Utah Map

Request Free Visitor Guides

Utah National Parks - A River Ran Through Them

Description

Utah has five national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. They are all in southeast Utah within a relatively small radius of each other, all the result of similar geologic events and yet all are unique.

Visiting any of the Utah national parks is an amazing experience because you get to see, like no other place on the planet, the raw, exposed physical history of the land we walk on. 65 million years ago in south-central Utah the earth's crust warped and folded over itself into an S-shape that spans 100 miles. We call this Capitol Reef National Park and what we see today is the result of water erosion common to most Utah national parks.

These rivers, the result of glaciers and inland seas, carved through the land leaving behind impossible shapes of unusual color. For instance Bryce Canyon National Park is made up of hoodoos. A hoodoo is both a fantastic word and a kind of rock spire layered with red, white and orange colored rock. In the actual Bryce Canyon a bunch of hoodoos came to form a giant amphitheater. It looks like the kind of thing kids make at the beach by dripping wet sand into pillars.

Erosion is also responsible for three other Utah national parks. In Canyonlands there are caves throughout the canyons and many still contain well-preserved ancient pueblo homes. The icons of Arches National Park are the result of disturbances in the water flow and today you can walk right up to and even sit under many of them.

Perhaps the most intimate experience with the power of rivers is a hike through The Narrows at Zion National Park. It is one of the top ten adventures in the country and worth a trip specifically for the experience.

Map + Directions

Utah Arches National Park GarfieldCountyTourism-skyscraper2

Copyright © 1997 - 2024 The Go Travel Sites. All Rights Reserved and.

Email Page Link

Complete the form below to email this page to a friend or family member's email. You can send yourself an email as well. Your email and your recipient's email will NOT be shared with anyone. See our full Privacy Policy for details.
:
:
:
 
 
 
:
Copy Yourself on the Email Yes No
:
:

1

Select one or more Free Visitor Guides below

2

Complete the form to receive your guides by mail

Below are the Free Visitor Guides for Arches National Park. More Visitor Guides are available in Utah. Click here to view them all!

Moab Moab Moab
Southeast UtahMoab has long been a favorite destination for locals and world travelers alike. Southeast Utah is a must for any Utah traveler's itinerary.
Request this Free Visitor GuideRequested! You're all set! Request a few more Visitor Guides, or complete the form below to receive your guides by mail.
Utah - Life Elevated Utah - Life Elevated Utah - Life Elevated
StatewideWith five national parks and more than 40 state parks, Utah offers a wealth of outdoor activities for families & adventurers alike. Order your free Travel Guide today.
Request this Free Visitor GuideRequested! You're all set! Request a few more Visitor Guides, or complete the form below to receive your guides by mail.
Palisade, Colorado Palisade, Colorado Palisade, Colorado
WesternLife Tastes Good Here all Year Long!
Request this Free Visitor GuideRequested! You're all set! Request a few more Visitor Guides, or complete the form below to receive your guides by mail.
Ski Utah Ski Utah Ski Utah
Utah
Request this Free Visitor GuideRequested! You're all set! Request a few more Visitor Guides, or complete the form below to receive your guides by mail.