Grand Gulch Primitive Area is surrounded by southeastern Utah’s most iconic landscape, with Natural Bridges National Monument to the north, Valley of the Gods to the east, and Moki Dugway, Muley Point, and Goosenecks State Park to the southeast. But Grand Gulch is remarkable of its own accord, an outdoor museum of ancient culture and history with the highest natural concentration of Ancestral Puebloan relics and ruins on the Colorado Plateau. Some of the oldest artifacts found in Grand Gulch date back between 200 and 700 A.D. from the Basketmaker nomadic tribes. Grand Gulch was rediscovered in 1880 during the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition, and excavations began the following decade.
Grand Gulch Primitive Area is truly remote, accessible only by foot or pack animal. The most common access points are Kane Gulch and Bullet Canyon. The 23-mile hike between the two canyons reveals ancient cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and pictographs, pottery shards and more. These fragile ruins are protected by the Archeological Resources Protection Act and should not be touched or removed. Visitors are required to register and obtain a permit at the BLM office in Monticello or the Kane Gulch Ranger Station. Grand Gulch Primitive Area can be reached via SR-261 from Mexican Hat and via Highway 95 from Blanding.
Travel limited to foot or horseback
Accessible via Utah Highways 95 and 261
Permit required: Call the Monticello BLM Field Office at 435-587-1500
Nearby Lodging Options
