The Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa Plateau is a unique area for exploring. This is a place where cultural resources are found in remote, primitive and wilderness-like settings. A wealth of rock art panels consisting of petroglyphs and pictographs can also be found. Most canyons and cultural sites can only be reached by hiking or backpacking.

There are numerous cultural sites on the Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa Plateau. The larger sites in Grand Gulch are marked on the map, but keep your eyes open for smaller less visible sites scattered throughout the canyons. It is unlawful to use climbing equipment to access archeological sites.

Rich in cultural resources, the Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa area was inhabited by Ancestral Puebloans between 700 and 2,000 years ago with many dwellings, farming areas and rock art sites still remaining to be explored. If you visit Grand Gulch Primitive Area, please treat everything you find with care and respect.

Backcountry permits are required in the following Cedar Mesa Canyons: Grand Gulch, Slickhorn Canyons, Fish Canyon, Owl Canyon, North and South Forks of Mule Canyon north of U.S. Highway 95, Road Canyon, Lime Creek, and their tributaries.

All advanced and walk-in overnight permits must be picked up on the day of your trip at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, 7 days a week. Advanced overnight permits may be reserved up to 90 days prior to your trip through the Monticello Field Office at (435) 587-1510.