This national monument came into being in 1996 by presidential proclamation, starting life as a political football and so it has remained. It is by far the largest national monument at 1.9 million acres, almost as large as Yellowstone National Park and actually larger than the state of Delaware. The Park Service, which normally oversees national monuments, didn't want responsibility for it since there was no funding. It was assigned to the Bureau of Land Management, which is accustomed to "managing" large tracts of land without funds for the purpose. Accordingly, BLM usually does little or nothing to improve the lands in their care.
GS-ENM is a widespread collection of geological features, rather than a single feature or small group of closely related features. From what I can see, BLM has done nothing to enhance recreational use of the park other than open four offices to supply information. On the other hand, BLM has closed numerous 4WD roads for unspecified reasons.
Setting aside the politics, GS-ENM has a vast array of recreational opportunities. The plateaus, canyons, formations and waterways provide countless places for hiking, biking, camping, canyoneering, off-roading and similar activities in an extremely remote environment. This hasn't changed and hopefully never will.
Lots of dinosaur fossils are being found in the park, but those areas are off-limits to the public. Still, anyone is capable of finding petrified wood, a different type of fossil.
Utah Highway 12 cuts through the rugged country of colorful sandstone, making it one of the most scenic roads in the U.S.
One popular hike is along the Escalante River, where natural bridges, arches and archeological ruins may be found among the tall, colorful cliffs.
A favorite stopping point along Hole-In-The-Rock Road is Devil's Garden, a particularly interesting group of sculptured sandstone. Many of the figures there resemble human-like statues that remind me of Smurfs.
Another popular hike, about six miles round trip, leads to the Lower Calf Creek Falls. This 120 foot waterfall is an oasis in the desert, a place of serenity and rare beauty. The hike through the canyon is beautiful, as well, and gives one a glimpse of some large pictographs on the opposite canyon wall.
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