Day 3 started with us getting out of camp by around 9:00 am. Our goal for the day was to find our camping spot on Hole-in-the-Rock road. Our first stop was at the top of the cut through the Circle Cliffs on the Burr Trail at the Long Canyon overlook. At this spot the Burr Trail climbs up and passes through a dramatic cut in the cliffs. The views in both directions are spectacular.
View east from Circle Cliffs
We completed our drive on the Burr Trail in Boulder Utah. It was again time to top off the gas tank and water jugs. There is a nice little store were Burr Trail meets Utah 12 where we purchased a few small souvenirs. Fuel was available north on 12 about 1 mile.
We finally got rolling again with our next destination being Lower Calf Creek Falls. The Drive from Boulder to Lower Calf Creek Falls is another wonder of Utah road building. It follows a high ridge south and then drops down the west side in a grade that exceeds 14% in some places. At the bottom of this grade we found the parking area for the falls.
Lower Calf Creek Falls Trail Head
We readied our packs with snacks and water and got underway around 11:30. Access the falls requires a 6 mile round trip hike which took us about 3 hours.
On the hike in there are pictographs visible on the right-hand canyon wall.
Lower Calf Creek Falls
The falls are a spectacular pour over with a beautiful pool at the bottom. Had it been a warmer day a swim would have been in order. We stayed at the falls for about an hour enjoying the beauty of the falls and the hanging gardens.
The hike back to the parking area was a fast one for use. Our 12 year old daughter, LJ, is a power hiker and we had trouble keeping up with her for the 50 minutes it took to get back to the car.
We headed south on Utah 12 in search of the turn off for Hole-in-the-Rock road. The road has a reputation of being very wash boarded and it lived up to this for our drive south. I did my best to find the smoothest path to be able to keep our speed up.
Dance Hall Rock
We stopped at dance hall rock which was a stop for the Mormons taking the Hole-in-the-Rock trail. You can still see the wagon tracks nearby.
Storm Moving in at Dance Hall Rock
After Dance Hall Rock it was on the find a camping spot. There are not many places on this part of the road. We ended up finding a place at Sooner Rocks that was out of the wind.