Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, National monument and dark sky park in Mohave County, Arizona, United States.
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument covers about one million acres of high plateaus, deep canyons, and rugged mountain terrain across northern Arizona. The landscape displays varied rock formations and elevations that shift from desert floor to forest-covered heights.
The monument was designated by Presidential Proclamation 7265 on January 11, 2000, by Bill Clinton, without prior consultation with Arizona, which drew sharp criticism from local politicians until polls showed over 75% regional support. The area was sparsely settled by Native Americans; scattered Anasazi buildings, petroglyphs, grinding stones and arrowheads are found throughout. In 1776 Franciscan padres Domínguez and Escalante passed its edge, and from 1826 Jedediah Smith's route along the Virgin River became part of the Old Spanish Trail. Late 19th-century ranchers settled and logging for mine supports ended in the 1960s.
The name Parashant comes from the Paiute phrase Pawteh 'ee oasoasant, meaning "tanned elk hide" or "softening of the elk hide," hinting that the land once supported large herds. Scattered across the monument are petroglyphs, small Anasazi structures, grinding stones and arrowheads. Ruins of later Mormon ranching sites survive too, among them the Oak Grove Dairy.
A visit requires a high-clearance vehicle and navigation tools since no facilities or services operate within the monument. Bring adequate water and supplies to prepare for remote conditions and limited help along rarely traveled routes.
A 2005 survey of 24 caves in the monument found two new millipede species, the first barklouse recorded in North America, a new cricket genus and four new cricket species. The monument also holds ruins of former Mormon settlements such as the Oak Grove Dairy.
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