Grand Staircase

Welcome to Grand Staircase National Monument. In September of 1996, Grand Staircase National Monument was created, which at 1.7 million acres, dominates any map of southern Utah. It is unique in that it is the first monument to be adminstered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), rather than the National Park Service.

Grand Staircase National Monument is a geologic sampler, with a huge variety of formations, features and world-class paleontological sites. President Clinton’s proclamation said, “The…Monument’s vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. This high, rugged, and remote region, where bold plateaus and multi-hued cliffs run for distances that defy human perspective, was the last place in the continental United States to be mapped.”

The Grand Staircase National Monument is a geological formation spanning eons of time. There are three major sections in the Grand Staircase which include the Escalante Canyons, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Paria River. Any one of these sections in the Grand Staircase taken alone is larger than most national parks. The gateway cities for the Grand Staircase National Monument are Escalante, Boulder, and Kanab. For more Grand Staircase information be sure to get a Grand Circle Travel Packet!

While you are visiting the Grand Staircase, take some time to look at the diversity of animals and wildlife.