Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
5
National ParksMonuments & StatuesGeologic Formations
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
About
This massive national monument holds endless sights within thousands of acres.
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  • LightPacker308286
    Rockville, Maryland1,415 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What’s spectacular and beautiful scenery
    We drove along the ridge line of millions dollars highway. What’s spectacular and beautiful scenery. We stopped the visitor center. It is awesome and must. I graded we did. The rangers are friendly, gave out maps, and answered all questions. I bought the stamp for my NP albums. The Bryce Canyons Travel Guide is so informative. The poster outside is also helpful for our auto tour.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 23, 2024
  • YayeMama
    Maplewood, New Jersey927 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing and Cool
    If you're into seeing sights off the beaten path, take the 40 mile drive through Grand Staircase Escalante, but make sure you have an AWD SUV as the road is quite harrowing and scary. There is no fee for this attraction. You can't drive through here after or during a rain storm, as the road is not driveable. 40 miles of uninterrupted beauty for you to view the fantastic rock formations in the area, including an arch. Great place to fly a drone to see this amazing beauty. What I found interesting, is that there are wild cows all over grazing on both sides of the road.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 27, 2024
  • Hans
    Kwadendamme, The Netherlands4,270 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Not overrun
    Nice and quiet, that’s how to describe this NP. We travelled on the Burr Trail road and as we advanced about 12 miles from HW12 we walked a trail on the left. There was no sign so I don’t know how it was called but the trail was with a meandering little stream. From mile 12 to 16 the scenery a so beautiful, the different colors of the rocks awesome. Great NP.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 25, 2024
  • Robert B
    Massanutten, Virginia397 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic car ride
    We’re so glad we rode through parts of this monument. The views were amazing and there are numerous places to pull off the road. We drove Route 12 all the way from Capitol Reef NP to Bryce Canyon. It reminded me of the Road Runner cartoon!
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 27, 2024
  • D L
    Casa Grande, Arizona339 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Road Trip into Backroads
    We took the Burr Head Road, a kind of back door into the National Monument and the Burr Switchbacks across to Boulder (recommended versus the other direction). A very technical road with dramatic views…but not a drive for non-4 wheel drive vehicles. No RVs please on the dirt portion.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written June 1, 2024
  • Cindy K
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Utah National Parks trip
    Fantastic trip that also included Bryce and Zion NPs. Great hiking every day. Escalante and Hwy 12 were an unexpected and beautiful surprise. Incredible, untouched landscape. Let's keep it that way!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 1, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles405 reviews
Excellent
324
Very good
68
Average
9
Poor
3
Terrible
1

Mme_X
Wisconsin1,145 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
Stunning views throughout. While there is good viewing along paved roads, we rented a jeep to take us further into the canyons - great idea for a photography hobbyist. There are many roads where you'd prefer to have a 4-wheel drive and at east a high-riding vehicle.

We stayed in Escalante, UT, which is a very good base for touring.
Written April 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ninettejohnson
Woodford, UK338 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
Had a picnic in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park. There are good facilities for picnics including tables, clean and well maintained rest rooms and a covered area. The entrance fee is $ 10 - it’s not covered by the National Parks Pass. The park is smaller than the national Parks & is more manageable.
The park is well kept & has good parking. There are trails to see petrified trees although they are quite strenuous. It is worth the hike as it reveals beautiful scenery as well as exhibits of petrified trees.
I recommend this place for a relaxing break on the way to Bryce Canyon.
Written October 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

James C
Williamsburg, VA1,108 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Solo
From Bryce Canyon NP my forth park, I headed north on the 100 mile long Scenic Byway 12, that connects Canyonlands NP at Torrey, UT, my fifth Utah National Park this road trip. Escalante NM is considered an American scenic road. It’s probably best to take a few days in the vast monument area seeing the Grand Staircase, Calf Creek waterfalls, the Petrified Forest, and ancient native ruins. Closer to Torrey, the summit at @ 10,000 feet it a great view. I stopped to stretch and walk around in the crisp light air. Got a slight headache so exhibit caution if hiking. Make sure your fit to do so. There are huge stands of virgin forest also. The acres of large white birch, not in leaf however, was still stunning. This would be a great route to retrace in Fall.
Written May 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

