Staircase National Park Utah

A delaware sized museum of sedimentary erosion that walks you down through a 200 million year old staircase of animals that s us minerals and vegetables a k a the longest slowest front porch ever.

Staircase national park utah. Grand staircase escalante national monument spans approximately one million acres of america s public lands and contains three distinct units grand staircase kaiparowits and escalante canyon. In the 1870s geologist clarence dutton first conceptualized this region as a huge stairway ascending out of the bottom of the grand canyon northward with the cliff edge of each layer forming giant steps. Lower calf creek falls calf creek is a perennial stream located in the grand staircase escalante national monument featuring two jaw dropping waterfalls. Grand staircase escalante national monument.

The grand staircase escalante is a site that you shouldn t miss. Very few trailheads can be reached on paved roads. What makes it great. From its spectacular grand staircase of cliffs and terraces across the rugged kaiparowits plateau to the wonders of the escalante river canyons the monument is a diverse geologic treasure speckled with monoliths slot canyons natural bridges and arches.

Trailheads in the grand staircase escalante national monument range from paved parking lots alongside major roads to remote turnarounds at the end of poor rough seldom used dirt roads. Escalante canyons is the northeastern section of the grand staircase area and is most commonly accessed from the towns of escalante and boulder. Poised at the end of a sandstone ridge grosvenor arch feels remote but is in close proximity to kodachrome basin state park. South central utah north and west of the glen canyon national recreation area and lake powell.

The grandeur beauty and scale of this national monument is an incredible gem to see and enjoy. Kodachrome basin state park in southern utah is one of the state s most photogenic parks full of colorful rock spires. Scenic byway 12 or on highway 89. The grand staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretch south from bryce canyon national park through zion national park and into the grand canyon.

Sun drenched utah backcountry spreads out well beyond the visible horizon from the road whether you re traveling along the the all american road. Depending on where you stand grand staircase escalante national monument has been quietly doing its thing for between 275 million and 50 million years. Visitors to the grand staircase escalante national monument area often rave that it s one of their favorite outdoor trips like ever. And it s easy to see why you can explore majestic canyons before sleeping under the clear night sky covered in a blanket of stars in a remote canyon yeah it s pretty great.