Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2024
- There as been recent talks among Politicians to shut down two of Utah National Monuments. Unfortunately they're two I've visited the least. I wanted to go down and check them out before any bulldozers had a chance to change the wild.
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What are your options if you have mechanical failure out in a remote area like that? Like at the 8:58 mark, if your rear differential gave out or something big like that?
I try to be prepared for all eventualities but generally limit what trail repairs I'm capable of to smaller or more common breakdowns; I carry tools and basic emergency gear so in many cases I can limp back to pavement. For major breakdowns I'd "concede defeat" and just call in professional extraction or repair. I always carry a Garmin InReach Satellite messenger when in the backcountry, so I'd have family or friends send a tow truck out to my GPS coordinates.There's the temptation to have a friend come out and rescue me, but that would usually involve them driving half a day just to get out there plus whatever it takes to do the repair, not to mention procuring parts and specialty tools. And I don't want to put that burden on them, I'll just swallow the large extraction costs and fix things when I get home (or goto a good mechanic).
As for being "prepared for anything", you have to balance how much burden that preparedness adds to your vacation. Obviously personal safety is always taken care of 100%, but on-trail truck rebuilds can get to the point of hauling too much "Just in case" gear to be worth it for me. And Murphy's Law is probably going to get you caught out without what you need anyway; so I just bring things that give me the most bang for the buck (full tool kit, important fluids, radiator/oil/gas/tank repair kits, etc). If I were trekking across the Sahara I'd probably carry a lot more but few places in the continental US are truly remote, especially with the satellite communications giving you contact anyplace you can see the sky. In a worse case scenario or major breakdown I just make sure I can survive at least 24-48 hours and wait for extraction.
@@exploresouthwest Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed response. I have always wondered what would happen in that sort of situation. I watched your video on Posey's Trail and that's when it really hit me that if you had a major breakdown, it would be a major undertaking to get a vehicle out of that sort of situation. I can only imagine what the recovery trucks for those roads are like, and I'm sure you're looking at a minimum charge of $1,000.
@@AllenManor Most tow companies will not go off pavement.
@@exploresouthwest DITTO!!!!
@@LaughingblueSu In the southwest deserts there are actually multiple options for tow companies out here. I'm not the only person doing this, and most people are less prepared, and less knowledgeable about what they're doing. So 4WD tow companies on the colorado plateau make a pretty penny and stay busy.
That "wasteland" is like family to me. I desperately hope it stays intact. Thanks for the great tour! I cant wait to make it back!
The 'wasteland' is between some legislators ears.
Thank you for documenting what should forever be preserved!
I like how you give a birds eye overview of where you are going and we can see how you got there. Thank you!
Weird and dated, but I just moved to Flagstaff, AZ and have been spending a lot of time in Grand Staircase on the weekends. It's about a 3 hour drive depending on where I want to go, but it's so amazing out there. The night skies, the sunsets and the sunrises are incredible
We absolutely loved Grand Staircase Escalante. What a fabulous area! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing what I was unable to see on the back roads in September since we only rented a car! We drove UT-12 in its entirety, which passes through the northern reaches of the monument, and we were awestruck at the incredible beauty of the entire region! We spent at least a day at each of the five national parks, including both the Needles and Island in the Sky of Canyonlands and saw a lot of both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, and I can't imagine why politicians would push to develop oil, gas, coal, or uranium in favor of preserving this incredible desert for the wonderful tourist attraction it is!
Simple: MONEY
In a rented two wheel drive car I've done here, Shafer Canyon, and some others. It's about nerve and skill.
Good video...very informative. I am with you on this one....we need to continue to protect this great land in southern Utah... for generations to come after us! I will be going there next week and do my video on this as well. " Keep Hiking!"
I truly appreciated how you worked in the care and appreciation you feel for the land. Great video! Thank you!
Thank you very much. I love southern Utah. Keep it wild and free!!
Thanks for the video and allowing people to see it's beauty and the importance of preserving this beautiful landscape.Great filming and narrating.
The maps overview is super helpful. Thank you for this video!
Wonderful video! I managed to spend 3 weeks in the area in Dec. This video recaps many places I've been and few I've missed. There are many hikes throughout area and into the unbelievably beautiful desert-scapes and formations as well. Thanks for posting!
Great video. Thanks for the perspectives and getting to see what can be done in a stock full sized truck. ...Like I have.
Absolutely love Escalante. Last time I went I did some of the drives you did, then backpacked a few days in Coyote Gulch.
