by Ellen Heyn, Communications Associate
When President Trump ordered a review of at least 26 of our national monuments last week, he claimed to be returning “control to the people — the people of Utah, the people of all of the states, the people of the United States.”
But those monuments already belong to the people — to you and to me, to each and every American citizen. The monuments in question were public lands prior to designation, and they remain public lands as national monuments today.
Trump’s executive order calls for the Department of the Interior to recommend whether monuments designated since 1996 be rescinded, resized, or modified. Stripping our national monuments of the protection they deserve would benefit only a select few — not the people of the United States.
It doesn’t matter whether you visit these places every year or once a lifetime. They are your national monuments. Each has wonderful trails, campsites, and landscapes to check out. Here’s a glimpse of what’s at stake on the Colorado Plateau.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Moab gets all the fame as slickrock capital of the world, but if you ask me, Grand Staircase is the real gem. Thousands of tourists drive through Grand Staircase on their way to or from Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks, admiring the scenery through their car windows. But mystery, beauty, and big, open country await those who set out on foot. Here are some of our favorite trails:
Lower Calf Creek Falls | Cottonwood Narrows | Boulder Mail Trail