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Escalante is a small town at the centre of south Utah, surrounded by some of the most rugged yet beautiful country in the state. The areas to the south and east were amongst the last places in America to be explored and mapped, and have long been popular with adventurous explorers and back-country enthusiasts because of the many spectacular canyons and other rock formations, and the peace and solitude provided by the region.
The area is now protected following the establishment in September 1996, by presidential decree, of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (administered by the BLM rather than the NPS), which covers 1.7 million mostly roadless acres. The principal attractions within the monument are based around tributaries of the two major river systems - the Paria and the Escalante. A mixed response has greeted the announcement - the added protection and restrictions on further industrial development of the area are counterbalanced by the likely increase in people, with consequent problems of pollution and spoiling of the environment.
The West - the Paria River
The western section of the national monument contains most of the Grand Staircase - a series of differently colored uplifted sandstone cliffs stretching in order of increasing age between Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. Cutting through the cliffs is one of the two major canyon systems; that formed by the Paria River and its tributaries. The main access to the upper reaches of the river is by the 50-mile Cottonwood Canyon Road between Kodachrome and US 89; this is a bumpy gravel track that is often impassable after rains. However, the most visited section is outside the Monument boundary, south of US 89 - the Paria River narrows and the Buckskin Gulch slot canyon. North of US 89 there are several roads that allow for relatively easy access to parts of the Monument, including the Paria ghost town and movie set.
Grand Staircase - Nearby Places
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The East - the Escalante River
The other major canyon system in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is formed by the Escalante River. This, the last in all America to be discovered and mapped, runs through the town of Escalante and then along a long canyon towards Lake Powell, with dozens of side-canyons, many of which are quite narrow and fascinating to explore. This region also has numerous natural bridges and arches, but there are only two paved access routes - The Burr Trail and the Hole-in-the-Rock road, and quite lengthy hiking is necessary to reach most of the interesting places. One alternative is sightseeing by boat from the lake, as the lower reaches of the Escalante River are flooded.
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Hotels: Tropic, Cannonville, Escalante and Boulder all have a few motels; other places with hotels close to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are Bryce Canyon and Torrey.
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