My best backpacking trip ever was a leisurely five day trip following Coyote Gulch from Red Well Trailhead to the Escalante River. It featured Jacob Hamblin Arch, Stevens Arch, Coyote Natural Bridge and the biggest Collared Lizard I ever saw, with a body at least a foot long and a tail about as long as the body, within sight of Stevens Arch.
Thanks for making this video. I just drove thru and we did Lower Calf Falls and Peek a boo canyon. I wish I could have gone all the south down to the lake.
I commented before that your videos are very good. I think they continue to improve as well. Great job!
I appreciate the mapping you provide and the excellent descriptions of where you're traveling. Recently one of your videos included a link to your Google MyMaps. I really liked that as well. Keep up the good work and your subscriber numbets will continue to grow.
Thank you for this awesome video. I plan on visiting these places soon!
Mix a bowl full of creative prowess with equal amounts of incredible landscape, and you have a video such as this. Good work brother! Nothing like living the dream.
These are the places that are the RIGHT/LEFT turn at the next junction.
Great video, I've been searching and searching for this type of content. New Subscriber from NE Minnesota - Thanks, Dan
Great video. Now on my travel bucket list. Thanks!👍😬
Thank you for sharing your excellent work. Great video. I love it.
nice job especially what you did with the maps
Such great scenery and good job on the video with info!
I really enjoyed seeing these roads I haven't nor ever will have the chance to drive. I first discovered the "Grand Circle" region in the late 70's on a motorcycle trip, I fell in love with it and although I've seen "a lot", I've only scratched the surface. Why anyone would want to go to Mars is beyond me when there are vast regions like this in the world to explore, and this region is only one of countless others. Thank you for your effort, the map was a bit tricky, but in searching on Google Earth to pin point your locations, I learned much more.
Great job! Super informative and interesting! Thanks for posting.
Thank you for this video. I will visit Utah next November. Do you think I could drive this same route in two days with a rental, if it doesn't rain? I will have to figure out the exact route, though.
Thank you for the beautiful video. I will be going there next month. Do you think my 2018 Subaru outback can handle the dirt roads? Is the road wide enough for two cars to pass or would I need to back up a long distance if this happens?
Great information and video. Thank you!
Thank you. It was quite an enjoyable lecture!
Wow well done. Beautifully crafted road trip report, I love the 3D map animation (any chance you could share the KMZ file of the itinerary?). The scenery is amazing. The recording is seamless, well paced, the narrative is right measure and the whole report is never boring. Could you add a map of the itinerary at the start of the video, to put the trip into perspective? Again, well done. I am now watching all your other videos!
I love this thank you for sharing the beauty of the area and the politics behind it. I can tell you worked really hard on this video amazing job! Thank you for sharing the beauty of the Park so others may see its beauty and understand why protecting this monument is so important.
Awesome reporting on this special place...
You don't happen to have a Google map track for this trip like the other trips you detail? I'm thinking if going down this weekend...
Wow cool looking video, looks like a great are to explore and hike. Thank you for sharing and have a good weekend!
Thanks, nice post, I love that area too, and all the way to Capitol Reef. Even the highway is like a trip to different planets.
Thanks. Valuable perspective. Our lands.
So we are in 2021 and looks like the wilderness survives! (For now)
Thank you for this guide!
Looking forward to explore in my Subaru Outback 2005
Loved the google earth effect at the beginning. Lots of cool info, I would defo like to visit this national monument!
This was a great video, thank you. Looking forward to visiting here someday. Do you think these roads are ok for a 25 foot Class C RV? Its 100 inches wide.
I love the grand staircase oh my gosh their rocks are glossy and can be see through so beautiful I never been on the bottom but on the top there’s a road by boulder Utah heading to Bryce Canyon.
"Wasteland" Huh? He must of been describing his Soul.
Great video of this wonderful area.
Gorgeous video. Great trip.
What a great job you did on this video. We just drove by cottonwood and had I known what was there we would have explored. The road was too narrow for our truck camper so thanks for the tour and comments. Public land owners need to continue the ba\the against nearsighted politics that wish to mine what we cherish. Thanks.
Nice video, thanks. My Googlefu is weak, I can’t locate where those crushed cars under the Hwy are. We’ll be in the area soon and would like to see them. Any chance you can help us out? Thanks
beautiful. This is going on the trip plan. I cant go on all those roads but Im sure I can see some spots
Great video! Thanks so much. I watched your Onion Creek - Thompson Canyon video also. You offered a link to KML file for that trip. any chance of one for this one? I am planning a trip for later this year to Utah and am making note on how see parts I haven't seen.
