Grand Staircase Rock Climbing

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument has a varied topography that includes canyons and towers that lack crowds as well as water (most of the time), and quality rock over most, but not all, of the climbing sub-areas.. Mostly for the old school desert rats, as well as those that just want an adventure.  There is a limestone sub-area with a virgin-ing sport climbing theme at Buckskin Gulch (see sub-area listing above), otherwise, the rock is soft sandstone. The aesthetics however, are oh so sweet throughout the GSENM.! This place is in the "Grey and White Cliffs" area or the Kaiporowits down to the Entrada formation. Covering both the Cretaceous and Jurasic periods. The slots are deep, dark and wild places with a few locations where erosion and time have cemented the sand sufficiently enough to climb on... though not your best rock for sure (exception being Buckskin Gultch).  Sew it up! And there are TOWER(S) and counting! For those of you into the bouldering scene there is a fine place to camp and boulder about a third of the way up the Cottonwood Rd. out of Big Water (see "Cap Rock City Area). The rock here is a bit better in that the boulders were once "cap rocks" up above on the ridge and have some real possibilities.

The GSENM is/(WAS) huge and is administered by the B.L.M. Keep a low profile, and nobody will see you or bother you. The climbing reg.s are vague but nobody down here understands climbing much less climbers so best not to perpetuate the negative images the locals have of us in their minds eye.

NOTABLE WILDLIFE includes: Elk, Black Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Mt. Lions, Badgers, a few cows, Golden Eagles, Rock and Canyon Wrens, Spotted Owls, California Condors, a few more cows, just to name but a few. In terms of flora, this area is in the Painted Desert, and is dominated by a Pinyon/Juniper Forest and most of the related plant species that are associated. Coral and Bivalve fossils are abundant with the occasional Sea Urchin spines or Sharks teeth to be seen. Petrified wood as well as some real dino fossils (see two photos in the "Cap Rock City Area") are also around.