Reflection Canyon, Kraig Adams's way

My way in, 2020. This was the second hike of a trip through the Southwest, after the Grand Canyon. My brother was driving his Honda Fit, so we rented a Jeep with off-road four-wheel drive in Escalante and drove from there along the ridge all the way to the trailhead. It took forever, about three and a half hours by my count, and it was very bumpy. We set off on foot at 1:42 p.m.

Escalante. The town on Highway 12 is the last gas, food and water. The visitor center is there for permits and road conditions. Escalante Outfitters (310 West Main Street) sells maps and gear and has a café; Griffin Grocery is the grocery store and is closed on Sundays, as reported.

Flying in. Las Vegas is about 4 hours 40 minutes from Escalante and Salt Lake City about 4 hours 45 minutes. Cedar City has the nearest airport with scheduled flights, about 2.5 to 3 hours away (estimated). From Page, Arizona, take the paved road through Kanab, about 3.5 hours (estimated); mapping apps may send you down dirt roads that were impassable in September 2026. Arizona doesn't change its clocks, so from March to early November Page is an hour behind Utah.

Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Leave Highway 12 about 5 miles east of Escalante and drive south. The road runs 62 miles to Hole-in-the-Rock above Lake Powell; the trailhead is an unsigned pullout at about mile 50 by my GPS (others give 50.5 to 50.7), at 37.2522, -110.9734. There's no gas, no water and no cell service anywhere on the road. Most people take about 2 to 3 hours from town; we took longer. Don't drive it when it's wet or storms are coming.

The car. High clearance at the very least, and four-wheel drive is the safe choice. Epic Jeep Rentals in Escalante rented lifted four-door Wranglers in 2026 for $345 a day (8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.), from April to October only, with a $500 deposit and multi-day rentals allowed. Its terms don't say whether you can keep one overnight at a trailhead: ask before you book. In November you'd need your own high-clearance car or another rental. Standard rental contracts ban unpaved roads, so a tow or a repair would be yours to pay, and reports put a tow off this road at $500 to well over $1,000.

What it costs

I didn't keep a list of what this trip cost me.

For your budget (US dollars, as checked in October 2026). The permit is free; it comes to about $100 to $200 for two people with your own high-clearance 4WD, or about $800 to $1,100 with a rented Jeep:

That's about $100 to $200 for two people with your own high-clearance 4WD and a park pass, or about $800 to $1,100 with a rented Jeep, a motel and meals out, before flights or the drive to Escalante.

The rules and camping

These were checked on the Park Service's Glen Canyon pages and its 2026 Superintendent's Compendium on October 3, 2026.

The permit. Backcountry permits are required for all overnight stays in the Escalante District of Glen Canyon. They're free and there's no quota. Get one at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center (755 West Main Street, Escalante, 435-826-5499; its published summer hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday; it lists no fall or winter hours, so call ahead), or self-register at a trailhead. Any Grand Staircase-Escalante visitor center can issue it: the ones in Kanab (745 East Highway 89) and Big Water (20 Revolution Way) were open daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in 2026, which helps if you arrive on a Sunday or Monday. It's not on Recreation.gov. The start of the route is on BLM land in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, where the BLM encourages a free permit too, for search and rescue.

Where to camp. Anywhere in the backcountry away from roads, trailheads and developed areas. There are no campsites at Reflection Canyon. People camp on the flat spots of slickrock on the rim, as we did; hikers report only a few small flat spots near the classic view, and the rim is exposed to wind.

Groups. At most 12 people and 3 vehicles. Bigger groups split up and camp at least half a mile apart.

Human waste. Every overnight group must carry a WAG bag or a portable toilet. Pack out all toilet paper; burning it is banned. Within a quarter mile of Lake Powell's shore, solid waste must be packed out, and on bare slickrock you can't dig a hole anyway: pack it all out.

Other rules. No campfires: bring a stove (Glen Canyon's ban covers the Escalante drainages, and fire restrictions can come at any time). No drones anywhere in Glen Canyon. Dogs on a leash of 6 feet or less. Store food and trash where ravens and rodents can't get it. Don't build cairns: the Park Service asks you to rely on your map and your GPS. Take nothing, and carry out all your trash.

Where we slept, food and water

Where we slept

Our camp. A spot on the slickrock rim with the best view of the whole canyon we could find, a short walk past the overlook. It's bare rock, so bring a tent you can pitch with rocks or a free-standing one, and expect wind. Stay well back from the edge, especially in the dark.

Food and water

Food. We didn't stop to eat on the way out: we were booking it. We ate on the rim. Afterward we had tacos in Escalante.

