Devil's Garden - Metate Arch - Grand Staircase/Escalante

Hole in the Rock Road, located southeast of Escalante, Utah, has so many amazing hikes, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked is a short side trip to Devil’s Garden.

Devil’s Garden – Grand Staircase/Escalante Hike Details

Distance – 0.5 miles round trip
Approximate hiking time – 30 minutes to one hour
Elevation at Devil’s Garden – 5288 feet
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – Sand
Amount of water recommended – 1 liter
Bathrooms – Yes, located at trailhead
Season to hike – Can be hiked all year long

How to get there:

From Escalante, Utah, take the main road, Highway 12, east through Escalante. The road will head in a southeastern direction. Follow Hwy 12 for five miles, and as the highway makes a left curve, the unpaved Hole in the Rock Road will be on the right side of the road. If you were to go straight instead of take the curve that would turn into Hole in the Rock Road. From Torrey, UT, head south on Hwy 12 for nearly 60 miles. There should be a sign after a curve to the right that says Hole in the Rock Road. Turn left off of Hwy 12 here. From the turnoff onto Hole in the Rock Road would be a good spot to reset your trip odometer to 0. From here you will head southeast on the unpaved Hole in the Rock Road for approximately 12 miles (19 km). Turn right onto a dirt road with a sign for Devil’s Garden. This will take you to the trailhead.

Hitting the Trail!

At the large parking area you’ll follow the trail which will head east. There are two arches in Devil’s Garden. Metate Arch and Mano Arch. Metate is more scenic of the two.

Metate Arch is very picturesque especially in the late afternoon light

Mano Arch is located right next to Metate Arch in Devil’s Garden

Devil’s Garden is relatively small and only takes about 30 minutes to fully explore, and children will love to run around Devil’s Garden as well. This is a great short hike to do in conjunction with one or more of the other hikes located along Hole in the Rock Road.