Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

I drove over about 15 miles from Bryce Canyon City to Escalante National Monument Visitor Center on September 26th.  I have always wanted to go over to the Grand Staircase.  The visitor center is located in Cannonville, Utah.  It was small, but super cute with rustic outdoor area and a small info center and bookstore.

According to Wiki, there are 1,800,461 acres of protected land that was designed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, but on Dec. 4, 2017, President Donald Trump ordered that the monument's size be reduced by nearly 47 percent to 1,003,863 acres.  Naturally, conservation group, anglers, hunters and outdoorsmen have filed suit to block this action and I'm right there with them.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante is one of the most remote places in the country with three main regions:  the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits Plateau and Canyons of the Escalante (Escalante River). Grand Staircase-Escalante is part of BLM land and there is a website regarding the Grand Staircase - Escalante.  I'd suggest that you Google about the area because there are places are incredible!  Grand Staircase-Escalante is located between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks.  It is above Lake Powell and west of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  It's also just north of the Grand Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, so you can see this whole southern Utah and northern Arizona region is FULL of outdoor activities and camping opportunities.  If you look at this map of Utah, you can see HOW BIG the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument truly is!

What I didn't know is that in order to access any of the sites in Grand Staircase-Escalante, you have to have 4-wheel drive because there are no roads.  You have to off-road to get anywhere in this national monument.  Since, I didn't want to take the chance of damaging the dually - our only means of transportation, here are some web photos of the Canyons of the Escalante from Wiki.  I have many friends who live to hike and climb here so I know it's a cool place, although I didn't physically go to these sites.  But, I would suggest driving down scenic byway Hwy 12.  It's a fabulous drive!

Coyote Creek

Neon Canyon

Peek-a-Boo Gulch

Stevens Arch

Zebra Slot

So, here's a list of things to do on your time frame if you're in southern Utah and you have a jeep or off-road vehicle.

1-2 Hours:

• Visitor Center for presentations and Junior Ranger Program
• Devils Garden Walk in Escalante (less than a mile) to see Sculptured Rock and Hoodoos.
• Hells Backbone Road (USFS) Drive - Escalante/Boulder (45 miles)
• Escalante Petrified Forest State Park in Escalante.  Hike is 1.5 miles of scenic views and petrified wood.
• Anasazi State Park Museum in Boulder area.  Exhibits about prehistoric American Indians and 800 year old (Coombs Pueblo) site.
• Hike The Toadstools in Kanab/Big Water.  1.5 mile hike seeing Hoodoos and Balanced Rocks
• Kodachrome Basin State Park in Cannonville.  1/2 mile hike to explore sandstone spires and rock formations.
• Grosvenor Arch in Cannonville.  1/4 mile hike to see this double arch!
• Willis Creek in Cannonville.  4.5 mile hike to visit a canyon with flowing water.

Half Day:

• Lower Calf Creek Falls in Escalante.  Hike is 6 miles to a 120 foot waterfall
• Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Canyons in Escalante.  Hike is 2-6 miles to explore slot canyons.  No dogs.

All Day:

• Lick Wash in Kanab/Cannonville.   Hike is 8 miles to experience micro-climates along a narrow canyon.
• Escalante River Gorge in Escalante.  Hike is 30 miles!  Trek along a large canyon with many stream crossings.

Several Days:

Combinations of the above.