Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Understanding it, Visiting it

[@MoneyMikeMurray]

I'm a an off road tour guide in Kanab. I spend most of my time in BLM land or the monument. This was a great video! So comprehensive and 100% spot on. Thanks for the great content.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Great to hear! Thank you. What's your company? Where do you offer tours?

[@MoneyMikeMurray]

@BackRoadsWest1 I work for Expedition Kanab. Most of my tours are in the Kanab Field Office area. Peekaboo slot( the one north of Kanab) the great chamber, inchworm arch, warriors walk, moccasin mtn Dino tracks. I'm on the border of the gsenm a lot. Not technically within the boundaries but on the vermillion and white cliffs...

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@MoneyMikeMurray Very good! Ironically, I haven't been to most of those places, but I hear about them a lot. As you probably saw on our videos, I work on websites and videos for Southwest Adventure Tours and Grand Circle Tours, the later being based in Kanab but focuses more on places in Vermilion & GSENM. There's lots of nice gems nearby Kanab that I'm sure keeps you busy. If you ever need help with creating content such as imagery, video, webpages, writing itineraries, let me know, that's my gig! You can see our portfolio of services at backroadswest.com/content/portfolio/

[@Lizerator]

You put an incredible amount of work into this video. Thank you so much. It's a wonderful guide to this vast and amazing area.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome and thank you for commenting! This particular video is one I've been planning for a few years but didn't work on it until this year because it required us going out to see and photograph these places. Some of the pictures you see in the video were initially taken in 2005. That last were this year in May. The knowledge also comes from several people we've known and worked with over the years.

[@j40bizzle]

I stumbled across Bears Ears almost unknowingly several years back and fell in love with the area. The ancestral puebloan ruins and landscape are very special. I visit the area every spring. I understand that that designation of a national monument brings the issues that you've discussed, which are often complex and debated. I am happy that it has not become a national park since that brings even more issues. The area definitely deserves some form of protection.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for commenting. Unfortunately, there is so much to preserve in Utah. That's why I sometimes say, make the whole state a National Park! We won't mind. That way, everyone in the USA will pay our taxes!!! But in reality, IMO, Bears Ears covers large swaths of land that really didn't need protection, and certain areas, like Cedar Mesa and Valley of the Gods, could be separate National Monuments.

[@CapricornGirl9]

I had the opportunity last year to travel Burr Trail from Capitol Reef to Boulder, then UT 12 to Bryce, what an amazing trip. A few years back, I visited Cottonwood Canyon road which is incredible. I would love to go back in the next few years, this area of the country is so beautiful. Thanks for the great video.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome! Thanks for commenting.

[@whitneyryan-ng1cq]

Just watching this video felt like taking a vacation. Well done!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you!

[@Stoic180]

Hello Good Folks. A well-done video on a complicated story; lots of moving parts so to speak. Thank You! I've been lucky enough to kick around chunks of the Monument over past years. Always humbling. A quick comment for folks who may be interested: The U.S. congress in 1906, via the Antiquities Act, granted a sitting president the authority to designate "national monuments" only within existing federal lands. Congress kept authority to add, change, or delete them of course. With respect, I don't see a "land grab" as such. A great summer to All...

[@user-zd6tq3xh4s]

Wow, that’s a load of information. Great job y’all😎

[@rosiealaniz3205]

Wow! You just have giving me the answers i have been looking for years! What a wonderful and well made video of the this area! I will contact you for a tour for sure! THANK YOU,SO SO MUCH! Rosie from Dallas

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting.

[@mountaingoddess9720]

What an excellent video for my upcoming trip to Utah! I’ve been to SW Utah a number of times but this time I’m just going to spend all my time at GSENM!! I especially loved the map portions! Thank you for such a detailed vlog! 💖.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it. Enjoy your trip...

[@rafaelrieck6655]

Vor 30 Jahren war ich dort. Hätte es damals dieses tolle Video gegeben, wäre vieles leichter für mich gewesen.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Danke schön!

[@steveblankenship5474]

Absolutely your best video and it could have been a three hour video with all the information packed in there and I’m going to watch this one several times. Looking forward to the next one.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you! Yes, I'm sure the video makes you feel like you're sipping water from a fire hose...

[@kruanne]

This is a fantastic video. Thank you so much especially as this park is on my list for a visit this year. I did a few geologic trips with your videos in California, now it's time for Utah :).

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting.

[@gordonengland2551]

One of the best videos ever of this area.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@vickihubach4388]

Wow! So helpful, as for the couple of times I've been there, it's been so confusing to me. Thanks so much!

[@outandaboutwithinge940]

Thank you for your very extensive guide!

[@jc_from_tx9229]

Wow!! thanks awesome video and info, can’t wait to go back there to explore more.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome and thanks for commenting!

