Grand Wash Cliffs Wilderness

Grand Wash Cliffs

Quick Facts

Location:

Arizona

Significance:

Wilderness Area

Designation:

The United States Congress designated the Grand Wash Cliffs Wilderness in 1984. It now has a total of 37,030 acres.

MANAGED BY:

Bureau of Land Management / National Park Service

Area Description

You won't find the Colorado River, the force of nature that eons ago carved the Grand Wash Cliffs of Arizona, anywhere near the cliffs themselves. Today the Colorado flows about 20 miles to the south, sculpting the Grand Canyon. However this wilderness, in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, marking the transition zone between the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range Provinces, preserves the river's intricate handiwork--rugged canyons, scenic escarpments, and colorful sandstone buttes. Most remarkable are the 12 miles of towering cliffs themselves, which are cut into two giant steps, the first about 2,000 feet high, and the second a 1,000-foot leap to the Shivwits Plateau. Between the two steps lies a shelf that stretches one to three miles wide. Several canyons cut deeply into the sculpted cliffs and provide opportunities for tough scrambling to the top where a piñon-juniper woodland overlooks a plain of Mojave desert shrubs below. Elevations in this Wilderness range from approximately 2,650 to nearly 6,700 feet.

Climate in the Arizona mountains varies greatly with elevation. The higher elevations generally receive much more precipitation and much cooler temperatures than the lower elevations. Summers at the high elevations bring warm daytime temperatures with cool nights. Low elevations often experience very hot summer temperatures. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the summer. The winter and early spring months bring snow and sometimes cold temperatures to the highest elevations but frequent clear, sunny days. Winter brings moderate temperatures to the low elevations - a great time to recreate in these snow free areas - allowing both winter and summer type activities within very short distances.

One 11-mile maintained trail traverses the length of this Wilderness above the Grand Wash Cliffs in pinyon-juniper country. You will find extraordinary opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation as well as rugged canyon hiking, if you don't mind the effort. Gila monsters, desert tortoises, and desert bighorn sheep live here in solitude. Access is difficult, but seekers of solitude will find it well worth the effort.

Non-Federal Lands

Some of the land south of the Grand Wash Cliffs Wilderness is not federally administered. Please respect the property of the land owners. Do not cross or use this land without permission.

Related Maps

• Arizona Strip District Visitor Map
• 7.5-Minute Topographic: Cane Springs South East, Saint George Canyon, Olaf Knolls, Last Chance Canyon, Grand Gulch Bench, and Mustang Point.
• 1:100,000 BLM Surface Management: Littlefield, Mount Trumbull