Neon Canyon/Escalante River Petroglyph Panel Hiking Directions

Topo map and profile for Neon Canyon/Escalante River petroglyphs.
Green line shows our loop, beginning at Egypt Trailhead (bottom left), hiking Golden Cathedral Trail (northern) to Escalante River petroglyphs near entrance to Neon Canyon (where dark red line extends northeast) and then returning via Beeline Trail (south).

Egypt Trailhead:  37.59309   -111.21829     5,635'
Distance/Elevation gain:  8.4 miles/1,365 loss into Escalante River and gain back to trailhead.  If you can extend your hike to walk up Neon Canyon to Golden Cathedral, then distance is ~ 1.6 more miles (0.8 miles from mouth of Neon Canyon to Golden Cathedral).
Difficulty:  minimal - moderate effort, trail alternates between slickrock and sand, may or may not be cairns, navigation moderately challenging, fragments of trails, experience with route-finding essential.
Maps/Apps:  National Geographic Canyons of the Escalante, Grand Staircase-Escalante MN,  AllTrails app.
Considerations: 

• the southern Beeline Trail heads straight to Neon Canyon and Point 5,270, and entails only one Escalante River crossing.  The northern route that drops into Fence Canyon requires more river crossings/walking in river and finding your way through the brush of the river lowlands.
• Know weather forecast:  flash flood hazard in Neon Canyon.  Escalante Interagency Visitor Center (road conditions).

Hiking directions   (We used Earthline's directions)

• ​From trailhead parking and register, look east-northeast toward a large undulating bench bordered by Escalante River and Fence Canyon.  Find the round dome (Point 5,270) on the other side of Escalante River, ~ 4 miles away.  Neon Canyon's opening is just in front of (to the west) of this dome, the main landmark to aim to.
• You have a choice to hike the Beeline Route that heads in a straight line from trailhead to Point 5,270, or the Golden Cathedral Trail, which heads more to the left, going along the rim overlooking Fence Canyon in a more northerly direction. 
• We took the Golden Cathedral Trail, which dropped into Fence Canyon, using the AllTrails app.  This is the route I will describe.  
• From trailhead, find trail that heads down into the bowl, through the dark brown rocks of the Carmel Formation that are scattered haphazardly.  This is a good reference point for the return hike.
• Head down, off the plateau, down slickrock, avoiding steep pitches in a northeasterly direction.  Off of the plateau, the trail alternates between some slickrock and sandy spots, across Egypt Bench.
• At 2.6 miles, drop down into Fence Canyon, at a wedge of cliffs between North fork of Fence Creek and Fence Creek.
• At 3.0 miles, enter the bottom of Fence Canyon among the Cottonwoods and willow trees, and a few camping spots.
• At 3.3 miles, enter the Escalante River.  Don't go into the tangled brush across the river.  Walk around the large wall to the right to an open area with trail that leads through the floodplain.  The water in August was cool and shallow. but the gravel bars were covered with water.
• The valley between the sandstone walls is wide and sandy.  Reach the huge petroglyph panel on the north side of the river at 3.9 miles,  37.60829    -111.17218.
• The entrance into Neon Canyon is located 0.3 (4.3 miles total) more miles downriver, following the trail.
• Golden Cathedral is 0.8 miles up Neon Canyon.
• We took the Beeline Trail back.  It is on the other side of the Escalante River, across from Neon Canyon entrance.  It's a very sandy trail that switchbacks up to the Egypt Bench in a west/southwesterly direction.  The trail veers to the right as it approaches a wall on the side of the plateau.
• Distance from Escalante River to top of Egypt Bench is 0.4 miles.
• Hike 3.0 miles back to the trailhead, looking for the dark brown scattered rocks on the rim leading to the plateau where the trailhead is.  Occasional cairns mark the way; for the most part, head over alternating slick rock and sand pockets to the slickrock bowl you descended.

Driving Directions:  4 WD with moderate clearance best.

• From the town of Escalante, drive east on Hwy 12 and turn south onto Hole-In-the-Rock Road.
• Drive 16.7 miles to a sign labeled "Egypt -10 miles" and turn left (east).  Zero out your odometer.
• At 2.8 miles continue straight.
• At 3.5 miles, cross Twentyfive Mile wash.  This is often wet, but in August it was dry.
• At 9.2 miles pass over culvert that marks the Egypt 3 slot canyon.
• at 9.5 miles and an intersection, turn right.
• At 10 miles, park in a large circular lot.