Grand Staircase-Escalante in Southern Utah was designated to be a
national monument by President Bill Clinton in 1996. The National
Monument, covering 1.9 million acres, is even bigger than some
states (e.g. Delaware). Needless to say, this 3-day short trip could
scratch its surface only.
Grosvenor Arch is a double arch located within this national
monument. Originally it was called Butler Arch. In 1947 it was
renamed to honor Dr. Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1875–1966), a
president of the National Geographic Society, which publishes the
National Geographic Magazine.
There are arches everywhere in the world, but a double arch like
this one is extremely rare. It was formed at the contact between
the Henrieville Sandstone (165 million years old) and Dakota
Formation (95 million years old), and gradually shaped by erosion
(more pictures below).