[@farmermark2067]

Excellent presentation. Thank you! Hope to visit there and many other places in the western US in a few years when I retire.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome and thanks for commenting! Good luck on trying to reach all those places!

[@BobBowmanRMBImages]

Very inspiring video! I’ve been to parts of Escalante NM but not in the heart of it. I’d like to switchback through from 89 to 12 moving eastward

[@BackRoadsWest1]

There's lots to see here! Thanks for commenting.

[@flordejade0]

Paisagens maravilhosas. Fascinante.

[@roberttalmadge8874]

As always...awesome video!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you!

[@MaximRedin]

Thank you for the video. I like the idea. So many picturesque places, so many gorges which i would like to visit one day. Btw i am watching you from Russia

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome! I'm sure there's lots of hidden but spectacular gems of scenery to see in Russia.

[@salemk.3098]

Can you make a video about Bears Ears INM?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

No. Realize both GSENM and Bears Ears are both big and random places. It took us years to visit and photograph all the places in GSENM and we still haven't visited them all. It would take just as much time for Bears Ears and its a much less interesting NM. I will be creating one on Vermilion Cliffs NM.

[@thedeathstar420]

Would love to see a video on capitol reef

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I'd love to create videos on all the area NPs. It takes time! Have you seen kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJa9hmWNfc-Ieqs ?

[@faithful1memories309]

Loved the video, lots of interesting info! Did not like the politics at the beginning, we already have enough division in our country and everything is just a matter of different perspectives. I really appreciate these videos because they help ALL of us plan our next adventures, at the same time Social Media is the reason ALL of our parks are overcrowded not because they were named a National Monument or Park.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for commenting. Glad you enjoyed it. The purpose of it is to provide a general overview of GSENM, including geology, geography, etc. Regards to background, anyone that want's to know more about GSENM needs to be aware its pollical history. Anytime policies are changed, reservations need to be made to visit a place, a road is closed, too many people visiting due to social media posts; all those topics fall under the category of politics and later governance. It can't be avoided.

[@user-zd6tq3xh4s]

60 miles on a dirt road in the dark, not on my bucket list😵‍💫. We all appreciate your intrepid determination😱

[@BackRoadsWest1]

My pleasure!!

[@ShrekSwag]

best vid ever i watch the entire thing1 thank u so much

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Awesome! Thanks for hanging in until the end!!

[@alantower9659]

I've hiked most of the monument. For what it's worth, Yellow Rock was a fabulous day. Really a favorite hike though it looks simple from a distance, up close there is so much to see on that rock face. White Rock was a smaller area that was intricate. Loads of unique hoodoos. Sidestep canyon nearby is rather similar. Be sure to heed warnings about rain and wet roads. Cottonwood Rd is definitely a no go when wet. I'm very thankful the federal government/Clinton protected the entirety of this region. Far too special to be mined or worse, ruined by ATVs.

[@corksauve4949]

Is the white rocks area the same as white pocket?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

No. Ironically, the high point of White Pocket is visible from White Rocks. But White Pocket is in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and completely different geologically and scenery-wise. Our next video, which will be ready in a few weeks, will cover White Rocks. For now though, enjoy our tour of White Pocket: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp7YiGl9d9qCq6M

[@corksauve4949]

@@BackRoadsWest1 Thanks for the input. But now I'm confused. In the video you were referring to White rocks. In your reply you refer to the area you were in as white pocket.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@corksauve4949 I just re-read my reply. It's correct. White Rocks is in GSENM and White Pocket is in Vermilion Cliffs. White Rocks and White Pocket are 15 miles apart. Look both up on Google Maps.

[@corksauve4949]

@@BackRoadsWest1 That's okay, you don't understand what I said. No worries, it is a great video.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@corksauve4949 Regardless, thank you!

[@belindaliu6572]

Is any tour from arches national park canyonland and monument in moab city?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Huh?

[@dieseldirtdude]

ive experienced alot, but not all of what you have shown here, very knowledgeable guide through what i believe is utahs lesser known gem, ive got a grand parents old collection of nat geo's here in oak hills, ca. would you guys be interested?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Joe Jones? Oak Hills? Have you lived there for about 40 years? You might actually know me, or least my brother who lives in Baldy Mesa. Thanks for the offer for the Nat Geos, but no thank you, I have several boxes in the garage and a box of historic Desert Magazines. And thanks for the kudos on the video!

[@dieseldirtdude]

@@BackRoadsWest1 yes one and the same, i came across your channel recently, you quite the geology buffs, im very interested in your content, ill be checking in regularly, kudos on your great jobs

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@dieseldirtdude So, you do remember me? I believe we met for the first time at a New Years Eve party at your house around 1982. My brother was late, as always, so I had to introduce myself. We later did several things together once I moved up there, which were good times, then I believe my brother and you had a falling out of some sort. I just spoke to Rob a few weeks ago, he's still as elusive as ever. Hope you're doing well in Oak Hills. I currently live outside of St. George Utah.