Thanks again
I want to try to find a good permanent way of adding the trip links to all the videos. Hopefully better than just a Google drive link. But I will go back through and add the trips for all the older videos when I do.
@@exploresouthwest Thanks!
Awesome content! What navigation do you use while off roading?
great video, thanks for posting. Charlton Heston clips are great.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFO!!!
Your content is fantastic. Thank you for creating this to be enjoyed and even more importantly to help spread the word that this and the other surrounding areas need to be protected.
Theo Outdoors They are already protected. They've been a part of Utah under federal jurisdiction now for over a hundred years.
@@utahwanderlust700 Agreed. Sometimes when the federal government moves to protect an area, it greatly increases the number of people coming to enjoy it. This causes its own set of problems. The National Park Service is finding that we are loving our parks to death. Before scenic areas were national parks or national monuments, they were protected by the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We need to be good stewards of the land regardless of what the status is.
I've watched some of your Utah videos which have been excellent. I got myself in pretty hot water with my wife taking her over Cinnamon Pass in Colorado. How would you compare some of these roads to the dirt roads in the San Juans?
I would definitely say easier than the San Juans; less rocky, and less exposed shelf roads. I actually went up in the San Juans a few times about 2 decades ago, over Cinnamon+Engineer Pass, Yankee Boy, even down Black Bear Pass. This trail is easier than all of those. There are still Ranchers in the area so imagine "good old boys" driving their pickups and occasional horse trailers around. Any recreational offroad vehicle will do fine.
@@exploresouthwest Thank You
This video is so cool. ty . Its so informative. I've a question about it: We planning to see this, too with friends soo is this passable with a Lincoln Navigator but without terrain tyres?
Remélem jó a városi gumi erre a feladatra!!!
Én is :)
Hit the Burr Trail out of Boulder City,it will blow your mind.Road is almost always decent enough for most vehicles like yours,just try not to go when really wet or snow!
Awesome drive...
Amazing area, this is on my bucket list!
I'm amazed by what's available. It's a big area to explore.
Act fast as things may be about to change.
How many days did it take to cover all that groun? I'm planning a trip to alstrom point in July and would love to have your feedback.
3 days 2 nights. Mostly because I like to stop and explore the area around me. You could burn through it all in one day, but you'd spend most of the time driving and just seeing things out the window.
Thank you for a beautiful video❤
"Wasteland," is sacred to the Utes, Navajos, Ute Mountains, Pueblo, Zuni who live in near by areas.
I know I love it. When Mike Noel said that I wanted to wring his scrawny neck. And his sentiment is so common among many people that want to mine and drill the lands. I saw one woman who thought it was a crime that people would want to just enjoy the beauty of the area. They obviously must only be doing it to attack her and her ranching lifestyle. They literally don't get that if something that isn't a developed golf course or city park, then it's wasted land that nobody wants. And anybody who tries to protect it is some conspiracy to attack their livelihood drilling it.
Are you able to recommand the best detailed map of the GSENM area please?
The best maps by far are the National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps. The monument is so big it's split between "Canyons of the Escalante" and "Grand Staircase, Paunsaugunt Plateau"
amzn.to/3ofEx6l
Thank you for defending the Staircase. Coal as an energy source is on it's way out. It would be tragic to start mining in this area now.
Thanks for posting this 👍
Just got back from a 3 day backing trip. to include Sam Pollock arch. Beautiful.
That's what I miss. Too many times I feel I'm rushing through the area on a drive and not settling down to hit those locations off the main path. I think I need to plan something that actually involves getting more than 1 mile away from the parking lot.
Cottonwood Canyon to Kodachrome Basin is an awesome trip
What a nice flat road. Looks like I could drive it in my Honda Accord!
What app are you using for the maps
A beautiful video. Utah is a beautiful state and I hope the politicians there protect it. Greetings from Canada.
I thought i heard you say 2WD is OK as long as there's no mud? Is it still the case?
For Cottonwood Canyon Road? Yeah, it's a graded dirt road so they scrape it down flat (well flat for dirt roads). The problems is the dirt there is like a fine clay, so when it's dry it's very solid and hard, but when wet it becomes terrible slop that will stop anything. Then when it dries it's hard again so if some a-hole tore it up while it was wet the wheel ruts will solidify and make it bumpy. You can call the BLM stations in the area to get updated conditions. It's a very popular trail so they keep up on maintaining it.
