The Mormon colonizers who established this trail crossed the Colorado River and ended their journey in the town of Bluff.

The trail is located within the borders of the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, the adjacent Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public land to the east of the Colorado River.

The modern road is an important access route for visiting the Canyons of the Escalante and the Devils Garden.

The natural crevice on the 1,000-foot (300 m) cliff above the Colorado was enlarged by the party to lower the wagons down to river level, where it could be forded.

After the river crossing the trail continued past the Register Rocks, where the settlers recorded their names, now covered by the lake.