Capitol Reef National Park
Under $25Drive and hike among sandstone cliffs, domes and natural bridges along the Waterpocket Fold near Torrey.

Photo: Steven Kevil, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an outdoor activity in Escalante, UT. Cost: free.
Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, 755 W Main St · Escalante, UT
This Bureau of Land Management monument, established in 1996, protects colorful rock layers, plateaus and canyons known for dinosaur fossil finds. A July 13, 2026 proclamation cut it to 181,541 acres, so check with staff which areas still sit inside it. Nearby favorites include Calf Creek Falls off Scenic Byway 12, the Willis Creek slot canyon, and the unpaved Hole-in-the-Rock Road. The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center on Highway 12 has current road and trail conditions.
The closest stops to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, ordered by straight-line distance.