Hell’s Backbone
It was day four of our Escalante-based trip. Mike and Walt were off exploring while the others in the group were sightseeing at Bryce Canyon. The weather was clear and the cooler temperatures at the higher elevations on this road were a welcome relief from the heat below.
We had driven Pine Creek Road up by Posey Lake and Cyclone Lake, and then we returned to the intersection with Hell's Backbone as that was one of the primary trails we wanted to drive. The surface was smooth and well graded, and it would stay that way for the whole trail. Traffic was very light on the road and we saw only a handful of other vehicles for the entire length of it.
We drove to the historic bridge, stopping a couple of times for pictures, and once for a hound in the middle of the road. He had a large radio collar on, so we were confident that he wasn't lost. We would see him later, riding on top of a pick-up truck with other dogs.
The views of the Box Death Hollow wilderness from the bridge were fantastic and we spent some time there before moving on. After that, we passed an area where there had been a fire, but it appeared to only scorch the pine trunks and burn the undergrowth, so we wondered if it had been a controlled burn. Shortly after this, the road dropped back down to an area of ranchland, and was improved from here to the end at Utah Route 12 near Boulder.
We were soon back out to civilization again and moving on to the Burr Trail, one mile away at Boulder.
