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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument


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Paria Movie Set

Main attractions: Great expanse of scenic wilderness, with arches, cliffs, many narrow canyons and countless rock formations, based around two major rivers (Paria and Escalante) and their tributaries. Also contains most of the Grand Staircase, a series of differently colored sandstone escarpments
Nearest city with hotels: Bryce Canyon, Torrey
Management: BLM
Location: 37.770525, -111.601925 (Escalante)
Seasons: All year, but low elevation areas are rather hot in summer, and access roads are often impassable during wet weather
Escalante is a small town at the center 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 countless spectacular canyons, badlands, cliffs, hoodoos, arches and other red rock formations, and the peace and solitude provided by the region. The land is lightly regulated; there is very little development, no entrance fee, few facilities, and free primitive camping is allowed almost anywhere. A small number of places have a maintained path, or a recognized trailhead, but for the most part, exploration is off trail, cross-country.

The area has been protected since September 1996 after the establishment, 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, bordered approximately by Capitol Reef National Park to the northeast, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the southeast, road UT 12 to the north, Paunsaugunt Plateau to the west and road US 89 to the south (see map). The principal attractions within the preserve are based around tributaries of the two major river systems - the Paria in the west and the Escalante in the east, around which are a series of escarpments of differently colored sandstone strata - the Grand Staircase - which extend to neighboring areas like Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and the Vermilion Cliffs. The creation of the national monument has met with a mixed response, since the added protection and restrictions on further industrial development of the area are counterbalanced by the increase in visitation, 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 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 many tributaries. The main access to the upper reaches of the river is by the 50-mile Cottonwood Canyon Road running between Cannonville and US 89; this is a bumpy gravel track that is often impassable after rains. However, the most visited section is towards the south, near the Arizona stateline - the Paria River narrows, the Buckskin Gulch slot canyon and the eroded features of Coyote Buttes and the Wave. These are accessed by a side road off US 89, while to the north of this highway are several other roads that allow for relatively easy access to some parts of the monument, including the Paria ghost town and movie set.

Grand Staircase - Map

Grand Staircase - Other Places
The East - the Escalante River

The largest 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 small town of Escalante and then down a long canyon towards Lake Powell, en route joined by dozens of side-canyons, many of which are quite narrow and fascinating to explore. This region also has numerous natural bridges and arches, plateaus and ridges, but there are only two maintained 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.

Hotels: Tropic, Cannonville, Escalante and Boulder all have a few motels; the nearest places with chain hotels close to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are Bryce Canyon and Torrey.
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