| The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is a very unique region of canyons, arches, plateaus and cliffs. This area, which comprises 1.7 million acres, was designated a National Monument just recently in 1996 and is considered to be one of the last explored areas of the continental United States.
Bryce Canyon National Park lies to the south and west of the monument; Capitol Reef National Park is to the North and Glen Canyon National Recreation area (Lake Powell) is to the East. Scenic Highway 12, one of the top-ten scenic byways in America (Car & Driver Magazine) passes through the Grand Staircase and is the major access road for the monument. There are back-roads that offer access to the monument such as:
Grand Staircase
 ► The Burr Trail – Going south east from the town of Boulder
► The "Hole-in-the-Rock" road – going south east from the
town of Escalante
► Cottonwood Canyon Road – which goes south from Cannonville
and connects with highway 59 going to Lake Powell.
Various Native American Indians and their dwellings have inhabited this area for nearly 2,000 years, writings and even their food storage areas are still visible in the cliffs and canyons of this region. In 1776 Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante explored the region and had great difficulty finding a way to cross the Colorado River because of the maze of deep canyons and rivers. One hundred years later John Wesley Powell did significant research along the Colorado River and during that time frame many pioneers settled the valleys around Bryce Canyon and the Grand Staircase. Click here to see our bryce canyon area map
Within the Grand Staircase there are more trails and areas for exploration than can be experienced in a year, but we can suggest some excellent places to go such as: Coyote Gulch, Bull Valley Gorge and Devil’s Garden, just to name a few. If at all possible, you’ll want to spend at least three to five days in this area, more if you can spare the time. Whether you want to experience, scenic overlooks, slot canyons, ancient Indian pictographs and petroglyphs, waterfalls, rivers, mountains, forest or wildlife, you find it is all here in and around the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. |
Bryce Canyon National Park, open all year, is located on Scenic Byway 12 and U-63. 
Cedar Breaks National Monument is situated at an elevation of 10,000 feet, and surrounded by Dixie National Forest. The main feature of Cedar Breaks is a huge natural amphitheater - a sort of mini Bryce Canyon - which plunges 2,000 feet into geologic history in the multicolored layers of the Markagunt. Click here to see our 
While many enjoy the top-down view of nearby Grand Canyon, Zion is most easily experienced from the bottom up. In sheer magnitude and color, Zion is very likely one of the most awe-inspiring National Parks in the world. Click here to see our 
Positioned at 5,800 feet in elevation, Kodachrome Basin State Park is perhaps Utah’s finest state park and is just a few minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Kodachrome Basin State Park covers over 4,000 acres of ground and is a magical place with unique geologic formations, caves, arches, walking paths, horseback and wagon riding, and much more. Many of the formations within the park were formed in a very unique way. Click here to see our 