Lower Calf Creek Falls Grand Staircase-Escalante

If you are traveling along Highway 12, and want to jump out of the car for a beautiful hike, I have just the treat for you.  The trek to the 126 foot Lower Calf Creek Falls in Grand Staircase-Escalante is a beautiful 6 mile round trip hike.  Hiking to a 126' waterfall in a national monument makes for a pretty fantastic Saturday in my books.

Calf Creek Recreation Area 

While traveling down Highway 12, on the right, you will see a large sign for the Calf Creek Recreation Area.  After you take this right, you will see a beautiful day use area for picniking with grills, benches, tables, and a fire pit.  There is also a bathroom, and there are also several stations with potable water where you can fill up your bottles before hiking. There is a fee for this area, but if you have your National Park Pass, that will cover it (leave it on your dash!)

Flooded road leading to the campground

After crossing this flooded road,  The campground here has 14 campsites that are first come, first served.  Unfortunately when we got there on a Saturday afternoon, all the campsites were booked.  They were beautiful campsites all along the river at the base of this trailhead.  However, we still stopped to hike.  What I really loved, is that by the bathrooms, there were self guided tours maps. A number on stakes on the trail correlates to a "blurb" on the trail map, educating you on certain aspects of this trail. After parking in the main area, follow the road a few hundred feet to the trailhead on your left.

Trailhead Lower Falls Trail.  

Cactus along the trail

 While dogs are allowed on this trail, they are only allowed on leash. I recommend you keep your dog on a short leash, as there are a ton o cactus right along the trail. If you are hiking this in the summer, your dog will need booties to protect his/her feet from the lava hot sand.  We hiked this trail on a beautiful October afternoon and the sand was cool and the temperatures perfect. 

Dog friendly trail

Lower Calf Creek Falls trail

Lower Calf Creek Falls trail 

Canyons with granary

High on the cliff across the creek is a storage structure (granary) built more than 800 years ago by prehistoric people who lived in the canyons. We call this culture the Fremont. Assorted food items and seeds were stored in these structures.The self guided tour also points out some petroglyphs on the canyon wall (see below). 

Petroglyphs on the trail. 

Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail 

Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail

Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail

 Keep checking into the river for fish.  You will see different trout species darting along the stream, or resting along the banks. Olive was very interested in the darting fish in the stream. 

Lower Calf Creek  

Eventually, about 3 miles into the trail, you see your first sight of the fall.  These pictures just do not do this waterfall justice. 126' waterfall cascading down the canyon. 

First sight of Lower Calf Creek Falls 

Lower Calf Creek Falls 

Lower Calf Creek Falls 

Lower Calf Creek Falls 

Lower Calf Creek Falls  

The mist off the fall is the perfect treat for your long hike out to the fall.  Some people even swim in the pool under the fall.  We took some pictures, let Olive scamper around, had a snack, and headed back to the trail.   This was the perfect dog friendly hike right between two rather non dog friendly national parks.  A perfect way to get Olive out of the car, and a great way to stretch our legs along Highway 12.

How varied the scenery in Utah is always amazed me.  From the mountains by the city, the the desert landscapes of the National Parks, to these crazy beautiful waterfalls.  Utah is one beautiful place. 

Next stop, Bryce Canyon National Park.

Other posts from this trip:

Capitol Reef National Park

Driving Highway 12
Navajo/Queens Garden Loop

Bryce Canyon National Park