Where is calf creek

Trail Head: The trailhead is located at the Calf Creek Campground on Highway 12, 11 miles south of the town of Boulder, and 15 miles east of the town of Escalante. The highway follows the route of the creek for most of the distance, atop the bluff to the east of the canyon. Located at the campground in the Calf Creek Recreational Area, there is a parking fee for the parking lot, and a camping fee in order to stay overnight. The trail sets off to the north, away from the campground.

Though mostly level, the trail frequently crosses vast sandy tracts that can make it difficult for some to navigate. Take a swim, even in the cold temperatures! Great hike with nice views from start to finish, plus an amazing waterfall at the end which is better than Upper Calf Creek Falls, IMO.

We got lucky and had stellar weather with an uncrowded trail. Even had the waterfall all to ourselves for a few minutes. The trail seems longer than 6.

Regardless, this hike is worth the journey. Use Navigator in the AllTrails app and join the other outdoor explorers who have completed this trail. Lower Calf Creek Falls moderate Length Like an oasis in the desert, lively, green vegetation thrives along Lower Calf Creek, surrounded by cliffs and Navajo sandstone.

From a historical point of view, this area is also very interesting: You will find pre-historic rock art along the way, dated to AD Don't forget to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and your swimsuit to cool off in the swimming hole by the waterfall. Welcome to Calf Creek! The year-round flow of the creek begins several miles up canyon with large seeps and springs. Water is the key to survival here and this lush riparian habitat supports an abundance of plant and animal life.

People have also depended on the life-giving waters of Calf Creek for thousands of years. Water forms canyons. Over millions of years, the creek has carved its way deeper and deeper into its channel. Meanwhile, rain water flowing over cliffs and down slopes along the sides of the canyon erodes sand grains, pebbles, rocks, and boulders, gradually widening the canyon. Major erosion and sediment transport occurs when flash floods from summer thunderstorms roar down the canyon.

Water and wind erosion also forms arches, alcoves, intricate honeycombing, and water pockets. Look around you and observe the wonders of water and wind at work. Sometimes there are ponds and marshy areas along the creek formed by beaver dams.

Beavers and industrious, sometimes building large and extensive dams. Beaver dams help control flooding, reduce siltation downstream, and provide habitat for mature fish. Insects, frogs, and birds are attracted to these wetland areas, and a variety of ducks can be observed here. Gambel oak is an upland species.

In high desert areas it is often found in cool, shady locations. The twigs, leaves, and acorns provide important food for wildlife, especially deer and turkeys. You wouldn't know it looking at Calf Creek today, but in the early s a local farmer grew watermelons here along the banks of the creek. They were said to be "the best melons in Boulder. High on the cliff across the creek is a storage structure granary built more than years ago by prehistoric people who lived in the canyons. We call this culture the Fremont.

Assorted food items and seeds were stored in these structures. What would it have been like to be a Fremont Indian living in this canyon? Millions of years ago a huge Sahara-like desert covered this area. Sand dunes hundreds of feet high drifted back and forth. The wind-blown sand of this former desert is now Navajo Sandstone. It is the predominant geologic layer found in Calf Creek Canyon and is a cliff-forming layer usually white in color.

The dark streaks on the canyon walls are called desert varnish. It forms when windblown dust or rain leave behind trace amounts of iron and manganese. Rainwater combines with these minerals to create oxides, leaving behind the reddish-brown to black patina on the cliff walls.

Bacteria growing on the cliff faces also contribute by concentrating these minerals and cementing the oxides to the rock surface. Over time, as desert varnish ages, it becomes thicker and darker. The old fence line is a reminder of the historic use of Calf Creek Canyon by early pioneers.

Weaned calves were kept in the natural pasture created by the box canyon above the fence, hence the name "Calf Creek. Across the canyon, near the bottom of the smooth cliff wall, are three large figures painted with red pigment - further evidence that people have used Calf Creek for hundreds of years.

Pictographs are painted images while petroglyphs are carved or pecked into the rock surface. With their trapezoidal shape, depictions of arms and legs, and elaborate head dresses, these images are typical of Fremont style rock art. Their meaning is unknown. Archaeologists speculate that it may represent significant events, religions ceremonies, deities, lineages, information, maps, or even warnings. Rock art, like all archaeological sites, are a limited resource.

Once they are damaged or destroyed they are gone forever. Please help protect and preserve this link to the past. Look, but never touch or damage rock art or prehistoric structures. These activities result in the loss of valuable scientific information and cultural connections. Straight ahead on the right-hand wall of this side canyon is another storage granary.

The Fremont people grew corn, beans, and squash along creeks and river bottoms, but more often they relied on gathering native plants, pinyon nuts, berries, and seeds. They also fished and hunted deer, bighorn sheep, and other small mammals. Horsetail is a jointed plant found only in wet areas. Pioneers called is scouring rush and used to scrub pots and pans. Boxelder, and member of the maple family, is the predominant tree in the canyon.

Reaching a height of 50 feet, it grows rapidly in wet places. It provides bank stabilization for the creek and amble shade for both people and wildlife.

The creek is the life force within the canyon. It provides life-sustaining water for the plants and animals here. Aquatic plants, insects, and fish make their home within the creek itself. Brook brown and rainbow trout can often be seen resting on the creek bottom or darting in and out of hiding spots under vegetation along the creek bank.

Wetlands are one of the most productive and important ecosystems, displaying a greater abundance of plant and animal life than adjoining upland areas.

A healthy riparian zone filters and purifies the water passing through it, reduces sediment loads, enhances soil stability, and contributes to ground water recharge and flow. Cattail, common reed, river birch, cottonwood, false Solomon's seal, and willow are all water-loving plants you may see in the canyon.

Mist from the falls and shade from the canyon walls keep the temperature cooler here. Look for scarlet monkey flower, Easter flower, and maiden hair fern growing near seeps in the cliff walls. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of water and wind. Feel the mist on your face. Imagine how different this canyon and your hike would be without the creek. Water is precious in the desert.

Water is life. Lower Calf Creek Falls is a very popular hike, especially on the weekends. If you want to avoid people, mid-week is best. Camping is also available for a fee. The best time to go is in the summer. A waterproof variety also minimizes water contamination, protecting the fragile aquatic ecosystem, just in case we take advantage of swimming at Lower Calf Creek Falls.

After visiting the restroom facilities—there are none on the trail—we pick up a trail guide and deposit the small day-use fee in a metal box near the campground. The six-mile-round-trip trail alternates between undulating slickrock and lush creek bottom as the journey, with only minor elevation gains, travels in and out of the canyon floor.

The hike takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on how fast you hike and how much time you spend at the waterfall. The trail brochure designates the hike to the falls as moderately strenuous due to the thick sand on many portions of the trail, but we find it to be easily doable for most boomer hikers. The entire trail to Lower Calf Creek Falls is a pleasant, scenic hike but some features are worth stopping for a closer look. At the trailhead, be sure to pick up a trail brochure that includes numbered viewpoints.

Here are some of the highlights:. At Stop 7 pause to view the dramatic vertical striping visible on walls on the far side of the canyon. Known as desert varnish, the stripes are actually caused by living microbes that oxidize iron and manganese found in clay minerals. The manganese rich black stripes are the result of humid conditions while orange stripes indicate arid conditions with low manganese content.

Painted with red pigment, the three large trapezoidal shape figures are located on the smooth wall near the bottom of the canyon across the canyon from the trail. As the trail winds beside Calf Creek, look for trout or the evidence of busy beavers.

Alan and I stop several times to photograph spring wildflowers or listen to bird calls.