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Hiking Forum
The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!
Stay in Mt. Carmel Jct., the heart of the parks, and visit
the treasures of the Southwest.
Mileage: Mt. Carmel Jct.
Zion Park 12 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Coyote Butte 57 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles
Plan your Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument vacation
with our Utah and Arizona maps.
In these pages you will find insiders information on the best
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument hikes. This detailed
guide includes road maps, park maps, pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history,
fees, geology, flora, fauna, campgrounds, things for kids to do and even information
on the Grand Staircase hidden treasures.
Making summer memories in Utah's national monuments. |
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Directions: East Zion to Staircase
From
Salt Lake City, travel south on I15 to U-20. Exit on U-20. Turn south on U-89
and follow U-89 to Glendale.
From Las Vegas: Travel I15 to exit 16. Follow U-9 to the south
entrance of Zion and through to the east entrance. Take U-9 for 12 miles to
Mt. Carmel Jct, where U-89 and U-9 meet. Drive north on U-89 to Glendale.
From Glendale, turn right on 300 N. (Bench Road) Follow the
graded dirt road, Skutumpah, into the Grand Staircase. Remember the Grand Staircase
is a wild and remote place. The dirt roads may be impassible when wet and there
is usually no water, services or cell phone access. Skutumpah is a backway and
should only be traveled in dry conditions. Call for road and weather information
before travel: 435.644.4680
The rare California Condors have a huge wing span of up to
9.5'. Some of the Condors released into the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area
have found their homes in the Grand Staircase.
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Grand Staircase Fauna
"This is not about locking lands up.
It is about freeing them up from the pressures of development and the threat
of sprawl for all Americans, for all time."
--President William Clinton, January, 2000
One of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's goals is the collection
of complete data on species presence, populations, and habitat characteristics
so that they can protect the native biodiversity. On these 1.9 million acres
of land a crucial record exists of late cretaceous terrestrial life. Hidden among
the beauty of this protected area there lies proof of what once roamed earth.
The animals and humans of the past have left a trail for us to explore. Unlike
most US lands, the majority of the pristine area of the monument still holds
a key to the past. There is evidence of our past, present and future in the monument,
safe on pristine land not yet disturbed by human presence.
Grand Staircase-Escalante Fauna
There are about 300 species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles living
in the Grand Staircase Escalante including mule deer, mountain lions, cougar,
bighorn sheep, elk and even some bears.
Grand Staircase-Escalante:
Mammalian Studies
There
are about 30 species of mammals in the variety of environments of the monument.
Studies are an on-going process in the Grand Staircase and habitat studies are
among the many going on. Quality habitats are often reflected by the number of
species living in them. Research has shown that riparian habitats, with thick
coverage of shrubs, grass and trees, were found to have the greatest number of
mammalian species in the monument.
Grand Staircase-Escalante:
Amphibians and Reptiles
Species of reptiles found in the Grand Staircase include the California Kingsnake,
the plateau striped whiptail and the endangered desert tortoise. Amphibians found
include the tiger salamander and the red spotted toad. Underway are studies including
their habitats and behavior. There are about 46 species of reptiles and amphibians
in the monument. The desert tortoise has lived on the earth for 67 million years
but today it has been crowded out of its environment by urbanization and
development. In addition to crowding, humans often pick up the harmless creatures
which causes the tortoise to empty its bladder and as a result some die from
dehydration.
Grand Staircase-Escalante: Birds
Numerous birds are found in the Staircase including the
endangered
California Condor, Peregrine Falcon and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher as
well as the threatened Bald Eagle. Some of the species of birds living in the
Grand Staircase that have been declining include the Burrowing Owl, Long-billed
Curlew, Northern Goshawk, Blue Grosbeak Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawk. There
are about 22 species of raptors and 200 species of birds in the Grand
Staircase.
Grand Staircase-Escalante:
Paleontological History
Research is an ongoing project with the studies including the
rich paleontological history. Vast evidence of ancient Anasazi Indians and
dinosaurs are consistently uncovered here.
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