duck8to
Montville, NJ6,799 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
Comprised of 1.7 million acres, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is primarily situated between Bryce Canyon NP and Capital Reef NP. For the most scenic drive take Scenic Byway 12 and get off at entrance points to GSENP. GSENP borders Dixie National Forest on the North and extends South to the Arizona State Line. Scenic Byway 12 winds rhrough the northern portion and backways and branching provide access to trails and features in the monument. Some trailhead access requires a 4X4 vehicle. Dirt roads, rocks, sand pits and deep gullies in the road make them particularly precarious.

Some of the more popular hikes are Calf Creek Trail (3hrs)(waterfall, unique sandstone formations), Escalante River Trail (14hrs) and Hackberry Canyon (19hrs)(only a path). The slot canyons can be found further south near the Arizona border.

The Rosenbauch Wildlife Museum is excellent and worth a look. It features wildlife from around the world. There are for visitor center which include: Escalante Interagency VC, Kanab VC off Highway 89. Cannonville VC off Byway 12 and Bigwater off of Highway 89.

Temperatures of 112 F. are common during the summer. Your GPS will not work in certain parts of the park and flash flooding can become life threatening in slot canyons along with rock slides and falling down cliffs.
Written June 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ginger B
Helena, MT334 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
It's wild. The views are unlike any other. The visitor center is lovely. BUT . . . the drive between Torrey and the visitor center is not one for someone who does not like heights, twisting, narrow roads without any guardrails. Any enjoyment I had of the wilds of this area were over shadowed by the drive to experience them.
Written October 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The Places Where We Go Podcast
Simi Valley, CA973 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020
During our last day staying in Cannonville, we ventured out to explore the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

We thought we would start with the Visitor Center located in Cannonville. However, during these Covid times, the Visitor Center is closed (or at least was during our visit in June). There are at least two other visitor centers for the monument, but not being near them, we were not sure if they were open.

So off to drive through a sliver of the monument – which is immense; it’s well over one million acres (e.g., the size of Delaware). Most of our exploration was admiring the landscape via our car. Once on the road, we seemed to have a large part of it to ourselves as there were barely any other vehicles travelling on Scenic Highway 12 There are turn offs every few miles that offer views, photography opportunity and good opportunities to take in the landscape. At one such turnoff, there were viewing scopes that were fixed in position to allow viewing into the hill across the highway and see an ancient granary.

We drove as far as the town of Escalante on our main day exploring the area. One could spend many days exploring the monument. There are plenty of hiking opportunities. While we did our fair share of hiking in the general area, we got our primary visual dose of the monument via a half day drive through just a portion of this historic landscape. We will leave some of its beauty and treasures to explore for a future visit to Utah.
Written July 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ilovegreecetoronto
ETOBICOKE119 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
Be prepared if you are driving from Torrey to this park to hike. Most of the hikes are along hwy 12 BEFORE you get to the park. I’m sure the hikes are stunning but we made the mistake of going to the visitors centre is Escalante first. If we had have been prepared we would have certainly stopped at Calf Creek. Also, be sure to find out if Zebra Canyon is ok to hike. We would have driven back to this hike but found out it was completely under water.
Written November 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Susannah W
Cleveland, MS281 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Family
We did not hike in this area, but the drive through on SR 12 is absolutely breathtaking! Steep and curvy, but whoa! The views are incredible and like nothing you have ever seen. It was amazing to see the change in landscapes and colors as well. This drive is between Bryce Canyon NP and Capitol Reed NP, and scenic is an understatement. A must see!
Written July 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Verne K
Silver Spring, MD447 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
Before we arrived, it was quite difficult to find information about the place. Once there, we found several great sources of information, but by then we'd already driven past them. This is a huge area with considerable elevation.
Written May 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dixiepeach
Kansas City, MO9,481 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
This is a very scenic drive. In places the road is very narrow with steep drop offs on both sides so please take care. There are multiple places to pull out and take photos. Even if you don’t have time to linger, this is a lovely drive
Written October 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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