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Hole in the Rock Trail
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The Hole in the Rock Trail passes between the Kaiparowits Plateau and the Escalante River
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| Location: | Garfield / Kane / San Juan counties, Utah, USA |
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| Nearest city: | Escalante, Utah |
| Built: | 1879 |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82004792 |
| Added to NRHP: | August 09, 1982[1] |
The Hole in the Rock Trail is a historic road running west of the Escalante River in southern Utah in the western United States. Running almost 200 miles (320 km) from near Escalante to Bluff, it travels within the borders of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the adjacent Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The road is named after an unusual geologic feature at its southeastern end, Hole in the Rock. It closely follows the historic route used by the Mormon San Juan Expedition to colonize an area to the east of the Colorado River. It is an important access route for visiting the Canyons of the Escalante. The trail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, being added to that list in 1982.
The trail runs for 180 miles (290 km) from the vicinity of Escalante, Utah to Bluff, Utah and is named for the place where the San Juan Mission of Mormon Pioneers constructed a descent to the Colorado River. The natural crevice on the 1,000 feet (300 m) cliff above the Colorado was enlarged by the party to lower the wagons down to river level, where it could be forded. The portion of the trail below the Hole-In-The-Rock is now flooded by Lake Powell. After the river crossing the trail continued past the Register Rocks, where the settlers recorded their names, now covered by the lake. The road rises through the Chute and across slickrock to Grey Mesa. Another difficult descent was required from Grey Mesa, requiring the party to cut a road from one ledge to another on the face of the mesa, taking a week. Another week was spent in constructing a road down Clay Hill Pass. Further on, blocked by Comb Ridge, the trail follows Comb Wash to San Juan Hill, where yet another road was built up the hill. The trail ends in Bluff.[2]
The portion of the trail to the west of Lake Powell is followed or paralleled by a modern unpaved road.
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