| Delicate Arch, Utah's scenic
red rock icon, and the twisting waters of Zion's Narrows,
are only two of the awe-inspiring surprises enclosed within
Utah's national park boundaries. Whichever park you visit,
you're sure to discover splashes of natural color and unique
formations, making for a remarkable experience. Grand Canyon
National Park makes a national parks trip complete. One of
the most scenic and certainly breathtaking vistas is found
along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, about 80 miles
south of the Utah town of Kanab. The North Rim is
conveniently located near other scenic national parks,
making it fit naturally into a "Grand Circle"
Designated a national park on
February 26, 1919, the Grand Canyon is one of the seven
Natural Wonders of the World. While the entire park rests in
Northern Arizona, the quieter and less commercialized North
Rim is a short drive from Kanab, Utah's Gateway to the Grand
Canyon National Park.
Take a walk on the quiet side.
photography, and ranger programs are available at the North
Rim. Since only about 10% of the Grand Canyon's annual 4
million visitors come to the North Rim, this side is far
less congested than its southern counterpart. The Grand
Canyon North Rim averages 1,000 to 1,500 feet higher that
the South Rim, offering spectacular views from several
easily accessible points, including Cape Royal (7,685 ft.
elevation), Point Imperial (8,803 ft. elevation) and Bright
Angel Point (8,255 ft. elevation). Bright Angel is also the
location of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and North Rim
Visitor Center.
Arches National Park contains the world's largest
concentration of natural stone arches. This National Park is
a red, arid desert, punctuated with oddly eroded sandstone
forms such as fins, pinnacles, spires, balanced rocks, and
arches. The 73,000-acre region has over 2,000 of these
"miracles of nature." A 40-mile round-trip paved road in
arches national park leads visitors to the major sights,
including Balanced Rock, Skyline Arch, Double Arch, Fiery
Furnace, and the park's most famous geologic feature -
Delicate Arch.
Thousands of delicately carved
spires rise in brilliant color from the amphitheaters of
Bryce Canyon National Park. Millions of years of wind, water
and geologic mayhem have shaped and etched the pink cliffs
of Bryce Canyon National Park, which isn't actually a
canyon, but the eastern slope of the Paunsaguant Plateau.
Capitol Reef National Park is characterized by sandstone
formations and cliffs, and a 100-mile long bulge in the
earth's crust. The beauty that has been formed by the
erosion reaches its pinnacle in Capitol Reef National Park.
The extensive beauty splashes color for 75 miles. It is an
inviting wilderness of sandstone formations and cliffs with
places such as Capitol Dome, Hickman Bridge and Cathedral
Valley. Designated a national monument in 1937 and a
national park in 1971, the majesty of Capitol Reef has been
intriguing visitors with its twisting canyons, massive
domes, monoliths and spires of sandstone for the past
century.
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