GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
Important Monument Updates
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RMP Public Meetings Announcement
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Updated News release (published Sept. 8, 2023)
News release (published Aug. 15, 2023) -
RMP Update
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The Bureau of Land Management today published a Notice of Availability and opened a 90-day public comment period for the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. For more information on the planning process, visit EplanningUi (blm.gov).
News release (published Aug. 10, 2023) -
RMP Public Notification
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently developing a new resource management plan (RMP) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) located in portions of Kane County Utah and Garfield County Utah. The Draft RMP and associated environmental assessment (Draft RMP/EIS) includes a range of alternatives that propose closures of areas to recreational target shooting within GSENM to meet public safety needs and protect GSENM objects identified in Proclamation 10286.
In accordance with the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 (Dingell Act, Pub. L. 116-9, section 4103) the BLM initiated a public review and comment period for proposed closures of areas within GSENM to recreational target shooting. This comment period will run concurrently with the public review and comment period for the Draft RMP/EIS ending on November 9, 2023. For more information, visit the project planning page https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2020343/510.
- Monument Interim Management Guidance
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The Bureau is providing interim guidance regarding management of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This interim management guidance will provide direction on the stewardship of these lands during the public planning effort, pending approval of a monument management plan and associated environmental impact statement, in compliance with Presidential Proclamation 10286. The Interim Management Guidance can be viewed here.
Advisory Committee Updates
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GSENM MAC
- MAC Update
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The Bureau of Land Management Paria River District will host a virtual public meeting of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Advisory Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a public comment period scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Registration is required. Please register at http://bit.ly/3ZpBTwe.
Additional information is available on the Federal Register at https://bit.ly/3G29Xb1.
Recreation & Safety Updates
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Monument Visitor Centers
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Road Report
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Monument Road Report (updated weekly or as conditions require)
- Campfire Safety & Fire Restrictions
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There are no fire restrictions currently in effect. Campfire safety is essential to preventing human-caused wildfires. Visit the Smokey Bear website to learn more about safety procedures and tips to properly extinguish campfires. Fire restriction information can be found at BLM Utah Fire Restrictions. For more information on preventing unwanted human-caused wildfires or the statewide Fire Sense Campaign, visit www.utahfireinfo.gov or on Twitter @UtahWildfire.
- Summer Safety
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Visit Summer Safety (weather.gov), NOAA's Flooding Fact Sheet and Summer Recreation page. #WeatherReady
- Tilted Mesa Mountain Biking Trail System (Tilted Mesa)
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It's about to become official! The Tilted Mesa trailhead is currently under construction, scheduled to be completed during summer 2023. To learn more, visit Tilted Mesa Mountain Biking Trail System (Tilted Mesa) | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov).
- Attention Escalante River Users
(Recommended for experienced rafters only) -
“Due to several years of drought, we've gotten used to low winter snow melt equating to lower flows and no "float season,” said BLM Backcountry Ranger Eran Howarth. “This year the water-snow equivalent in the high country means bigger flows for a longer stretch of time. No crystal ball on how long or when they start because that depends on many, many factors.”
In anticipation of this season’s higher flows post-snowfall and melt off, the American Packrafting Association hosted a virtual meeting to share information regarding rafting and river safety on the Escalante River. During which, backcountry rangers from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were on hand to emphasize the importance of river safety during this year’s unusually high precipitous winter.
“Because of the unusually high snowpack this year, soon the runoff in the Escalante and other desert river basins will reach levels that while enticing to whitewater recreators, can also put them and rescuers in danger,” said Howarth “We want the public to be aware of this potential danger, to plan ahead and prepare, wear recommended helmets and personal flotation devices, have fun but keep safety in the forefront of your minds at all times.” #KnowBeforeYouGo #EscalanteRiverSafety
For more information on floating the Escalante River, please call the Escalante Visitor Center at 435-826-5499. (Video credit Dan Ransom) - Visiting GSENM
- Little Desert Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Open Area
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Please stay on Existing Routes in the Little Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Open Area to Protect Important Resources in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
For more information on background and map, visit Little Desert Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Open Area | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov).
About the Monument
- Historical snapshot
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On Oct. 8, 2021, President Biden issued Presidential Proclamation 10286 restoring the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Monument now spans across nearly 1.87 million acres of America's public lands in southern Utah, and is an outstanding biological resource, spanning five life-zones - from low-lying desert to coniferous forest. When visiting, you’ll be traveling the land of the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people, who were experts at farming this rugged land and built granaries to store what they grew. Their descendants, including people from the Hopi, Paiute, Zuni, Ute, and Navajo tribes, have strong ties to this land today, leaving behind rock art panels, occupation sites, campsites and granaries.
Stepping further back in time, fossil excavations have yielded more information about ecosystem change at the end of the dinosaur era than any other place in the world. The Monument’s size, resources, and remote character provide extraordinary opportunities for geologists, paleontologists, archeologists, historians, and biologists in scientific research, education, and exploration. This unspoiled natural area also remains a frontier with countless opportunities for quiet recreation and solitude. -
BLM Utah Photo Album
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Contact Us
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Grand Staircase-Escalante NM
669 S Hwy 89A, Kanab, UT 84741
435-644-1200Follow us at Twitter, Facebook, Flickr @BLMUtah,
and on Instagram @utahpubliclands
Education Tools
Monument Advisory Committee (MAC)
Respect and Protect
Flickr Album
