Southern Utah
Arches National Park
Arches National Park in southeastern Utah is one of my favorite parks. It has the largest
concentration of rock arches in the world. Most of the arches are actually quite large: Delicate Arch is
probably over 30 feet tall. Because most of the terrain is open sandstone,
it's very easy to explore. However, care must be exercised. Behind Delicate Arch is a sheer drop of
several hundred feet, and there are no guard rails!
Canyonlands National Park
Next door to Arches is Canyonlands National Park, a vast area which has canyons within
canyons. This park is better explored with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. If you look carefully,
you'll notice that the position where this picture was taken was several hundred feet above
the flat area below.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce is on the western side of southern Utah. It is known for large amphitheaters filled with
stone spires carved by wind and rain.
Monument Valley, AZ
Although technically not in Utah, Monument Valley is only a couple hours drive from Arches.
Monument Valley is actually an Indian reservation, so access is fairly restricted. It's best
known for these "mitten" rocks, which have appeared in many western movies.
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