One of the nicest surprises we found Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was the Devil’s Garden. This is a picnic area that has a wonderful space to explore. You can find Devil’s Garden just twelve miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road east of the town of Escalante.
Devil’s Garden is a lot like Goblin Valley. There are hoodoos, windows, arches, and lots of red rocks to play in. At the end of the turnoff for Devil’s Garden there is a large parking area with picnic tables. The “garden” is located right next to the parking area.
Our boys enjoyed exploring and climbing on the sandstone formations. You can walk right up the slick rock onto most of the rocks and climb in and through a lot of the formations. It wasn’t long before a game of hide-and-seek broke out. This area is surprisingly large, and their are no set trails, so feel free to roam and explore for as long as you’d like. We spent over an hour here, and only walked about 1/2 mile.
Devil’s Garden has two arches: one skinny and one fat. You can walk underneath both of them. So make sure to search until you find both the arches. They are both big enough to spot pretty easily. We also found several nooks and crannies where the boys wanted to pose for pictures. We have a lot of pictures from this area!
Devil’s Garden is the perfect place to visit in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument for any family. No matter your hiking skill level, anyone can easily explore and have fun adventuring in the Devil’s Garden.
Directions: Drive 12 miles on Hole in the Rock Road. Turn right onto a dirt road (there is a sign that says Devil’s Garden). Follow this road for 1.5 miles until you come to the parking area.