It's certainly no wasteland. I absolutely love any place with red rock. It's my favorite color anyways, and compared to the drab desert where I live, it's very beautiful. Though we do have red rock where I live in Southern Nevada. Namely Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Bowl of Fire (in Lake Mead NRA), Logandale trails and other bits and pieces. For that reason, Southern Utah is high on my list of places to visit. It's so much more beautiful than the dull brown Mojave desert where I live.
Great video my friend!
Fantastic
do you have a gps track of this trip?
I did at one time but I can't find it now. It may have gotten deleted accidentally some time along the way.
I hope they keep it protected. I haven't done this road trip yet. The land is just too beautiful to mine
I realize you uploaded this years ago, but do you think a 4x4 with a camper on the back could make this trek? I'm a very experienced off-roader but will have the family with me in a full size truck with a light truck camper.
I think you could definitely do it. There might be some bumpy places, especially as you get near the end of Alstrom Point that shakes it around like an earthquake, but if you go slow on any of the twisty or shaky bits it's mostly your run of the mill dirt road.
Good video. Thumbs up!
dude make a field trip I'd tag along . amazing
Great video!
Beautiful
Very interesting coal-fire site. Although the most typical yellow mineral associated with such sites is ammonioalunite-ammoniojarosite, this one here strongly resembles molysite.
I have a 2015 grand Cherokee Laredo.
Can this make the trip .
I'm buying a rooftop tent.
Can you list The things I beginner might need to do this trip
I don't even know where to begin and planning this. But I want to go do it
Oh yeah you could definitely do this. As long as the roads are dry 90% of it was probably passable to a 2WD car with good clearance but with the Grand Cherokee you just need to go slow on the extra bumpy bits a car couldn't do and you'll have no problem.
Besides the basic camp gear I'd bring an extra 5-10 gallons of gas . You probably won't need it if you gas up in nearby towns you pass but you'll have less stress knowing it's there.
Also bring a 5 gallon container of water. Again you probably don't need that much but in the event the Jeep breaks down you'll be fine waiting for somebody to help you even if it takes days.
I'd air down your tires to 15-20psi, specially if the sand is worse than on my trip. Then you can slow drive to a gas station to air up when you're back on pavement or bring something to pump your tires up yourself.
Make sure the Jeep is running good and won't break down on you, basic maintenance and all that stuff you probably already do.
Lastly is patience. Going slow is safer and you won't beat up the Jeep's suspension too much. Plus when it's a comfortable cruise instead of a race you can enjoy the scenery much more.
What app did you use to make the animated map?
It's just Google Earth Pro on desktop, totally free. You can save a little movie panning around the map. Then in the tools section is an option for it to make a saved movie into a video.
@@exploresouthwest Thank you.
Those roads are golden.
I'm with you on the idea that these "waste-lands" aren't. I love the remote, dry lands. But I don't think it needs to be an either-or proposition. I've been to plenty of places where industry and the wide-opens co-exist. I don't want the land rapaciously torn apart, but neither do I think we need to just shut everyone out of the resources we use. After all, we're all enjoying these UA-cam adventures because someone, somewhere, is using resources.
Exactly, and it's a trap I still find myself falling into sometimes. I think you can beauty in any location, I wish I could just take those people who think it's a wasteland on a trip to show them what they're overlooking.
Likewise there are some places I never travel to because it's "ugly" or "boring" that I need somebody to point out to me what I'm missing.
My father did drilling for coal on Smokey mountain. Those burning pits are going to destroy the land. I’ll bet there is 100s of sinkholes.
I'm curious what would happen if people tried to dig them out or dug into the coal. Seems like adding airflow to the situation would be catastrophic. Utah is full of old (and present modern) mines that had tons of fatalities when coal dust caught fire from a single spark.
Seems like digging at a coal seam from one end when a known coal fire is burning on the other would be a bad idea. Eventually there will be a little crack where the two connect.
Sometimes nature does the worst damage. They tried to put the fires and no luck. Are they drilling up there now? Around 76 they stopped all drilling. We lived up there for 2 years I feel they should of mined the coal and restored the land and let it replenish itself. I know I’ll get a lot of flak on that.
Beautiful country! It deserves to be preserved for all the generations to come. Don't mine this beautiful place.
