Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument

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This had been the west's last blank spot on the map, the final region in the continental U.S. to be subjected to the cartographer's ruthless craft. And when President Clinton set aside these 1.7 million acres of southern Utah desert as the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, most people still had little idea of what was actually there. The public was intrigued, and visitation jumped to 7,000 per month—double what it had been before.

But then, compare Escalante's 7,000 visitors to say, the Grand Canyon National Park, which can get half a million gawkers per lunar cycle, and you get a sense of the isolation of this vast desert reach.

You can be alone here.

But alone where? Well, the monument is divided into three distinct areas: Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Escalante Canyons.

The Grand Staircase extends across the western third of the Monument. It consists of a series of benches and cliffs that form natural steps, including the Pink Cliffs, Gray Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermilion Cliffs, and Chocolate Cliffs.

Grosvenor Arch, an unusual double arch, and the Cockscomb, an impressive erosional "hogback", are among the most impressive geologic formations in the Grand Staircase area. Fossils found in the area include petrified wood, dinosaurs, and the oldest fossils in the Monument—shells of sea animals that lived 270 million years ago.

The town of Paria (or Pahreah), in the southern part of the Grand Staircase, was settled in 1865. The town, located near Paria River, was abandoned by 1920. The Paria River and its tributaries, including Bull Valley Gorge, Cottonwood Wash, and Hackberry Creek, provide many recreational opportunities.

Bordered on the west by the Cockscomb and on the east by the Straight Cliffs, Kaiparowits Plateau is one of the most rugged and remote areas found anywhere in the west. The Plateau is rich in paleontological resources, including the fossil remains of dinosaurs, crocodiles, mammals, fish, mollusks, and plants. Archaeological evidence indicates that the prehistoric Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan cultures overlapped on the Kaiparowits Plateau. Their rock art suggests that bighorn sheep were once found throughout this landscape. Today, bighorn sheep have been reintroduced and they once again inhabit the canyons and plateaus of the Kaiparowits.

The Kaiparowits Plateau also contains significant coal deposits that have affected the landscape in surprising ways. The red hues of the Burning Hills are the result of fires that burned long ago in underground coal seams. Other seams are burning today, the result of natural ignition. An unusual community of Utah Juniper trees more than 1,000 years old is found on Four Mile Bench.

The Escalante Canyons, formed by the Escalante River and its tributaries, are typified by eroded slickrock canyons of Jurassic sandstone. The Waterpocket Fold defines the eastern side of the Escalante Canyons landscape. The Escalante Canyons are internationally known for their exceptional hiking and backcountry opportunities. The Burr Trail and the Hole-in-the-Rock Road are popular scenic routes. Isolated and unique plant associations can be found in the canyons, which also provide habitat for many wildlife species.

The Escalante Canyons supports a variety of paleontological, archaeological, and biological resources. Dinosaur tracks millions of years old and petrified wood are preserved in the Escalante. Rock art and granaries offer evidence of prehistoric human habitation. Historic human use is evident at the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail, Boulder Mail Trail, and Dance Hall Rock.