Escalante River Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah

This remote and well-watered canyon in the northern reaches of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument forms the headwaters of the Escalante River. Over the ages, the Escalante has carved a labyrinth of canyons deep into the bedrock on its 100-mile journey to its confluence with the Colorado River. While highly contentious within the small towns of southern Utah, president Clinton’s designation of the 1.7 million acre Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in 1996 set aside some of the most beautiful canyon country on the entire Colorado Plateau. As time has passed, a wide majority of Utahns have come to recognize the importance of protecting this remarkable expanse of canyon country.