The only wasteland is the space between those politicians ears! 🤦
I’d love to drive this road. I’m afraid I would get lost or run out of gas.
the smith family had a pretty rough time lots of young n's died young as was so often the way in the early days
Definitely not a waste land
I’m with you a 100%; leave that beautiful wasteland alone; maybe we should solicit our new Secretary of the Interior to revisit the status of this magnificent landscape and monument
waste lands r the best another man's trash is another man's treasure give me trash or waste land what ever you want to call it
I vote conservative but am definitely opposed to mining this land. They once wanted to mine the Grand Canyon. They did mine canyon lands and destroyed so much of its natural beauty. I have been to Jacob Hamlins arch and sunset arch. So beautiful must be protected.
And I usually vote liberal but I'm open to drilling and mining in many places... Just not National parks and Monuments + the 10-20 miles surrounding them where the wells still show up in pictures from the park.
Many places I pass I'm fine with it. Price and Sigurd Utah are surrounded with mines and pumpjacks that don't bother me. Especially since they kind of tuck them away where you don't notice, I really appreciate that; I wish they did the same thing in the Uinta Basin.
Years ago my son and I were at the Delicate Arch in Arches NP near sunset, and two men came by. We couldn't help but hear their conversation and one mentioned he had been working very closely with "Al" on nearing completion of the corridor from Bryce to the Grand Canyon. Escalante was the missing piece. He was a lawyer who specialized on environmental projects, and the "Al" he was referring to was VP Al Gore. It was an amazing moment in our lives to get to meet someone who worked on such an important project which would benefit all of our citizens. And today, our president who glorifies money above all else has stripped much of the preserved land here and at Bears Ears NM. It really is a sorry state the he can't appreciate what is truly important. Hikepark Stevens
How beautiful this land is!!! Too bad this has been chosen for drilling and mining. It will totally ruin this land. Will someone please stop this devastation!!!
Hoping Biden will reverse
2:10 is not cottonwood canyon road.....
We need to leave things alone I destroy things all over the world and now we're paying the consequence such a beautiful place
Love this video! Would I be able to use some of the footage in a social video I'm producing for our website The Culture Trip? Please contact me on alex.boultwood@theculturetrip.com for more info. Thanks
Pretty good video, and helpful information. Some of these areas I have visited and enjoyed myself for their remoteness and untouched beauty. I think there is room for compromise between the competing views here. We need to remember that Bill Clinton set aside this vast monument by the stroke of a pen, overriding the concerns of state and local representatives and citizens, so reversing at least part of what he did (some feel undemocratically), returns the situation back to the status quo in part. The Feds already own the vast majority of Utah; how much is enough? The pro-monument view also begs the question that the Feds are the best ones to manage land. I could name instances where they do a lousy job, and state or even private owners show more concern for the land. It's hyperbole to think the whole monument would be bulldozed unless the Feds take it over. We citizens retain the power of the vote to tell our representatives what we value.
Anyway, many of your shots are very enjoyable and take viewers to places rarely visited. Thanks for posting.
Zion, Death Valley, The Grand Canyon and many more were created the same way, through the Antiquities Act, designated by the President as National Monuments, i.e. "undemocratically".
The original residents of the land, the Indian, were pushed off by the government, the federal government, and the land was then in there possession -- the idea that this land should go back to the original owners, ie the state, is utter nonsense as the state NEVER owned that land. If it were to go back to the original owners then it would be returned to the Indian. I'm guessing you would not want that to happen. Throughout the run-up to the decision to revoke the NP designation the state officials and the Trump officials repeatedly said it was not so that it could be given to the mining interests -- who in there right mind believed that? The dishonesty by the state leaders and by the Trump appointees is plainly evident, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to see what the end game is. Coal is not the profitable commodity it once was and the reason for that has less to do with federal ownership of mineral bearing land or regulation and more to do with cheaper alternatives provided by natural gas and other energy sources. I say the state should never be given control of this land as they've clearly stated there intentions and it would destroy much of this unspoiled beauty.
Wildlands1 Once again, you have no idea what you're talking about. And btw, it's "right", not "rite". There, you learned two things today. You probably have enough knowledge now to run for the democratic party nominee!
Raptorman0909 You've been fed the whole hook, line, and sinker by SUWA I see.
Those were not mining cabins. Those were pioneer homes from the short lived Mormon settlement.
There's an awful lot of coal buried below the surface in this area. Fortunately, coal usage and coal mining are dying fast and it's unlikely they will ever see an increase again.