A Guide to Southern Utah’s Hole-in-the-Rock Trail

Updated Edition

In 1879, more than 230 settlers in southwestern Utah heeded the call from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to pull up stakes and move to the distant San Juan country of southeastern Utah. Their year-long journey became one of the most extraordinary wagon trips ever undertaken in North America, and their trail became one of peril, difficulty, and spectacular vistas. Beginning in Cedar City, Utah, this trail crosses today’s Dixie National Forest, skirts Bryce Canyon National Park, bisects Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, crosses Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and cuts through   Bears Ears National Monument on its way to Bluff, Utah.

Though the trail that these devoted pioneers broke across the raw frontier was used for several years afterward, no highway was built over most of the route because it was deemed too rugged for modern vehicles. This updated edition features pioneer family histories and updated natural history, road logs, maps, and hiking trails along the historic route, making A Guide to Southern Utah’s Hole-in-the-Rock Trail a significant reference for a variety of readers.