Escalante National Monument - What to see?

[hessey]

I am coming over next year to re visit your magnificent landscapes. On my route planning I wish to explore Escalante National Monument. As I will be renting a smallish C Class ( no toad ) what are the roads like and what is worth seeing?

[ClaireOKC]

jolooote wrote:
hmmm, how do U figure Page Az. or Wire Pass part or even near the Escalante Nat'l monument?

Yeah, jolooote, I should have mentioned that we stayed in two locations for GSENM...you're right - it's huge and we couldn't get around through it all w/o two locations. Our other was Cannonville, as we wanted to be more central than Bryce or Zion.

[SteveAE]

jolooote wrote:
hmmm, how do U figure Page Az. or Wire Pass part or even near the Escalante Nat'l monument?

The monument is on the North side of Hwy 89. The difficulty in getting from Hwy 89 to the central part of the monument however is the roads as they are not appropriate for medium to large sized rigs or towing (maybe a class C ????). Cottonwood road is the best, but even then it still might be faster to just go around.

[jolooote]

hmmm, how do U figure Page Az. or Wire Pass part or even near the Escalante Nat'l monument?

[Hank85713]

We have not been there yet, But plan too next summer. We will visit Kodachrome SP and Gobblin SP in utah. The folks at the utah tourism office are really good and will respond to inquiries from you.

Give them a holler and they will do all they can. Both of the parks I noteds have camping facilities.

[ClaireOKC]

The GSENM (Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument) is a huge area, and you might want to think about locating in two different locations. Our fav was Page @ Wahweap RV Park - it was level and full hook-ups.

There are a number of outstanding slot canyons - ONLY if there is no rain. You should not even consider these if there is rain in the forecast and one hike through one and you'll see why. Here's a small gallery of our photos through some of them. One of the most spectacular hikes is The Wave, which you must obtain a permit to hike. You can either get one 6 months in advance or go to the drawing the day before.

If you can't get a pass to The Wave, check out Wire Pass which is in the same area. Also Buckskin Gultch (don't you just love these names!) and http://www.zionnational-park.com/grand-staircase-hiking.htm for some great slot canyons. You will have to drive on Skutumpah Road, which isn't always in the best condition - best to check first (you can call one of the ranger stations in Kanab, Cannonville or other ones). Here's some other ideas for places to see.

Also one of the most photographed slot canyons of all time is Antelope Canyon in the Navajo Reservation just east of GSENM and you must also receive a permit/guide. Don't be put off by the restrictions on the hikes, cause this just makes sure that they will be around for the next generations.

The Grand Staircase is a most fascinating geological formation and on the road 89A from Kanab to Page you ascend into the Kaibab National Forrest you can glimpse the 5 of the 6 steps of the Grand Staircase - you can't see all 6 cause Grand Canyon is the last/lowest step and because of the curvature of the Earth. Stop by the Kanab GSENM Ranger Station which has all the geological info for the area..

I know there's a lot here in the area of the GSENM, but personally I thought the GSENM was more fun and way more interesting than the national parks (except of course for Grand Canyon). And we plan to go back to do it all again, we loved the area so much

[SteveAE]

It might help to have an idea what you like to do....and what time of year you were thinking of visiting.
Escalante is not like the national parks (thank God) in that it is largely undeveloped. There are very few marked trails and visitor facilities.
We go there for the remote wilderness hiking.

Steve

[agesilaus]

Most of that National Monument is served by gravel roads at best. Some can be driven by passenger cars and probably your class C, so long as it doesn't rain. But summer is what they call monsoon season in the area and afternoon storms are frequent. The best thing to do is to ask locally when you are in the area.

This is what the better roads look like:



But we had to cross three small creeks on that road. I mean driving through the water--no bridges.

We've spent quite a bit of time in that area over the last couple years, more than a month driving those road.

[trailertraveler]

The UT-12 Scenic Byway goes through a section of the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument.

There are a number of attractions and recreation areas along UT-12 including:
Scenic Backways off UT-12
Burr Trail
Hiking
Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
Kodachrome Basin State Park
Anasazi State Park
Calf Creek Falls
Hells Backbone

Some other nearby attractions are:
Fishlake Scenic Byway
Capitol Reef National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument

This is a beautiful area with very likely more to see than you will be able to do in one visit. Hope you have a Great Trip!!!