16th September 2007
Hiking Lower Calf Creek
Calf Creek runs parallel to Utah Highway 12 for about eight miles south from near Boulder to the Escalante River, it occupies the canyon on the western side of the well known hogback section of UT12 (Boulder Creek runs in the eastern canyon).
The main features of the creek are the two waterfalls, Upper and Lower Calf Creek Falls. Upper Calf Creek Falls can only be accessed by descending the steep dropoff from near the Hogback, the lower falls are part of
the BLM Calf Creek Recreation Area which has a small campground and a maintained trail from the road to the falls.
The mostly sandy path winds down the red and buff coloured canyon, the creek bed is overgrown with vegetation.
© Bob Palin 2007
© Bob Palin 2007
© Bob Palin 2007
The clouds were moving quickly overhead and looked somewhat rainy.
© Bob Palin 2007
The air gets cooler and then suddenly you are at the falls.
© Bob Palin 2007
The water drops 126 feet and is constantly blown around in different patterns.
© Bob Palin 2007
© Bob Palin 2007
Enough mist gets blown up under the overhangs that plants cling to the rock face.
© Bob Palin 2007
The canyon was occupied by the Fremont People who caught the abundant fish in the stream, farmed the bottoms growing squash and beans and harvested the native pinyon seeds.
© Bob Palin 2007
They stored their food in Moki huts on the canyon walls, one is still present but it didn't photograph well. They also left some pictographs in the classic Fremont style.
© Bob Palin 2007
© Bob Palin 2007
It's a very pretty canyon and a fairly easy hike though it would be brutally hot in mid summer.
© Bob Palin 2007
The hike is a total of 5 1/2 miles round trip, we got back to the truck just in time as the thunder rumbled and a rain storm started.
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