Water. We carried four or five liters each for the overnight in November, with cool weather, and didn't use it all. The Park Service says at least a gallon (4 liters) a person a day; hikers commonly carry 6 to 8 liters each for the overnight in spring and fall, and more in warm weather. Leave extra water in the car for the drive back. There's no water on the route and no way down to the lake from the rim.

What I carried

From my film and photos (I have no full gear list for this trip):

Hiking

• Water: four or five liters each
• Sleeping: a tent each, pitched on the slickrock
• Layers: a warm puffy jacket for the morning on the rim in November

Filmmaking

• Camera: my Panasonic Lumix S5 with the 20 to 60 mm lens on a tripod, and a Rode VideoMic NTG with a dead cat for the wind. My full gear kit is on kraigadams.com

Other

• Navigation: the AllTrails app with an offline map, which recorded both days

What this hike needs:

• All your water (at least a gallon a person a day; 6 to 8 liters each for the overnight in spring or fall), plus more in the car
• A stove (no fires), and a WAG bag for each person
• The offline map and GPX files, a charged phone and a backup battery, and a satellite messenger
• Sun protection: a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen; there's no shade
• Warm layers for the night: it freezes in November
• A headlamp, in case you walk out at dusk or wander the rim before sunrise

Is it open? (October 2026)

Checked on the National Park Service's pages for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (permits, camping, hiking, fees, alerts and the 2026 Superintendent's Compendium) and the Bureau of Land Management's road report for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, on October 3, 2026.

Open. Glen Canyon's three current alerts (a Lake Powell water advisory, launch ramps and a campground at Lees Ferry) don't touch Hole-in-the-Rock Road or the Escalante District. Reflection Canyon isn't a maintained trail, so the Park Service doesn't list its condition.

The road. The BLM's road report of September 18, 2026 rates Hole-in-the-Rock Road "2WD High Clearance," with flooded areas in places, heavy washboard to Dry Fork, and high-clearance 4WD recommended for the last 7 miles (the trailhead is about 12 miles before the end, so most of that stretch is past it; hikers still advise high clearance and 4WD for the last miles to the trailhead). The BLM also says it isn't updating the report as often as it would like, so call the visitor center for the latest. Garfield County chip-sealed about the first 10 miles of the road in spring 2026, as reported; the rest is gravel and dirt.

Lake Powell is at a record low. The lake was at 3,518 ft on September 30, 2026, by the Park Service's count, after a modern record low in mid-September. The view is still there, but the water in the meanders is lower and narrower than in my November 2020 photos, with more bleached "bathtub ring" on the walls. Check the lake level on the Park Service's Lake Powell page before you go.

What to do. The week before you go, check the BLM road report and the Glen Canyon alerts page, and look at the forecast: rain makes the road impassable.

Early November. We went on November 5 and 6, 2020. The walk out started hot and sunny, but we got lucky with the shade: the sun was behind the ridge for a good part of the afternoon. The next morning had cloud cover, and the walk back was overcast, so the heat was no problem.

The best months. Spring (late March to April) and fall (October to early November). From May to mid-October it's very hot, with no shade anywhere on the route. Glen Canyon reaches 110 °F (43 °C) in summer.

Monsoon and floods. Thunderstorms are most likely from mid-July to September, but they can come at any time. Rain turns parts of Hole-in-the-Rock Road to impassable mud and can strand cars for days. Don't camp in a wash.

Winter. Short days and freezing nights, and snow or rain can close the road.

Weather. Normals for Bullfrog, 4,167 ft (1,270 m), on Lake Powell, about the height of the route (NOAA, 1991 to 2020, as published on Wikipedia):

July averages 100 °F (38 °C). Escalante, at about 5,800 ft, is roughly 7 to 10 °F cooler than the trailhead.

Light. We showed up to the canyon just a little late, at about 4:40 p.m. If we'd been there 30 minutes earlier, the sun would still have been on the water, which is what you want. In early November 2020 the sun set at about 5:20 p.m. there (standard time; before the clocks change in early November it's about 6:20 p.m.), and the canyon walls put the water in shade well before that. The next morning the sun rising behind the clouds gave them a lot of red, orange and yellow. Camp on the rim and you get both.

Heat, water and safety

Emergencies. Call 911 if you can get through; there's no cell service on the road or the route, so carry a satellite messenger. County sheriffs run search and rescue on Hole-in-the-Rock Road, with the BLM and the Park Service. Leave your plan, your route and your return time with someone at home.

Heat. Summers reach 110 °F (43 °C), and there's no shade at all. Hike in spring or fall, start early, and rest in the heat of the day. For dizziness, nausea or a headache, get out of the sun, drink, and wet your clothes.