[@dieseldirtdude]

@@BackRoadsWest1 st george is offroad heaven, you lucky guy, i usually spend 6 weeks on vacation through august and september, 2 weeks in moab, traveling the rockies along the divide every summer, you can see my interest in your content sharing the same terrain. i dont talk to rob following his bad financial decisions, i do still have his old jeep truck, getting a repaint again, cummins powered, along the lines of desert visitation and camping all over the mojave locally, ive managed 300k desert miles with the jeep, i fixed it up when i was 26, now 64 going through a refresh. i know you guys moved up from sun valley, i did a lot of lake powell miles with jim idleman, your neighbor, did alot of fun runs with his dad too, did you know jim passed away? i think you knew ed holmes too?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@dieseldirtdude Wow, you still have that old Willys?! Isn't it a 1963? That's amazing. Better than my Gen 2 4Runner I bought new in 1995 that I still drive around and runs circles around anything else on the rough roads here. And it's stock other than larger springs. At any rate, I'd love to see the 'ol Willyes if you ever make it up here. Great memories of that truck. LOL - Rob's bad financial decisions. He just called me a few weeks ago because he owes $3500 to Edison and his power was currently off. How does someone get a $3500 electric bill?? I was trying to help him pay the bill, but then his power magically came back on. Very odd. I've tried to contact him several times to see if it's still on, because that was probably a fluke. But he hasn't called me back, which tells me how good he'll be at paying back his debt. I think he's totaled most of the vehicles he owns, including the Willys, which turned out to be your gain! We ought to talk or get together the next time you're passing thru up here, or I'm down there. FYI, I know most of the roads in SW Utah like the back of my hand, plus I work as a tour guide occasionally and work with 2 different tour companies. We only get down to So Cal usually once a year around the holidays. My wife's family lives in Devore and we're pretty close with Christy & Casey. Email me - [e-mail] and we'll keep in touch.

[@preciadoalex123]

Thanks!

[@tfcooks]

I hiked Coyote Gulch the first year Grand Staircase was created. It was incredible.

[@westra4]

Fun place

[@flordejade0]

Respeito as informações. Porém, se a terra levou milhões de anos para formar, como as camadas superiores da terra ainda existem? Não teriam erodido antes disso?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you for commenting. Your question is a difficult one to answer. I've learned all the details from taking several college classes and reading lots of books over the past 30 years. But, watching this other video of ours might answer some basic basic questions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4XJo6Olbpmpgbs and then watch this to actually see all that was discussed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4WyZH6pd7mloMk

[@flordejade0]

@@BackRoadsWest1 Thanks brother.

[@shawnheneghan4110]

Pah is the native word for water

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Correct - one particular Native language. But how is that relevant?

[@bethmiklavcic180]

Don't lump all citizens of Utah in the same category. Many of us were against Trumps change of the monument. Fortunately that has been undone.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I didn't, I think the two sides have been pointed out. As for sides, there's more than one than the other in Utah and the opposite in California. It is what it is.

[@mxmissile4588]

Thanks for the reminder. Have just sent a message to Trump to please change the boundries back to what the STATE OF UTAH wants - not the far- left environmental wackos.

[@safepetproducts]

I think the lesson is that we don't need more national monuments. They will just get overrun. These places are already protected, let's just leave them be.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

One would think that. All of Utah's parks are being overrun with people for the past 3-5 years.

[@havechannelwillyoutube]

​@BackRoadsWest1 blame Utah's "Big 5" marketing campaign. It's documented as one of the driving forces contributing to Utah recreational opportunities being overrun.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

@@havechannelwillyoutube that is absolutely correct. In Germany, when you go to a movie theater, you'll see Utah advertised. Also in German, as well as other European countries, the Utah Department of Tourism employs people that live in those countries to promote Utah. It's probably time to stop. The word has gotten out!

[@Connect662]

Please just leave it alone!!!!!!!!

[@aurumdream9693]

Please do not show such close big shot of reptiles.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Why? By the way, they're models in a visitor center.

[@solarwinds-]

The narrator sounds like they are talking to a child. Is this video for children?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

The commenter sounds like a very rude person. I'm sorry, but what makes pronouncing various words very carefully make it sound like its addressing children. Are you offended? Please!

[@MrMwolf69]

I lived in Boulder,UT, for 5 years.This place changed my look in life from hollyweird to embracing solitude.The things I've seen and experienced felt like a movie.

[@wasatch0]

What did you do for work in Boulder?