A couple belts of whiskey later, and we were sound asleep. Shortly after arriving, the wind blew fiercely and probably pushed the windchill factor to down near 0-degrees Fahrenheit (-18 Celsius). We could faintly see another couple of vehicles in the distance, so we assumed we were close. We pulled off the road where we guessed the trailhead was, being mindful to not beam other campers at the trailhead with our headlights. I realize there is quite a timeline jump between “driving down Hole-in-the-Rock Road” and “arrived at Reflection Canyon!”, so bear with me here….Īfter securing our permit, we drove down Hole-in-the-Rock Road in relative darkness as it was a new moon. The beautiful s-bend in Reflection Canyon is only visible when the water level in Lake Powell drops below about 3580 feet (1091 meters) above mean sea level. This meant we headed down Hole-in-the-Rock Road right as the sun was setting.
#REFLECTION CANYON UTAH FREE#
Realizing we had some free time on our hands, we decided to grab an early dinner at the Circle D Eatery in town (now an Escalante favorite of mine!) in lieu of breaking out the dehydrated pouch meals early. Thankfully, a kind employee answered the telephone and told us we could file our permit at the Hurricane Wash Trailhead, about halfway down the bumpy Hole-in-the-Rock Road from Escalante to Reflection Canyon. After arriving at Salt Lake City airport and driving most of the way across the state of Utah (not before picking up backpacking stove fuel), we arrived in the town of Escalante, home of the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center where one acquires free Reflection Canyon trail permits however, we unfortunately arrived a few minutes after the Center closed. The Reflection Canyon Trailhead is one of the most inaccessible trailheads in the United States, and reaching it requires planning, patience, … and four-wheel drive. The Reflection Canyon Trailhead is accessed by traveling down the 55-mile (88-kilometer) -long dirt road named “Hole-in-the-Rock Road.” This road sits on the the Fiftymile Bench underneath the Kaiparowits Plateau.
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