“Oasis in the Desert”
Grand Staircase- Escalante, Utah
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an area that encompasses 1.7 million acres of southern Utah. The monument is divided into three distinct sections: the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante. Together, these sections create enormously difficult terrain and a remoteness that would make it hard to imagine any humans being able to hack out a living. Even though the cliffs, plateaus, mesas, buttes, pinnacles, and canyons provide a beautiful and vast view, the land is a dry and harsh environment. However, when one explores the region, you can find small niches of lush habitats. Walking up Calf Creek Canyon, one of many tributaries of the Escalante River, you will discover one of these small ecosystems. While walking the three-mile hike along the trout filled stream, you will pass several beaver damns, pictographs, and beautifully stained walls. Eventually you come upon the 126-foot Lower Calf Creek Falls. A grove of cottonwood tress, a pool of water, a cooling breeze, and the sounds of cascading water provide an oasis in the desert for all to enjoy.
4 x 5 Large Format Film