Hole-in-the-Rock

In the winter of 1879 and 1880, a group of Mormon pioneers widened a narrow crack in a sandstone cliff and lowered their wagons down it to the Colorado River. That crack, Hole-in-the-Rock, now drops straight into Lake Powell, and you can stand in it and imagine how they did it.

The Story

About 250 settlers with 83 wagons and more than a thousand head of livestock set out from southern Utah to start a new settlement on the San Juan River. Their “shortcut” led to the rim of Glen Canyon, high above the river. Over six weeks they chipped and blasted the crack into a rough road. The drop to the river was nearly 2,000 feet, with slopes as steep as 45 degrees in places. On January 26, 1880, they began taking wagons down, ferried them across the river and climbed out the other side. They reached the San Juan in April and founded the town of Bluff.

Where It Is on Lake Powell

Hole-in-the-Rock is on the main channel near the mouth of the Escalante River arm, around buoy 66, roughly 66 lake miles above Glen Canyon Dam. From the Bullfrog and Halls Crossing area it is about 30 miles down-lake. From the south-end marinas near Page it is roughly a 120-mile round trip with no fuel along the way, so from Page it is best as a houseboat or multi-day trip. From Bullfrog or Halls Crossing, where we also rent, it is a day on a jet ski or boat.

Visiting by Boat

• Beach your boat at the foot of the crack. Where the water reaches depends on the lake level.
• The climb up the crack is a steep, rocky scramble over boulders. Wear sturdy shoes, carry water and allow at least an hour.
• Look for the old wagon ruts, drill holes and steps cut by the pioneers and later by miners.

Visiting by Road

From the town of Escalante, Utah, the Hole-in-the-Rock Road runs about 55 miles across Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to the top of the crack, with the last few miles inside Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The first stretch out of Escalante has been chip sealed, but most of the road is washboard dirt, and the last few miles cross slickrock that needs a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle. Skip it when the road is wet.

Nearby on the Lake

Hole-in-the-Rock pairs with the side canyons of the Escalante arm, including Cathedral in the Desert in Clear Creek Canyon, and with Reflection Canyon on the main channel about nine miles down-lake. See also our Escalante River arm and San Juan River arm pages.

Where to Rent

We rent at Bullfrog and Halls Crossing, about 30 miles up-lake, and at Wahweap and Antelope Point near Page, where the best day rides are Antelope Canyon, Navajo Canyon, Padre Bay and Rainbow Bridge. We launch from whichever ramps the lake level allows.