Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

NileGuide Expert tip:

Avoid high summer due to the intense heat

Description:

• This region of public lands is very remote, rugged, austere, and stirs the imagination like few other places. It's called Grand Staircase most likely because to early explorers, the immense steps of rock land resembled risers on a giant staircase. Escalante is the nearest town to the monument, and it was named after the Spanish Dominguez-Escalante exploring party, which wandered through the area in the late 1700s.
  
  Extending 150 miles from the top of Uta's Paunsaugunt Plateau to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the monument encompasses the seriously wild Kaiparowits Plateau, the lush green Escalante River Canyons, and a wealth of research opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archeologists, historians, and biologists.
  
  Recreation activities include canyoneering in renowned  slot canyons, hiking, mountain biking, camping, backpacking, wildlife viewing. Area outfitters are ready to take you on adventures, or you can self explore.
• © NileGuide2012