Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to reopen visitor centers after yearlong COVID-19 restrictions

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management, St. George News

ST. GEORGE —After nearly a year since the Bureau of Land Management Utah began restricting in-person public access to visitor centers and facilities, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument plans to move forward with a soft reopening of the monument’s visitor centers beginning Friday through June 4, upon which, staffing and safety protocols will be re-evaluated and adjusted as needed, according to a press release the BLM issued Thursday.

In this undated file photo, the Upper Gulch section of the Escalante Canyons within Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument features sheer sandstone walls, broken occasionally by tributary canyons | Associated Press photo by Douglas C. Pizac, St. George News

Visitor Center staff will continue to operate in a COVID-19-safe manner, adhering to Centers for Disease Control guidance and recommendations from federal, state and local public health authorities. As such, face masks and social distancing will remain in effect during hours of operation until further notice, the release states.

Hours of operation are as follows: 

  • The Escalante Interagency Visitor Center will provide in-person services from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday, beginning this Friday and continuing through June 4. The facility will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and indoor visitor capacity will be limited to 10 or less at all times. 
  • The Kanab Visitor Center will provide in-person services from 8:30 am to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, beginning this Friday and continuing through June 4. The facility will be closed Sunday and Monday, and indoor visitor capacity will be limited to 20 or less at all times. 
  • The Big Water Visitor Center will provide in-person visitor services from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday, beginning this Friday and continuing through June 4. The facility will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, and indoor visitor capacity will be limited to six or less at all times. 
  • The Cannonville Visitor Center will remain closed. 
  • The Paria Contact Station will provide in-person visitor services from 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm throughout the week, and indoor visitor capacity will be limited to six or less at all times. All permits previously scheduled for pick up at the Kanab Visitor Center will now only be available for pick up at the Paria Contact Station or at the BLM Arizona Strip Interagency Visitor Center. 

Find additional questions about visitor services online

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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