Winter Isolation in Utah

Escalante National Monument from Hwy 12. Photo by Matt McGrath.

Southern Utah. Isolation. Silence. Primitive beauty. The experience of this place is simultaneously one of life and death. I lose my breath. A human life is so small, so insignificant, in a place like this. Yet somehow it is also larger than life, so connected, so at peace, so at one with all else that exists.

We stayed at the Boulder Mountain Lodge in a tiny enclave called Boulder, Utah. The road we took to reach the location was first paved as recently as 1985. We figured it is about a three hour drive from any busy town, and even these towns would be considered small by most: Moab, Cedar City, or Richfield. This is exactly the way we like to spend our holidays, enjoying each other’s company without the distractions and chaos of the season’s crowds.

Snowshoe tracks in Dixie National Forest. Photo by Matt McGrath.

This place is busier in the warmer months, when hoards (relatively speaking) of people drive with their families from one national park to the next: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, and Arches. But here in December, perhaps two or three cars mosey down the road each hour, accompanied by wild turkeys and deer who look on indifferently. There are no restaurants open here at this time of year. We had to bring all our food with us for our week of solitary enjoyment in Escalante National Monument.

Boulder Creek Canyon. You can see about 90 miles off into the distance.

Calf Creek Canyon.

Two pine trees in Dixie National Forest.