Haycock Ranch Trail

Haycock Ranch Road is better known as a BLM dispersed camping area about 10 minutes from Escalante than as a maintained hiking trail — open desert sites spread along the road with no water or restrooms, decent cell service, and views out toward the surrounding monument country and, on clear days, toward Bryce and Capitol Reef in the distance. Search turns up little in the way of a signed, mapped "Haycock Ranch Trail" with its own tread and trailhead.

What it actually is

• Primarily a free dispersed camping corridor on BLM land bordering Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Overnight camping in the monument requires a free permit, available at Escalante-area visitor centers
• Better suited to campers seeking an open, shadeless spot for stargazing than hikers looking for a defined route