About this place
This is a hard walk. It runs 22.5 miles along an unmarked route, down the whole length of Death Hollow.
It is the most difficult hike in the Escalante District of the Dixie National Forest, and it should not be taken lightly. Most people do it as a 7 day backpacking trip.
Only experienced canyoneers in excellent physical condition should attempt it. You need to be ready for it in your head as well as your legs. Planning ahead and the right gear are critical.
Do not go alone. The upper narrows are too difficult for that.
The walk begins at 9,000 feet in the Dixie National Forest and drops 1,000 feet in the first mile. The path is unmarked and vague.
There is no water for the first 11 miles, so bring more than enough. Filter all of it.
Heading down the canyon you cross into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Death Hollow joins the Escalante River there.
From that junction you can walk downstream to the Hwy 12 bridge, or upstream to the Escalante River trailhead near the town of Escalante.
The maps you want are the USGS 7.5 minute quads for Roger Peak, Escalante and Calf Creek.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Roads around it
- Some need high clearance
- Drinking water
- No, bring your own. There is none for the first 11 miles, and filter anything you find
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Dixie National Forest
The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the US Forest Service, who grade every road by the kind of vehicle it is looked after for. Those records cover the roads nearby. They do not cover the last stretch in to the campsite, and nobody has checked that part. Treat this as a warning. We are not promising what you will find when you get there. If you have driven it, tell us what it was like and we will say so here.
Rules and restrictions
You can only travel here on foot.
Getting there
Coordinates 37.974000, -111.611000
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
This is a good base for somewhere people travel a long way to see.
- Escalante Petrified Forest State Park Directions
- Bryce Canyon National Park Directions
- Capitol Reef National Park Directions
- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Boulder, UT Directions
- Panguitch, UT Directions
Panguitch is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.