Bob & Sharon'sTravel Adventures: Escalante, UT

Monday, October 27, 2014

Escalante, UT - 10/27/14

Monday – October 27, 2014
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Escalante, Utah

We departed Sandcreek RV Park in Torrey, Utah at 10:30 a.m. We traveled west on Utah’s Scenic Byway route 12.

Scenic Byway 12 spans a route of 124 miles, and travels through some of the most diverse, remote and ruggedly beautiful landscapes in the country. It runs through Utah’s Garfield and Wayne Counties and is home to two national parks, three state parks, a national recreation area, a national monument, and a national forest.

Scenic Byway 12 takes the visitor through memorable landscapes, ranging from the remains of ancient sea beds to one of the world’s highest alpine forests, and from astonishing pink and russet stone turrets to open sagebrush flats.

Many segments of Scenic Byway 12 have sharp curves and narrow to no paved shoulders. The elevation range along the route is from 5,223 feet to 9,636 feet above sea level. After crossing the summit at 9,636 feet, we encountered two segments along the route with 14-degree grades running about 2 miles in length. In all of our travels, this was our first experience traveling down a 14-degree grade. We’ve traveled on 10-degree grades in the past, so we’ve had experience negotiating these types of steep grades, while towing a trailer. Steep grades and deep canyons lining the edge of the highway, with no guardrail, proved to be just another adventure in traveling the high country of Utah.

We arrived at the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park Campground in Escalante, Utah at 12:45 p.m. The campground has 22 campsites, 7 with electric and water hookups, and the remainder with no hookups. There are two restroom facilities with flush toilets, and one restroom also has hot showers. There is a dump station available on the premises. There is free WiFi throughout the campground. The WiFi signal strength is excellent, with 4 bars out of 5 bars service.