The new national monument may have detractors in Utah, but it does protect and highlight a region with great diversity of scenery: it is a wild land of arches, goblins, hoodoos, and assorted canyons. The Escalante River and its tributaries worked with rain and wind to form most of these natural areas. The river is believed by most historians to be the last major river discovered by government surveyors in the continental United States.

For hikers there are few truly developed or marked trails into the interior. Some of the more popular hiking routes, such as those through Coyote Gulch and Harris Wash, lure hikers with the promise of lush gardens in the midst of desert terrain, narrow slot canyons, waterfalls, and towering arches.

Perhaps the best-known destination in the Escalante area is Calf Creek Falls, 15 miles east of the town of Escalante. Small natural arches, thousand-year-old Indian rock art, an Ancestral Puebloan dwelling, and a moderate hike to a refreshing waterfall make this a special destination.