Escalante River

The Escalante River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately 90 miles (145 km) long, in southern Utah. Its headwaters are on the high forested slopes of the Aquarius Plateau. It drains a remote area north and west of the Colorado, flowing through rugged canyons for much of its route.

It rises in several creeks along Hell's Backbone in western Garfield County, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west and north of the town of Escalante in the Dixie National Forest. It flows east from Escalante, entering Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, then south, creating a sinuous gorge cut 500 feet (150 meters) into the sandstone. The Canyons of the Escalante are a series of spectacular slot canyons that drain from both sides into the lower gorge, as it enters Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and flows into the Colorado River from the northwest as an arm of Lake Powell, approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of the Arizona state line.

See also

• List of Utah rivers

External links

• BLM:Escalante River Gorge
• UtahRivers.org Escalante River