Historic Hole in the Rock

In the winter of 1879-80, about 250 settlers of the Mormon San Juan Mission widened this narrow cleft in the west rim of Glen Canyon to lower 83 wagons and their livestock roughly 1,000 feet to the Colorado River, on their way to found Bluff. Lake Powell now covers about a third of the route. From the water, land at about buoy 66 on the west side of the main channel, just below the mouth of the Escalante arm; the climb up the cleft is about half a mile each way over steep, rocky ground. There are no facilities.

Address

Southeastern Utah, USA

Good for

History, Culture, ArtArcheological SiteHistoric LandmarkNatural AttractionsRock FormationScenic View/Overlook

Elevation

4,426 ft (1,349 m)

Updated

11/1/2026