Calf Creek Falls

After my recent waterfall post, I just had to post one of my all time favorite waterfall pictures.  It's probably my favorite because I love where it is.  As most of you know, Jeff and I spend a good deal of time exploring southern Utah red rock country.  This area is called Calf Creek, and is in between Escalante and Boulder on scenic Highway 12.  It is so, well,  unexpected, considering it's in the middle of dry, desert.  Off the road there is a campground called Calf Creek.  From there you take a 3 mile hike along a small stream that winds around beautiful red cliffs.  The hike is easy and pretty enough, but it ends in a box canyon with this beautiful waterfall to enjoy.  Not only was the waterfall beautiful, but there  is also green trees and vegetation.    Because it is an enclosed box canyon and you are surrounded by cliffs, it is all misty and seems about 20 degrees cooler.  It is truly an oasis in the desert.  The year we took this hike for the first time, we left very early in the morning.  When we arrived at this waterfall it was so beautiful and peaceful that Jeff laid on a grassy spot and took a nap while I took about a thousand photos.  It was so nice and relaxing because of the cool breeze from the water that we couldn't bring ourselves to leave.  We finally left in the early afternoon and after walking out of the canyon and out of the mist we could really feel the temperature which was probably 100 degrees.   The rest of the hike was hot and miserable because we didn't bring enough water.  We learned how well the cool, misty canyon masked the true temperature.  This has become our Memorial Day weekend trip we take almost every year.  Now, however, we take plenty of water, and we never go later on in the summer when it gets really hot.  If anyone wants to go with us this year, let us know.  We'll be your personal guides.