This monument is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, as opposed to the Park's Service
When we left Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, our next destination was Zion National Park, which would take us right through Grand Staircase Escalante. More of a region, really, than a monument...Grand Staircase is close to two million acres of southern Utah that was given national monument status by President Clinton in 1996. This beautiful, scenic drive took us to the Escalante visitor center, which we were more than happy to check out. One of the larger, and yet lesser known national monuments, we were the only ones in the visitor center, and the lady there was more than happy to tell us all about the area! They had several dinosaur fossils on display, including one found in the area that was the first of its kind found anywhere! She told us that sharks teeth were also plentiful in this area, leftover from the ancient sea that once covered this whole place. She said if we just walked out into the desert, there was a good chance we might find one ourselves! (I was willing to try it, but Dawn felt it was a little too hot to hike in the desert today!) Tyler was also happy to get a National Parks Passport Stamp there as well. I wish we had more time to explore around here, but Zion awaits!
