May 3, 2023 - Traveling Day from Page, AZ to Escalante, UT

Today, we ate breakfast leisurely and then started our journey to Escalante, UT.  

It is a trip for about 3 1/2 hours driving time. The route took us through the National Scenic Byway 12 which is a 124-mile route winding through the heart of Bryce Canyon Country. It travels through Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, over Boulder Mountain and ends at Scenic Byway 24, west of Capitol Reef NP. We did not drive through the whole route, however, we got a chance to revisit the Bryce Canyon NP. Prior to that, we tried to stop by the Red Canyon Recreation Area. Unfortunately, their visitor center was closed and we could not get any info regarding where to visit.  

When we drove through Kanab, UT, we spotted an attraction called Sand Caves, and we decided to just take a look. However, when we made the turn, we got to an animal sanctuary called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary by mistake. It is a beautiful area, so we just stoped by to take a look and also have an opportunity to rest.

The Sanctuary staff gave us a brief introduction regarding their missions and we saw many cats and dogs. They were all looked like they were enjoying their stay very much.  When we drove into the sanctuary road, we found a large horse farm. They also have an event place with a beautiful setting right next to a cave. We spent some time there for photos and a break. It was a pleasant drive-by place.

Then we went to visit Bryce Canyon NP again. We visited it in 2012 with SMDC friends and had a wonderful time there. Since it is just on the way to Escalante, we decided to take a couple of hours of detour to revisit it.  

We walked to the Sunrise and Sunset Points to enjoy the beautiful landscape and the hoodoos. The wind picked up when we were there, so we did not stay too long for it. One thing we did find out was that they closed down the most interesting trial (Navajo Loop) due to trail damages. 

We drove to Escalante and quickly found our Entrada Escalante Lodge. It was a small establishment, but the lodge is very well equipped with everything you need.  It was a pleasant lodging for us. 

We followed the Tripadvisor’s advice and went to dinner at Escalante Outfitters Cafe for their famous pizza and salads. After dinner, we sat at the back porch checking our phones.  Surprisingly, we found that a deer family paid a visit to us in the backyard.