Griffin Top

Griffin Top is a high mesa on the Table Cliffs Plateau in Dixie National Forest, north of Escalante and reached by forest roads off Highway 12. It tops out above 10,700 feet, with wide panoramic views across the surrounding plateau country and, on a clear day, sightlines back toward Bryce Canyon itself.

Good to know

• The mesa is crossed by both the Great Western Trail's dedicated Griffin Top Section and the rougher Griffin Top Road, a 4x4 route that climbs onto it from Widtsoe
• It's high-elevation backcountry — snow lingers into early summer, and the unpaved approach roads can be muddy well past when lower elevations have dried out
• The area functions as a geologic reference point too: exposures here mark the base of the Claron Formation, the same pink limestone that forms Bryce Canyon's hoodoos

Both approaches — on foot via the GWT section or by high-clearance vehicle on Griffin Top Road — cross remote, weather-exposed terrain, so check conditions and plan for a slow pace.