Devils Garden ~ Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Flickr album link: Devils Garden

​The Devils Garden is a famous landmark in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and this destination is fairly easy to access. Hole In The Rock Road is the travel route to look for just a few miles east of Escalante, Utah, but not every vehicle is suitable for this long bumpy dirt road. There are endless miles of washboard ripples the size of parking lot speed bumps to contend with, so a high ground clearance vehicle will provide a smoother ride. If rain is in the forecast, it is best to avoid this road altogether, because the silty dirt roads in this region will turn into impassible slick clay. Packing extra food, water and topping off the fuel tank is recommended, but the chances of becoming completely stranded are minimal, since there is always daily traffic on this pathway to Bullfrog Crossing way on down the line.

As can be seen in the Flickr photo album, plenty of mesmerizing high desert landscapes await for those who do the trek. Upon arrival there is a large parking area with basic facilities, along with shade trees that are perfect for an afternoon picnic. The Devils Garden is a day use area only and no camping is allowed in this protected wilderness area. Finding a foot trail to follow is easy to do, since most head directly into the Devils Garden, which actually is right next to the parking area. Once inside the Devils Garden, a visitor will encounter one mesmerizing natural sculpture after another and hours upon hours of quality time can be spent in this unique place.

The Devils Garden truly is a visual experience like no other and the peaceful sounds of high desert nature have a way of enticing visitors to completely forget about the illusion of time altogether. The experience definitely compares to wandering around slowly in a museum, to ensure no views of the precious artwork are missed. The Devils Garden is composed of tall sandstone hoodoos that are the result of erosion over eons of time. These odd looking hoodoos is also referred to as goblins and they certainly do have animated shapes. As can be imagined, this strange geological area attracts landscape artists worldwide and the surreal Metate Arch is one of the main attractions, so be sure to pack a camera or art palette for the ride!
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