Hike to Escalante Natural Bridge

The trail to the natural bridge is relatively flat the entire way. You will be hiking in and out of tall cottonwoods and also open desert areas, but there is plenty of shade on this hike to keep you cool. You will also have plenty of opportunities to take a dip in the river or splash water on your face as you make your way to the bridge. The river isn't too deep, in fact it was mostly knee deep or shallow in most places. The trail follows along the Escalante River Trail, so follow it until you come to Escalante Natural Bridge. The bridge is over 125 ft. in length and about the same in height. Hiking to the Escalante Natural Bridge requires crossing the shallow and narrow Escalante River 5 times. Make sure you bring shoes that can get wet or shoes you can change each time you cross the river. The trail begins at the Escalante River Trailhead. Make sure you lock up your belongings before you head out. Right out of the parking lot you will see a sign that points you left to Lake Powell (70 miles away) or right to the town of Escalante (15 miles away). Head right. The first river crossing is within a few minutes from the trailhead. After you cross over the river, you will now be walking among trees and bushes. There is lots of shade on this hike, but there are some areas with just short sage brush that can be scorching hot in summer months. This hike is beautiful and I was constantly scanning the cliffs for granaries or hawk nests! The next river crossing was also a shallow one. The third river crossing is a few hundred yards from the second crossing and the fourth is even closer! The cold water felt amazing with the air temperatures in the high 90s! After the fourth crossing and around the corner, take a look to the south along the cliff walls, you may be able to see Escalante Natural Bridge already. The trail then kind of heads southwest until you come to the Escalante River for the 5th time. Before you head to the arch, take a look directly west to see another natural arch. You won't be going that far though. At the last river crossing, look directly ahead and above to see the bridge. The bridge is about 125 ft. in length and about the same feet in height. The sandstone bridge was carved by thousands and thousands of years of wind and water erosion. Hiking this trail to Escalante Natural Bridge was a highlight for my trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument! I loved the many river crossings and seeing the massive bridge at the end was very neat to see too. Most people are hiking Lower Calf Creek Falls, so skip the crowds and hike to this natural bridge instead!