Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5267 - 5295 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Devil's Garden
Fee: none
Attractions: Arches and hoodoos
Devil's Garden is located along the Hole in the Rock Road in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument near the town of Escalante, Utah. The area consists of colorful hoodoos and goblins as well as two scenic arches, Metate Arch and Mano Arch. Various social trails invite visitors to walk among the hoodoos and explore the wonders that thousands of years of erosion have created.
The Hole in the Rock Road is 5 miles east on Highway 12 from the center of the town of Escalante.
Follow the Hole in the Rock Road for 12.2 miles to the Devil's Garden turnoff on the right. The Hole in the Rock Road is gravel and at times washboards can make it very bumpy. If you have a friend that thinks they should drive their vehicle I would quickly agree and offer to pay for the fuel.
Kiosks at the trailhead explain the geological processes that created the hoodoos. You will also find the only toilet in the vast Hole in the Rock area here at Devil's Garden.
Pick any of the trails that lead into the area of the hoodoos and begin hiking. There isn't an official route so explore the hoodoos in your own fashion.
Here is a natural gunsight through which to look at the different formations in the distance that were mentioned on the trailhead kiosk.
We supposed that the name Devil's Garden came about because it can get very hot here in the summer. Or maybe someone associates hoodoos and goblins with the devil.
This is a photo of Metate Arch ...
... and this is Mano Arch.
It only takes about 30 minutes to check out all of the paths. Add a little more time if you decide to hike down to the wash.
There are several picnic sites that have tables and grills. Be sure to bring a bag of charcoal briquets because you won't find much in the way of wood.
The Hole in the Rock Road provides access to several popular slot canyons. To make the trip more worthwhile you may want to combine a visit to Devil's Garden with another hike. On this trip we also made a stop at the Twenty Mile Dinosaur Trackway a few miles away. Unfortunately the signage in the Hole in the Rock area leaves a lot to be desired. Very few trailheads are marked and even fewer trails are. A good map and a lot of planning will help you find your way. Devil's Garden is probably the easiest place to find. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
