This monument was founded only several years ago by President Clinton. It encompasses a huge chunk of souther Utah. Because the park is new, it has been only partially developed for tourism.

Apparently, the monmument is called the staircase because at a huge geographical scale there is a major staircase. One of the steps in the staircase can be seen above.

This is a closer look at the cliff.

In the foreground my sister and father are picking seeds out of some plant. In the background there is a huge valley; according to a roadside sign, the view from this point covers an area larger than the state of Connecticut. (This panoramic effect was made by combining two photos, so the quality is lacking.)

In addition to the grand staircase, the monument has more to offer. The image above shows some petrified wood.

As usual, cactii are included whenever present.

Finally, there were also flowers.