Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Grand Staircase


Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
We decided to venture from Jacob Lake along scenic Highway 89A to Lee’s Ferry then onto 89 to Page, AZ then across Glen Canyon Dam into Utah along 89 to Kanab and back to Jacob Lake. The Grand Staircase extends from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon. The National Monument extends across almost 2,000,000 acres of public land. The best view is from scenic Highway 89 in Arizona. The Grand Staircase is a series of great geological steps ascending northward. The Grand Staircase spans 5 different life zones from the high desert to the coniferous forests. They are known the Chocolate, Vermilion, White, Gray and Pink Cliffs. It took us a while to understand what the Grand Staircase actually is. Bob studied a geological chart of this area and after viewing it from the North Rim North and Bryce Canyon South, it started to sink in. The formation of the rock from 5 different life zones became obvious to him.

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