Water. The rule: carry it all, and more than you think. One hiker carried three gallons a day in September and still ran out a mile from the car, as reported.

Navigation. There's no official trail. The Park Service doesn't maintain or describe the route, and much of it is slickrock where footprints don't show. Have the GPX on your phone and check it often, especially on the slickrock.

The rim. The canyon walls are sheer and very high. Stay back from the edge, especially in the wind, the dark or the morning dew.

Flash floods and the road. A storm miles away can send water down the washes you cross. The bigger risk is Hole-in-the-Rock Road: rain can turn it to mud and strand cars for days. Check the forecast before you drive in.

Wildlife. Rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widows live here. A scorpion sting is usually like a strong bee sting; a rattlesnake or black widow bite needs a doctor right away. Watch where you put your hands.

How hard is it? Not steep, but it's long and hot, and the navigation is the hard part. We were definitely booking it: about three hours out and two and a half back, with only water breaks and stops to film. The first part follows a path through the sagebrush. Past that it's bare white slickrock with no trail you can see, just cairns, and it's easy to get a little lost. That part was kind of fun: it's like running up and down really smooth rock faces, finding the best way across.

How far is it? 8.4 miles out and 8.7 back by my GPS, about 17.1 miles. My film title says 20 miles, and in the film I say eight and a half each way. Other sources give 15.6 to 18 miles for the round trip.

Do I need a permit? Yes, to camp: a free backcountry permit for any overnight stay in Glen Canyon's Escalante District, from the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center (closed Sundays and Mondays), the BLM visitor centers in Kanab or Big Water, or by self-registering at a trailhead (no source confirms a registration box at the Reflection Canyon pullout, so get it in town). There's no quota. A day hike needs no permit. Glen Canyon's entrance fee applies too, and there's no fee station on the road: carry an America the Beautiful or Glen Canyon pass, or buy a 7-day pass online (see What it costs).

Do I need four-wheel drive? We did. My brother's Honda Fit was definitely not an all-terrain vehicle, so we rented a Jeep with real off-road four-wheel drive in Escalante, and we absolutely would not have made it in his car. The road was very bumpy, with a lot of dips through little gullies and big rocks. In September 2026 the BLM rated it passable to high-clearance two-wheel drive, with 4WD recommended for the last 7 miles. Normal rental car contracts don't allow unpaved roads.

Is there water? No. Not on the route, and not from the rim: the canyon walls are massive, smooth and sheer, and there's no way down to the lake. We looked all around. We each carried four or five liters and didn't use it all, but it was November, and the morning walk out was overcast.

Can I fly a drone? No. Drones are banned in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which includes the rim. I wish I could have flown one there.

Can I have a campfire? Don't. Glen Canyon bans fires in the Escalante drainages, hikers report fires aren't allowed here, and there's no wood anyway. Bring a stove.

Can I bring my dog? Dogs are allowed in Glen Canyon on a 6-foot leash, but there's no water and no shade, and slickrock and sand get very hot. It's not a good hike for most dogs.

Is there a phone signal? No. Not on the road and not on the route. Carry a satellite messenger and leave your plan with someone.

Earlier on Day 1

Start in the morning, not after lunch like we did, and you're on the rim with time to spare for the afternoon light on the water. In warm months, start at first light, rest through the heat, and walk the last stretch in the evening.

As a long day hike

It's possible: about 17 miles with no water, no shade and the hardest navigation in the middle. You'd miss the sunset and the sunrise, which is most of the point. The permit isn't needed for a day hike, but sign a trail register if you find one.

Two nights

With enough water, a second night on the rim gives you two sunsets and two sunrises. Water is the limit: plan at least a gallon (4 liters) a person a day, more in warm weather.

By boat

Reflection Canyon is a side canyon of Lake Powell, about lake mile 57. In September 2026 the Halls Crossing ramp was closed and the Bullfrog ramps were limited by the low water, and from the water you don't get the view down onto the meanders. The rim is the way to see it.

Before you go, check these

These change every year. Everything else in this guide stays the same.

Is it open?

• The BLM's road report for Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Glen Canyon alerts page
• The forecast for Escalante and Bullfrog: don't drive the road when it's wet or storms are coming
• Lake Powell's level (the Park Service's lake-level page), so you know what the water will look like
• Whether the permit is still free, and the visitor center's hours that season (435-826-5499)

Getting there

• A high-clearance 4WD, booked if you're renting, and whether you can leave it overnight at a trailhead
• A full tank in Escalante
• Your park pass, bought online or an America the Beautiful pass, since the park is cashless

Your stuff

• All your water, plus extra in the car
• A stove, WAG bags, warm layers, sun protection and a headlamp
• Offline maps and the GPX files on your phone, and a satellite messenger