Hole-in-the-Rock Road — Grand Staircase-Escalante Dispersed Camping

Hole-in-the-Rock Road peels off Highway 12 east of Escalante and runs south across the Kaiparowits Plateau toward Lake Powell. It follows the 1879 Mormon pioneer route to the river crossing. Dispersed camping is allowed along the corridor on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument land, so you pick a pull-off or an established dirt spur that suits you. Spots near Devils Garden, Dry Fork and Peek-a-Boo and Spooky slot trailheads are popular and fill up in spring and fall. Farther south you’ll find quiet and big sky. There are no services out here, so carry all your water, fuel, and a way to pack out waste. Standard BLM stay limits and fire restrictions apply, so verify them ahead.

The road is graded dirt, often brutal washboard, and passable for most high-clearance vehicles when dry. The last stretch to the rim gets rough and sandy. Rain turns the clay into slick, stranding mud, and flash floods hit the washes it crosses. Don’t go in when storms are forecast. Have a dirty day.

Washboard miles to the Mormon pioneer crossing