Grand Staircase
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument – A Wild Frontier
Vast and untamed, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) offers an impressive array of educational and recreational adventures. Administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Monument spans nearly 1.9 million acres of America’s public lands located between Lake Powell and Kanab.
Metate Arch is one of the many unusual rock formations found on the monument. Photo by Larry Crutchfield.
From its spectacular Grand Staircase of cliffs and terraces across the rugged Kaiparowits Plateau to the wonders of the Escalante River Canyons, the Monument’s size, resources and remote character provide extraordinary possibilities for scientific research and discovery.
As intriguing as it is beautiful, GSENM has already afforded researchers a wealth of new insights about how the earth was formed and the life it sustains.
What scientists are learning, and the methodology they use to determine what it all means, can be discovered at GSENM visitor centers located in adjacent communities. With so much information to share, each visitor center’s interpretive exhibits focus on different scientific themes: Big Water (paleontology), Kanab (geology and archaeology), Cannonville (history), Escalante (plants and animals), and at Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder (archaeology).
Through these exhibits, visitors can learn about scientific processes, understand how clues fit together to form hypotheses, and gain a greater appreciation for the Monument.
Another way to learn about the Monument is through its “Walks & Talks” lecture series. Several times a week, GSENM scientists, rangers or local experts give science-related lectures and conduct field trips at the visitor centers or on the Monument itself. These are free of charge. Schedules of upcoming Walks & Talks can be obtained at the visitor centers.
The kids are not left out, either. The Monument’s Junior Scientist Program, similar to the Junior Ranger program found at many national and state parks, teaches kids about what scientists are studying in the Monument’s outdoor laboratory.
Depending on their age, they can choose three or more activities to complete in the booklet. Activities range from the “Paleontology Tool Hunt” crossword puzzle to the “Visitor Center Scavenger Hunt.” After the kids complete all the steps to become a Junior Scientist, a BLM staff member goes through the book with them and checks their answers, has them say the oath, and they are awarded their Junior Scientist Badge.
There are several ways to access GSENM. Visitors can drive along the All-American Road, Scenic Byway 12 between Tropic and Boulder in the north. Travelers on this highway are treated to swirling sandstone mesas, intriguing canyons, high desert and forests. In the south, the richly-colored vermilion cliffs border Highway 89 between Kanab and Page.
Partially paved and graded gravel, the Burr Trail to the Capital Reef boundary and Johnson Canyon Road to the Skutumpah Road turnoff wind beneath rising multi-hued canyon walls. Most roads into the Monument are dirt, clay or sand.
Caution should be exercised when traveling on unpaved roads as conditions change quickly due to weather. High clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended. Services and water are generally not available. Cell phones do not work throughout most of the Monument.
Since so much of the Monument is remote and unforgiving to the unprepared, plan ahead and expect the unexpected. Check on current road and weather conditions at one of the Monument’s visitor centers before venturing out. Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Carry extra water, clothing and food in case of an emergency. Do not travel or hike alone. Remember that overnight camping requires a permit (easily obtained at one of the visitor centers listed above).
Collection of objects on the Monument, such as petrified wood, fossils, artifacts and plants, is prohibited.
Some of the most popular GSENM attractions in Kane County are not far off the beaten path. Consult the GSENM Visitor Information Guide or area maps for exact locations.
•Old Pahreah Town Site, located five miles north of Hwy 89 on a dirt road between mile posts markers 31 and 32 gives visitors a glimpse into the harsh realties of pioneer life.
•Grosvenor Arch is a unique double arch located 13 miles south-east of Kodachrome Basin State Park and one mile off Cottonwood Road.
Beckoning the restless heart and challenging the adventurous soul, GSENM boasts some of the best backcountry opportunities in the country. Equestrians will find the Upper Paria River an amazing corridor with steep canyon walls, hanging gardens and historic remnants from earlier travelers. But…watch out for the quicksand!
The uncompromising and vivid landscapes along the Great Western Trail offer ATV enthusiasts an exciting and intriguing ride.
Though most of the trails are undeveloped, GSENM affords day hikers and backpackers of various skill levels a wide assortment of routes that invite exploration.
If you prefer guided trips with a professional outfitter, GSENM has 67 authorized providers offering services for auto tours, hiking, backpacking, bicycling, horseback riding, hunting, fishing and shuttle services, as well as geology and natural history tours, photography classes, environmental education, llama packing and horse pack trips.
For more information, visit a GSENM visitor center, call (435) 644-4680, or log on to the Monument’s website at www.ut.blm.gov/monument.
