canyons

Monticello, UT

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Back in 2015, we traveled through Utah, visiting all five national parks in the state.  One of our stops was Moab.  From there we had the chance to see Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is a large park, specifically, 337,598 acres.  It consists of 3 districts.  The Island in the Sky district is closest to Moab and the most visited.  This is the part we saw back in 2015.  The Needles district occupies the southeastern part of the park and is close to Monticello.  This is the portion we visited on this trip.  The Maze district in the southwestern part of the park is very remote and is only accessible by 4 wheel drive vehicles and for backcountry exploration. Continue reading →

Bryce Canyon National Park

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Descriptions will fail to tell you what you’re seeing.  I’m afraid photographs will be inadequate to properly frame the sights.  Your mind struggles to properly categorize this strange and wondrous landscape.  Hoodoos (odd-shaped pillars of rock), spires, windows, arches, fins and towers with a variety of shapes and colors leave you not understanding how this could have come about but wanting to see more.

Navajo Trail Continue reading →

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

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Encompassing some 1.9 million acres, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is slightly larger than the state of Delaware, the largest land area of all U.S. National Monuments, it is part of the National Landscape Conservation System and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management..  Although Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks are separately managed, they are part of “The Grand Staircase”.  The name comes from the series of plateaus that descend from Bryce Canyon south toward the Grand Canyon, marked by vertical drops at the Pink Cliffs, Grey Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs and Chocolate Cliffs.

Slot canyons Continue reading →