The Box Trail

The Box is the canyon Pine Creek carves on its way down from the Dixie National Forest to meet the Escalante River, and the Box Trail follows the creek through it for roughly 9.5 miles point-to-point. It's a different kind of Escalante hike — instead of dropping straight into desert slickrock, it starts in high forest and works down through a mix of narrow cliff-walled canyon and open mountain terrain before the country opens into the redrock GSENM is known for.

Good to know

• Point-to-point route requiring a shuttle between trailheads — as of recent years, no local outfitters are permitted to shuttle within the Dixie Forest section, so plan your own vehicle logistics
• The creek is crossed dozens of times; easy rock-hopping in low water, genuinely hazardous during spring runoff or after storms
• Doable as a long day (5-7 hours) but a one-night backpack lets you enjoy the canyon rather than race it
• Late spring after runoff, or fall before the cold, are the better windows