Trail Log: Trails 6 & 7

Escalante National Forest

Note to Readers: I’m on a mission to hike 100 trails in southern Utah, while working as an ATV Guide in Bryce Canyon City. These hikes are fueling my next book, The Woman in the Canyon. Plus, I’m on a hunt for Quiet Trails.

Trail #6

Trail: Willis Creek Narrows Trail

Location: Escalante National Monument

Date: Monday, May 19, 2025

Distance: 7.0 miles

Elevation Gain: 889 feet

Quietude: The wind howled sporadically, muffling the two instances in which I heard distant overhead planes. Aside from a few encounters with hikers and horses, it was deeply, beautifully quiet.

What a drive! I headed east on Highway 12 and turned off in the tiny town of Cannonville. A few miles in, the pavement gave way to a dusty dirt road. Jeep into 4WD, Sport mode. The washboard roads, steep inclines, and sweeping vistas turned the drive into a mini-adventure before my boots even hit the trail.

I was still shaking off a head cold, so I didn’t know what to expect from my body. Some sections of the hike felt like a slog. But then—the slot canyons. Oh, those glorious, sculpted walls of stone.

I found myself glancing upward often, tracking the clouds with a trace of anxiety. Slot canyons are no place to be when a dry creek suddenly surges with flash floodwater. It’s hard not to feel a mix of awe and vulnerability out here.

The magic began early—within the first two miles, the canyon narrows, and the trail twists through walls etched by time. I started in a trickle of creek water, but soon it was all pebbles, rocks, and dry earth underfoot. Tucked into an alcove along the canyon walls, I spotted a human-made shrine—rocks placed with care, tributes to the departed.

I thought of my mom then. She passed away just before Christmas. I walked for a bit with her in my thoughts, and spoke a few words to her aloud. These landscapes seem to invite those quiet conversations with the people we miss.

The full trail is listed at six miles round trip, but I ended up doing about seven—hoping for a waterfall at the turnaround point that never quite arrived. After 3.5 miles in, I called it and headed back. This was my longest hike since moving to Utah in mid-April, and with a congested head and a weary body, I powered through the boring bits just to find that spark.

If your time is short, just hike the first two miles. That’s where the magic lives—in the twisting stone corridors and shadows that dance on the walls.

Scenes from Willis Creek Narrows hike

Trail #7

Trail: Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail

Location: Escalante National Monument

Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Distance: 7.1 miles

Elevation Gain: 804 feet

Quietude: A chorus of birds, the burble of a creek, and the roar of a waterfall framed the soundscape. Despite being a popular trail, there’s room here to find your own peaceful bubble. Some overhead flights could be heard.

I’d been told to hike this one in cooler temps—and with a high near 70 and one last free day before work starts, I made the hour-and-fifteen-minute drive. I’d passed this trailhead before and was finally ready to explore it. This part of Scenic Route 12 can be . . . thrilling. The views are jaw-dropping, but the drive turns dicey: 25-mph curves, sheer drops, and not a guardrail in sight. My Jeep loved it. An RV? Not so much.

I snagged the last parking spot and geared up with my reliable waistpack—two bottles of water, some snacks, the usual supplies. I left extra water chilling in the car. After yesterday’s hike through the Narrows, I was hoping today I’d get a little bounce in my step.

This trail gives you a natural reward at the end—a 126-foot waterfall cascading into a pool. That kept me going. But even with the cooler weather, the heat found me. I stopped mid-hike to strip off my long-sleeved shirt, grateful for the breeze.

The sand, though—that’s where the real challenge was. Long stretches of trail felt like walking on a treadmill made of beach. No rhythm. No momentum. Just grit and resistance.

I pushed through, but I struggled again. My body felt tired, almost like it was still adjusting to this new life of steady movement and daily adventure. Fuel and water weren’t the issue. It felt deeper, like a slow recalibration.

On the return trip, I struck up a conversation with two women from Seattle. One of them was an attorney, and when I mentioned my time working with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, she lit up. Turns out she knew my contact—someone who had made her mark prosecuting elder abuse cases. What are the odds? Another little spark of synchronicity on the trail.

Truth be told, I dragged myself through both of these hikes. I didn’t find my rhythm. But I showed up. And the photos remind me: the magic is still there. Even when the body resists, the spirit persists. I’m trusting that my energy will catch up as I keep going.

Wishing you magic—however it finds you—on whatever trail you travel next.

Scenes from Calf Creek Trail