- Dec 9, 2021

The Ultimate Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Adventure Guide

37.4047° N, 111.6841° W

GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT IS ONE OF LARGEST PROTECTED AREAS IN THE USA - SO OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A LOT TO SEE. HERE IS THE MOST IN-DEPTH GUIDE ON THE STUNNINGLY RUGGED NATIONAL MONUMENT.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) is one of the largest federally protected areas in the whole contiguous United States. Measuring 1.8 million acres in size, this ginormous park is a treasure trove for adventurers looking to get off-the-beaten-path and explore a place that still feels incredibly rugged and wild. Plus, thanks to its location in southern Utah, the national monument is full of incredibly beautiful locations and landscapes just begging to be surveyed.

In this in-depth adventure travel guide to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, you will find everything you need to know; including, the top adventures, camping information, and the best time to visit.

So with that, let's get adventuring!

HISTORY OF GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT

The human history of the Monument starts around AD 500 when the first people arrived in the area of the present day region. Both the Fremont and ancestral Puebloan people lived in the area, with the Fremont people mostly hunting and gathering below the plateau and near the Escalante Valley and the ancestral Puebloans farming in the canyons. Both groups grew plants like corn, beans, and squash and built pithouses with brush-roofs. Similarly, the two groups also took advantage of the wide array of well-sized rock outcroppings and caves and built numerous natural rock shelters. Some of these ruins can be found throughout the Monument (along with various rock art panels).

The first record of white settlers reaching the region was in 1866 when Captain James Andrus led a group to the headwaters of the Escalante River. But it would be another 5 years until another white settler actually traveled the entire length of the Escalante Canyon.

Interestingly enough, while people have been venturing into the rugged landscape, and even living there, for hundreds of years, the present day Monument was the last region to be mapped in the contiguous United States.

❔ GOOD TO KNOW: another fun fact is that the nearby town of Boulder only got electrical power in 1947. It also claims to be the last town to receive mail through the postal service by mule train.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The Monument actually got its name way back in 1776 thanks to two Franciscan priests - Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante - who were tasked with the job of finding an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Monterey, California. The two priests were joined on their journey by three guides from the Timpanogos tribe (Ute people), 10 men from Santa Fe and a Spanish cartographer.

The group journeyed through some of the most rugged and harshest landscapes in the whole USA. Those challenges eventually led the group to abandon the job and return to Santa Fe. While the journey failed to connect Santa Fe with Monterey, the maps made and documents produced did eventually aid future travelers who wanted to head in the same direction. In fact, what became known as the Dominguez-Escalante Route was the earliest template for the Old Spanish Trail.

Besides Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Francisco Silvestre Velez de Escalante’s name was also used for the Escalante Desert, Escalante River and the town of Escalante.