“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” – Marcel Proust
Near Moab, Utah is the Arches National Park, one of the most amazing places I have visited. Here is a map of the park. Following are some of the features to look for:
The Windows group: North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch
Double Arch and Pothole Arch
Delicate Arch
Campgrounds Group: Sand dune, Broken and Skyline Arches
Devils Garden Group I: Tunnel, Pine Tree and Landscape Arches
Devils Garden Group II: Wall, Partition and Navajo Arches
(Note: In early August/2008, Wall Arch collapsed)
Devils Garden Group III: Double O Arch
Other : Balancing Rock, The Three Gossips
“To him who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language.”
- William Cullen Bryant
This area was thought to have once been subject to geysers and the stone pipe formations are the sandstone sediment that filled them while the area around eroded away. The Shakespeare Arch, only discovered in 1976, is located here.
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known” – Carl Sagan
Natural bridges look similar to arches but they are formed by water rather than erosion, and are much rarer. Natural Bridges National Monument is on Hyw 275 which is off Hwy 95 near Mexican Hat. It is isolated and gets far fewer visitors than a place like Arches NP, but it is well worth a visit. Here is the Visitor’s Guide. Natural Bridges National Monument has a nine mile loop drive which connects to trails to three natural bridges. (more…)
“Going to the mountains is going home” – John Muir
Kolob Canyon is a portion of Zion National Park that is north of the commonly visited portion and accessed off of I-15. It is spectacular, and has only a fraction of the visitors that the southern portion receives. The Double Alcove Arch is found here.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” – Albert Einstein
The pink sand is created by a notch through the Moquith and Moccasin mountains which the wind funnels through with eroded particles of Navajo Sandstone. On the downside for this user is the high number of noisy ATV which use the park.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” – Albert Einstein
Cedar Breaks National Monument includes a vast bowl shaped area of spectacular pink rock formations. It also includes large mountain meadows which can contain grasses and wildflowers.
“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter” -Ansel Adams
Zion National Park was created in 1918, and it was one of the gems of the U.S. Park system. It includes the Zion Canyon, cut out of the towering Navajo Sandstone by the Virgin River. An efficent shuttle system moves visitors about. It is worth a trip at all times of the year, our October 2006 trip was a particulrily colorful time.
For a Gallery of Zion Images click on the following link
Zion Image Gallery
“Rain, rain, and sun! a rainbow in the sky!” – Lord Alfred Tennyson
Wilson’s Arch may be the most easily accessible arch in Utah, in fact you don’t need to leave your car to view it. It can be found on Highway 191, a few miles south of Moab in Utah.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” – Albert Einstein
Goosenecks State Park near Mexican Hat, Utah has a long bend in the San Juan river and shows off the various strata cut by it. It was a very quiet and peaceful place to visit, a good place for a leisurely picnic lunch.
“Of calling shapes, and beck’ning shadows dire,
And airy tongues that syllable men’s names.”
- John Milton
Goblin Valley in central Utah is a large collection of mushroom shaped hoodoos. You can walk among the formations and children love the place.
