The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument celebrated its 30th anniversary on Sept. 18, 2026. The monument currently covers 181,500 acres, which is the smallest amount in its history.
Following its designation as a national monument in 1996, the monument stretched across about 1.8 million acres. The Grand Staircase is the only U.S. monument that was created entirely from land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It still remains the only monument to be managed by the BLM instead of the National Park Service.
The significance of the monument stems from it being a home to multiple Native American tribes, including the Anasazi and Fremont people. It was the last place in the contiguous U.S. to be mapped during the 1870s by explorer John Wesley Powell.
“The region hosts an array of unique and unusual plant species that are adapted to living in odd soils and harsh conditions. Native bee species abound by the hundreds, which means that the area is a hotspot for biodiversity and pollination services,” said Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Executive Director Jackie Grant. “Native American Tribes call the area home and are deeply connected to their ancestors, the signs and structures left by their ancestors, and their non-human living relatives in the landscape.”
According to a Facebook post by the Conservation Alliance, jobs in the surrounding counties grew by 51% after the monument was established, with the current number over 2,500.
Before 1996, portions of the monument were used for cattle ranching. Many county residents’ ranches became a part of the monument.
“The Monument has always been open to grazing, collection of firewood and some mining activities, ” Grant continued. “The Monument’s 1.9 million acres generate and purify water that travels to the Colorado River and Lake Powell. Light pollution is minimal across the landscape, which draws stargazers and astronomers from all over the world.”
Layne and April LeFevre are Garfield County locals who work for the Red Canyon Transit shuttle system in Bryce Canyon National Park. They also own a cattle ranch located on the monument.
“My family has been in this area since the mid 1880’s. We own 740 acres of private land located in the monument boundaries,” said Layne LeFevre. “With the creation of the monument, we felt like our hands were being tied and that we were losing the land that we had been stewards over for over a hundred years.”
When the monument was created, the outskirts of the town of Tropic were included. This land was previously allocated for a town sports complex. Utah state representative Chris Cannon introduced a 1998 federal bill in Congress to redraw the monument boundaries to allow the town to build the sports complex, explained April LeFevre.
“One of the saddest things is that some ranchers felt forced to step away from generational cattle operations because of the extreme pressure and expense. We have been able to continue our small ranch operation within the monument boundaries, but only after monumental efforts by so many opposed to the declaration’s restrictions,” April added. “We now watch the monument continue to be a political pawn, being reduced only to then again be returned to the original size, by leaders who most likely have never stepped foot in this area.”
Besides a change to the local cattle industry, many acts of vandalism have happened since the monument’s creation. The Paria movie set was rebuilt by county residents in 2000 after it was destroyed by flooding. Six years later, the replication of the movie set was burned down by a suspected arsonist, but no one was ever caught.
In addition, the Willow Tank Springs Cabin was burned down in 2005. No one was ever prosecuted, but many local ranchers believe it was anti-grazing environmentalists.
“I remember spending time there while my dad was gathering cattle. He spent a lifetime being a steward over this God-given land by improving water sources, reseeding and rotating grazing land, April commented when asked about the Willow Tank Springs cabin. “To me, those who have been using this land know it best and care for it the best. While millions of visitors come to explore slot canyons or other amazing points of interest, they do not always have a reverence or respect for this shared-use land.”
The monument was visited by about one million people annually in the last five years. In 1996, an estimated 200,000 to 450,000 people visited or passed through the area every year. This marks a 200% to 300% increase in foot traffic over the last 30 years.
Layne explained that the federal government is doing less to maintain the land than what the ranchers before were doing.
“The federal government designated the monument, but did not increase the amount of personnel to help protect the land and enforce the rules and regulations that were designated,” he said.
In 2019, the Bull Valley Gorge Bridge collapsed, and Kane County was approved by the BLM to rebuild it. The bridge was completed in August 2020. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed a lawsuit against the BLM and Kane County for the construction of the bridge because it violated the National Environmental Policy Act.
In July 2026, a federal judge ruled that the BLM’s decision had violated federal environmental laws.
Layne added, “I totally agree there are many beautiful areas within the boundaries of the monument that need to be protected, but by putting a big X on the map has done nothing but increase the number of people in the area along with the abuse and vandalism.”
Due to the large size of the monument, many people who visit the area are expecting a staircase formation in one location instead of a large-scale one that can only be viewed from 10,000 feet above. Some come unprepared for what the treacherous landscape has to offer.
“I was gathering cattle and riding my horse on the road when an SUV full of people stopped. They said, ‘ We have been driving for hours; where is this Grand Staircase National Monument? I said, ‘You are right in the middle of it; get out of your car and enjoy it.’ They said, ‘What? All we have seen is sagebrush and trees; where is the staircase?’”
April added, “For years, many visitors come to this vast area thinking that they will see a ‘staircase’ land or rock formation, only to find millions of acres in between some very beautiful highlights. We have had people lose their lives because they come to the monument unprepared for the heat, 4×4-only roads or even without enough water and food.”
Author: Lainey Porter
Photo: Lainey Porter
Editor: Charlee Steed
outdoors@suunews.net
