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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah (View Photos):
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument consists of 1.9 million acres of southern Utah's finest scenery. Under the Antiquities Act, Bill Clinton used his presidential authority to establish the monument in 1996. It is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. This is a remote wilderness characterized by wild slickrock canyon country, dramatic cliffs and mesas, quiet rivers, colorful slot canyons, and a gigantic, mineral-rich plateau (the Kaiparowits Plateau). In addition, there are a wealth of fossils, ancient Indian artifacts and rock art.
It is to our good fortune that this vast and marvelous area has been given a level of protection that - although far from complete - is by no means insignificant. Exploring the monument can be a real challenge; there are few paved roads that penetrate it. The maze-like, surreal quality of the landscape makes it remarkably easy for hikers to get lost and there are few services nearby; those services that do exist are hardly worthy of the name. Due to its location in the heart of Southern Utah's desert canyon country, this preserve can be unforgiving to those unprepared souls who sally forth into its outer reaches.
But for those interested in primeval nature this wild, untamed and forbidding place is not to be overlooked. Most of the monument is inaccessible except via rough, high-clearance dirt roads or backpacking expeditions that require advanced outdoor skills. Fortunately there are 2 spectacular paved roads that provide extraordinary views. Both roads are passable in any vehicle. A handful of hiking trails can be reached directly from these scenic drives.
The first of these paved roads is a portion of National Scenic Byway route 12 just beyond the town of Escalante. Here, the byway snakes through an awesome stretch of slickrock hills and then crosses Calf Creek. It then climbs up a cliff and clings to the crest of a sharp ridge overlooking the spectacular Escalante Canyons on both sides. A variety of excellent overlooks offers up stunning views of these Canyons. The rest of the scenic drive leaves behind the slickrock country of the Grand Staircase and moves up the flank of the Aquarius Plateau.
The second important road to consider is the paved portion of the Burr Trail which begins in the town of Boulder. The scenery starts to really pick up when you reach the Gulch, a lovely canyon creek richly adorned with riparian vegetation like cottonwoods. Just past the Gulch, you will enter the narrow confines of Long Canyon where impressive red sandstone walls rise above the road on either side. A very pretty cottonwood oasis can be found tucked away just off the side of the road.
After leaving Long Canyon, the views open up dramatically and you descend down into the Circle Cliffs Basin, a wild expanse of desert badlands and pinyon-juniper vegetation. The paved portion of the Burr road terminates at the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.
Recommended Day Hikes:
Lower Calf Creek Falls
Round Trip Length: 5.6 miles.
Trailhead location: Calf Creek Campground, about 15 miles east of Escalante on Utah Scenic Byway 12
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Attractions: A sandy trail that follows Calf Creek, a tributary of the Escalante River, along the bottom of a canyon with huge sandstone walls until it reaches Lower Calf Creek Falls which plunges over a 126 foot cliff.
The Gulch
Round Trip Length: depends on how far you're willing to go; a nice day hike would involve hiking 3 miles one way into the gorge and then retracing your steps back to the trailhead for a round-trip distance of 6 miles.
Trailhead location: From the town of Boulder, Utah, take the Burr Trail Scenic Backway and drive for just over 10 miles on the paved road. On your right, you will see a signed turnoff for the Gulch Trailhead. Turn right onto this rough road and park off to the side or drive 0.1 miles to the end of the road and park there.
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Attractions: This hike explores the Gulch, a major tributary of the Escalante River. The Gulch originates on the flanks of Boulder Mountain and eventually carves out an orange-red sandstone gorge from the Circle Cliffs uplift. The hike starts in this gorge (in the immediate vicinity of a formation known as Rattlesnake Bench) and criss-crosses the banks of a gentle, quiet stream with small cottonwoods.
Recommended Points of Interest:
Cottonwood Canyon Road (the road - which is mostly rough and unpaved - begins in Cannonville, UT off route 12);
Grosvenor Arch (located off Cottonwood Canyon Road); Hole-in-the-Rock Road (located off route 12 about 5 miles east of the town of Escalante); Calf Creek Recreation Area; the Burr Trail (a scenic back road that begins in Boulder, UT off highway 12); Anasazi Indian Village State Park (near the town of Boulder, UT).
Helpful travel tips and observations
A highly useful brochure of the monument - which features among other things a topo map - can be downloaded from the
BLM's (Bureau of Land Management) web site. These brochures are also available within the monument itself at
trailheads and local branch offices. The area can be explored year round. Highway 12 is kept plowed during the
winter months (at least up to the town of Boulder). Amenities and services are few and far between. The town
of Escalante has a pretty nice bed-and-breakfast (at least it was when I last stayed there in 2005) called Escalante's Grand Staircase Bed and Breakfast Inn (http://www.escalantebnb.com/). Although I haven't eaten there, Hell's Backbone
Grill (http://www.hellsbackbonegrill.com) in Boulder, UT has a reputation for serving good food. Out here in the middle of nowhere, that must count for something.
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An idyllic cottonwood oasis in autumn, Long Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
The Escalante Canyons from Scenic Highway 12, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (February 2005)
Cottonwoods displaying their autumn foliage, The Gulch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
Long Canyon as viewed from the Burr Trail Scenic Byway, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (February 2005)
The Escalante Canyons from Scenic Highway 12, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
An idyllic cottonwood oasis in autumn, Long Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
Large alcove surrounded by gambel oak, Calf Creek Falls area, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
The Escalante Canyons from Scenic Highway 12, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, (October 2010)
