Upper Escalante River

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 13.1 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 5205 - 5834 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Upper Escalante River
Fee: none
Attractions: rock art, ruins, natural bridge

The canyon of the Escalante River, from the town of Escalante, Utah, downstream for 13 miles to where it is crossed by Utah Highway 12, has a half dozen interesting rock art sites, several ruins, a few natural arches, and the Escalante Natural Bridge. This post covers the upper 3 miles of the canyon where most of the rock art sites that we know about are concentrated.

Counting Panel

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 0.1 - 2 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4960 - 4968 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: BLM 0931 MM 1
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs, petroglyphs

The Counting Panel is part of a group of pictograph and petroglyph panels that are located along BLM Road 0931 in the Blue Valley Benches area southwest of Hanksville, Utah. The site overlooks the Birch Creek drainage that runs off of the north slopes of the Henry Mountains. The main panel of pictographs includes long rows of what look like tally marks which are probably what inspired the name 'Counting Panel'.

Bloody Hands Gap

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 4956 - 5030 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 2 hrs.
Trailhead: Bloody Hands Gap
Fee: none
Attractions: pictographs

Bloody Hands Gap is located on the eastern edge of Capitol Reef National Park a little south of Notom, Utah. The gap gets its name from a pictograph panel that has 7 distinct right hands all painted in red. Ancient inhabitants probably traveled the route seasonally through the gap going to and from the lower elevations of the reef where winters are a little warmer to the higher ranges of the Henry Mountains where game animals are more plentiful.

Fancy Lake

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 10,016 - 11,596 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 6 hrs.
Trailhead: Fancy Lake
Fee: none
Attractions: alpine lake

The Fancy Lake trail is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness Area of the White River National Forest between Minturn and Leadville, Colorado. Beginning off of Forest Service Road 727 the trail climbs steeply up the Fancy Creek drainage to Fancy Lake. A loop, that is popular with backpackers, can be formed by continuing past Fancy Lake and over Fancy Pass to Treasure Vault Lake and then over Missouri Pass where a decent is made down the Missouri Lakes drainage and back to the trailhead.

Lily Pad Lake

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 4 - 7.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 10,010 - 11,508 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 4 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Fryingpan Lakes
Fee: none
Attractions: subalpine lakes

The Lily Pad Lake trail is located east of Basalt, Colorado in the White River National Forest. Beginning at the Fryingpan Lakes trailhead the trail climbs the forested slopes on the western side of the Continental Divide where it joins a network of 4wd Forest Service roads that lead to Lily Pad Lake and beyond. Along the way there are some great views of the Fryingpan River drainage and its surrounding alpine ridgelines.