The Jacobs Lake is a beginner trail located north of Escalante in Garfield County. The loop takes you 84 miles from the town of Escalante and back. It takes about six to seven hours of driving to complete.
The terrain is mostly comprised of maintained dirt roads, except for a brief stretch that takes you on the Boulder Swale OHV Trail (the OHV trail is limited to 50″ vehicles so don’t plan on bringing a full size 4×4 on this portion of the loop).
This loop takes you by an astounding amount of mountain lakes and features some spectacular views of the forest and some iconic lookout points including Hell’s Backbone.
Starting the trail from the town of Escalante is the easiest way to begin and stage your vehicles provided they are street legal.
You can also find just about every amenity you need in town including gas, lodging, and food. If you are looking for camping there is also plenty of campsites along the trail including the Posey Lake Campground and the Blue Spruce Campground.
Much of this trail rides through Dixie National Forest. Make sure you’re familiar with the Forest’s rules and regulations about recreation in the area. For more info visit: usda.gov/dixie.
There are many intersections in this loop so make sure to pay attention to trail signage and check your GPS so that you keep going the correct way.