology, and plant life. It might be a good idea to bring binoculars or a telephoto lens to find the hidden granaries built into the tops of the cliff walls.

Where To Stay

Calf Creek Campground

$15.00/No Reservations/Bathrooms

The Calf Creek Campground is a great place to set up a basecamp when exploring the lands of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Each campsite is secluded and some are on or close to Calf Creek which runs through the campground. (You literally have to drive through the creek to get to some campsites.) There are only 14 campsites for $15.00 each and all are on a first-come-first-serve basis. I would recommend getting there early because the campground is often full by 9am. There are bathrooms but no showers. However, they do have a great swimming area in the creek. Pets OK!

BLM Public Lands (Near Lower Calf Creek Falls)

Free/No Reservation/No Facilities/No Fires

Utah has a great public land camping policy. You can camp anywhere! Well not everywhere. You must be .5 miles from any highway and can only camp for 30 days. Look for dirt roads on the side of highway 12 and if you’re brave enough or desperate enough for a place to sleep venture down one of those dusty but often muddy roads and find yourself a clearing. Most are marked with little camp posts with a symbol for no fires and no collecting wood. You can find some really neat campsites this way. Just remember pack out what you pack in and be respectful. BLM lands are great for getting off the grid and into nature. Pets OK!