STATE & NATION TRAVEL · alerts
Flood damage closes Escalante Petrified Forest's Bailey Wash entrance
By Staff Writer · Published November 5, 2026
The park remains open from its main entrance, but the Bailey Wash approach is closed and the current Utah boat-ramp list also marks Wide Hollow Reservoir's ramp closed.
Official announcement: Utah State Parks · November 2, 2026
Source: Utah State Parks Bailey Wash entrance alert and park visitor page
Flood damage has closed the Bailey Wash entrance to Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Utah State Parks said in an alert updated November 2. The park itself remains open and can still be reached through the main entrance. No reopening date is posted; the agency says it will remove the alert when Bailey Wash access returns.
The distinction matters for route planning. A navigation app or familiar local approach may still point toward Bailey Wash even though that entrance is unavailable, while the main park approach continues to serve the visitor center, trail area and campgrounds. Travelers should follow the signed main entrance rather than interpreting the alert as a full-park closure.
Water access has a separate restriction. Utah's current statewide ramp table lists the Escalante Park ramp at Wide Hollow Reservoir as closed. The entrance update therefore does not mean a trailered boat can be launched after reaching the property, and boaters should check that table again before towing equipment to the reservoir.
The park's current fee page lists standard day use at $10 per vehicle and several kinds of overnight sites from $30 to $60 per night. Those prices and an existing camping reservation do not override either the damaged-entrance closure or the boat-ramp status.
What Travelers Need to Know
Use the signed main entrance and do not rely on Bailey Wash until Utah State Parks removes the closure notice. Recheck the official park page on the travel day because the agency has not announced a reopening date.
Do not tow a trailered boat solely because the park is open. The statewide conditions table currently lists the Wide Hollow Reservoir ramp as closed; verify a changed status before bringing a motorboat or other ramp-dependent craft.
Budget for the current $10 standard day-use charge per vehicle. Campsites and group areas have separate rates, and Utah uses a rolling reservation system with an $8 reservation fee; travelers seeking a site less than two days before arrival should contact the park directly at 435-826-4466.
The park lists its visitor center and museum as open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but operating details can change with the access repair and winter season. Non-camper showers are subject to the day-use charge plus a per-person fee and are scheduled to close from mid-November to mid-March.
About the Location
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park sits just outside the town of Escalante in southern Utah and about 44 miles east of Bryce Canyon National Park. Utah established the park in 1963 to protect its petrified-wood deposits; a one-mile trail climbs to the mesa, and the more strenuous Trail of Sleeping Rainbows reaches areas with especially dense deposits.
Wide Hollow Reservoir was built in 1954 and supplies irrigation water to Escalante. The state added reservoir shoreline to the park in 1972, linking a fossil-focused hiking destination with camping, fishing and paddling. That combined setting makes it important to distinguish land access through the main entrance from the independently reported ramp closure.