Grand Staircase-Escalante

The monument was declared in 1996 and takes its name from the Grand Staircase, a sequence of cliff bands stepping up from the Grand Canyon through five coloured layers to Bryce. It covers slickrock, slot canyons, the Escalante River system and a fossil record that has produced a large number of newly described dinosaur species. Practically, the monument is very lightly developed: mostly unpaved roads, few facilities, no cell coverage over much of it, and canyons that require route-finding and often permits.

What's there

• The Grand Staircase - cliff bands stepping up in coloured layers.
• Slot canyons and slickrock - through the Escalante system.
• A rich dinosaur fossil record - many species first described here.
• The Escalante canyons - the river system and its slot canyons.

When to go

April to May and September to October. Several days.

Before you go

Roads are unpaved and become impassable clay when wet - vehicles get stranded. Flash floods are a real danger in slot canyons; forecasts for the whole watershed matter. There is almost no phone coverage. Water must be carried or filtered.

Nearby

Bryce Canyon is north-west; Capitol Reef is north-east.

Key facts