Utah is most certainly a state for outdoor enthusiasts with an
unbeatable array of five national parks, seven national monuments
and plenty of state and local parks as well. They offer superb
hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, bicycling, horseback riding,
backpacking, rock climbing and incredible sightseeing. Its
spectacular scenery ranging from lush Rocky Mountain valleys to
isolated red rock canyons to towering cliffs never fails to thrill
visitors.
Utah’s landscape provides us with a remarkable history of the
Earth’s geology. This state, which has been active seismically,
offers exposed rock strata billions of years old. Unusual rock
formations entice our imagination thus, the “hoodoos,” as the
Paiute Indians called the colorful, fancifully-shaped stone
pillars, carved by erosion over the eons at Bryce Canyon. In some
sites, such as Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado border,
thousands of dinosaur bones have emerged from the sandstone, while
in Capitol Reef National Park, almost mystically rainbow-striped
cliffs form a 100-mile-long barrier reminiscent of the seaside.
Arches National Park (435-719-2299): This rugged terrain has the
most natural stone arches (over 2,000) in the United States. Just
five miles northwest of Moab, famed for its mountain biking, Arches
hosts some of the most photographed and visited sites in the world,
such as Delicate Arch, with its opening of almost 35 feet. Another
is Landscape Arch, which spans 306 feet and is 105 feet high, and
is one of the longest natural stone arches in the world. Arches are
joined by red rock canyons, spires, fins and balancing rocks in
mind-boggling formations. Temperatures can rise to over 100 degrees
Fahrenheit in the summer and can dip below freezing in winter try
spring and fall for best weather conditions.
Bryce Canyon National Park (435-834-5322): Bryce Canyon is famed
for its hoodoos, which are tinted in red, yellow and brown, along
with lavender tones as well. Bryce is not an actual canyon, rather,
it consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved in
the edge of a plateau by tributaries of the Paria River.
The park is home to three different climate zones: spruce/fir
forest, ponderosa pine forest and pinyon pine/juniper forest. While
summer highs are only in the 80s, note that the altitude here is
from 8,000 to 9,000 feet, for those who need time to adjust. Again,
the most beautiful times to view the brilliant colors of Bryce are
at sunrise and sunset.
Canyonlands National Park (435-719-2313): In the same general
area as Arches, Canyonlands is also in southeastern Utah. The park
hosts deeply carved canyons, sheer-sided mesas, buttes, spires,
arches and fascinating rock formations. Cataract Canyon is filled
with thunderous rapids formed by the joining of the Green and
Colorado rivers, causing three districts of the park, each reached
by separate entrances. Each of the districts (Island in the Sky,
The Needles and The Maze) offers its own spectacular beauty and
wonder. Much of this park is backcountry-only accessible, but
Canyonlands does have paved roads leading to many of its most
scenic areas. In the northern district, Island in the Sky, features
some of the finest Native American pictograph panels in North
America.
Capitol Reef National Park (435-425-3791): The 378-square-mile
Capitol Reef was named for its huge 1,000-foot cliffs topped with
white sandstone formations, supposedly resembling the United States
Capitol. The park is known for its large section of the Waterpocket
Fold, a vivid illustration of how the Earth’s surface was folded,
wrinkled and eroded, forming pockets that today hold thousands of
gallons of rainwater. There are pre-Columbian Indian petroglyphs on
the surrounding canyon walls, and lush orchards amid the red rock
where fruit orchards have been planted. Elevations here range from
4,000 to 9,000 feet.
Zion National Park (435-772-3256): Zion offers a sublime mix of
desert terrain, enormous carved rock formations and verdant hanging
gardens. Its Zion Canyon is an astonishing, massive gorge sculpted
through exotically colored sandstones and shale by the Virgin
River. The Kolob Canyon section is famed for its finger-like red
sandstone canyons and the Hurricane Fault, with its layers of
exposed ancient rock. Kolob Arch, at 310 feet across, is one of the
largest free-standing arches in the world. Zion, with 229 square
miles of terrain, offers a myriad of nature programs to its
visitors.
For complete information on the United States National Park
Service, check www.nps.gov.
