From petrified wood and dinosaur fossils to arches and slot canyons, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an incredible trove of geology, archaeology, and history. Its story spans millennia — windblown sand dunes, tidal flats, lakes, marshes, and more.
Grand Staircase-Escalante's monument status has a storied history too. President Clinton established the monument in 1996. President Trump shrank its boundaries by 47 percent in 2017. And President Biden restored the monument to its original size in 2021. Send a thank you note to President Biden ›
Large swaths of pinyon and juniper trees in the monument are at risk of being uprooted, toppled, clear-cut, and shredded. We work to stop destructive pinyon and juniper removal projects. Learn more ›
Cattle roam across 96% of the monument, with big impacts on the land. We advocate for better management of livestock grazing and have worked to retire grazing permits along the Escalante River ›
From spring surveys, to pinyon jay monitoring, we bring volunteers out to Grand Staircase-Escalante to study its plants, animals, and habitats, and advocate for their protection. Get involved ›
We need volunteers to gather information about pinyon jays in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and beyond. Complete the online training and head out on your own.
Whether you squeeze through narrow slot canyons, traverse across slickrock, or float down the Escalante River, you’ll quickly see why Grand Staircase-Escalante deserves protection.
The new Grand Canyon national monument allows traditional uses like hunting and ranching to continue.
Read MoreHidden in Grand Staircase-Escalante’s geologic steps are clues to the ancient past, carefully preserved as fossils.
Read MoreAcross the monument, a permanent mining ban prevents new mining claims from being staked. But there are some exceptions.
Read More