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Twelve miles in
Devils Garden
Hoodoos and arches scattered across open slickrock, free to visit, with the only toilets on the whole dirt road. No trail, no entrance, no fuss.
Start here
The one stop on the road that asks nothing of you
Everything else down Hole-in-the-Rock Road involves commitment: an hour of driving, a climb, a squeeze, or cold water. Devils Garden is a short signed spur twelve or thirteen miles in, a small parking area, and then you simply walk out onto the slickrock among the formations for as long as you feel like.
There is no trail. That is the appeal, not an omission.
You wander. Hoodoos, fins and arches sit scattered across the rock and you pick your own way between them. Twenty minutes gets you the highlights, an hour and a half is a lovely morning, and there is no route to finish and no summit to reach.
It also has the only toilets anywhere on the road, which matters more than it sounds when the next stop is 14 miles further out with no facilities at all.
What you are looking at
Hoodoos, fins and Metate Arch
BLM describes outstanding opportunities for hiking, geological sightseeing and photography, and the notable features as hoodoos and natural arches. The best known of them is Metate Arch, a slender span that is the shot almost everyone takes here.
Good for
Photography at either end of the day, a leg stretch on the way to or from the slot canyons, families with young children, anyone who wants remarkable rock without a commitment.
Not good for
Anyone wanting a hike with a destination, or shade, or a long day out. It is a stop rather than an outing, and there is no water.
The formations are fragile and people climb on them, which is how arches end. Photograph them, walk around them, and stay off. The same goes for the living soil crust between the slickrock: stay on rock and sand rather than cutting across the dark crumbly ground.
Access
Getting there
From Escalante, drive five miles east on Scenic Byway 12 and turn onto Hole-in-the-Rock Road. The main access is a signed spur on the right after twelve to thirteen miles of graded dirt, then a short track to the parking area.
Sources give 12 or 13 miles
BLM's own pages put the turnoff at twelve miles in one place and thirteen in another, and published route guides split the same way. It is signed, so the difference does not matter much in practice, but we would rather show you the disagreement than pick a number and pretend.
In dry conditions this stretch is the best graded part of the road and a normal rental car handles it comfortably. When the road is wet the surface turns to clay and four wheel drive does not solve it, so the answer is not to go. Check the weekly road report at the visitor center on 435-826-5499.
Because it sits at the near end of the road, Devils Garden is also the practical turnaround point if the surface deteriorates or you run out of appetite for washboard. Plenty of people intend to reach Dry Fork at mile 26 and stop here instead, and it is a perfectly good day.
Changed 11 September 2026
No longer in the national monument
Devils Garden and Metate Arch are named in coverage of the 2026 proclamation as sitting outside the reduced monument boundary. The monument went from about 1.87 million acres to about 181,541 acres in two units, and the land along Hole-in-the-Rock Road was excluded.
Nothing about visiting changes. It is still federal public land managed by BLM, still free, still open, and the toilets are still there. BLM's own page still describes it as managed as part of the monument, which tells you how far behind the published information is.
What the change affects is longer term: which management plan governs, and what may be leased or developed on the excluded ground later. We explain the whole thing on the boundary change page, and there is active litigation that could alter it again.
Families
The best stop here for young children
If you are travelling with small children, this is the one place down the dirt road we would actually recommend. There is no climb, no constriction, no water and no route to get committed to, and children who would hate being squeezed through Spooky tend to love scrambling around hoodoos.
The practical caveats are sun and heat, because there is no shade at all, and the fact that everything here is climbable looking and should not be climbed. Bring water and go early or late.
More on family options across the area on Escalante with kids, and the other easy win is Lower Calf Creek Falls, which is on pavement.
Questions we actually get
Frequently asked
How far is Devils Garden from Escalante?
Five miles east on Highway 12 to the Hole-in-the-Rock turnoff, then twelve to thirteen miles of graded dirt road. Sources differ by a mile. The spur is signed and a normal car handles it in dry conditions.
Is there a fee or permit for Devils Garden?
No. There is no entrance fee, no day use permit and no reservation. Parking is free and unreserved, as with almost everything in this area.
How long does Devils Garden take?
Twenty minutes for the main formations, an hour and a half if you wander properly. There is no marked trail and no fixed route, so it takes exactly as long as you want it to.
Are there toilets at Devils Garden?
Yes, and they are the only ones on Hole-in-the-Rock Road. There are none at the Dry Fork trailhead 14 miles further on, where human waste is a stated problem, so this is the place to stop.
Is Devils Garden good for children?
It is the best stop on the dirt road for young children. No climbing obstacles, no narrow sections, no water, and nothing to commit to. The caveats are no shade at all and formations that look climbable but are fragile.
Is Devils Garden still part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument?
No. It is named in coverage of the 2026 proclamation as outside the reduced boundary, which took effect on 11 September 2026. It remains federal public land managed by BLM, still free and still open, and BLM's own page has not yet been updated.
Make it part of the day
Most people pair Devils Garden with a slot canyon further down the road, or use it as the easy version when the weather is against them.
Planning the wider trip? Start at the planning hub or where to stay.
Free, signed, and the only toilets on the road.
Check the road