Click on any picture to see a larger version
Southern Utah is a canvas that Nature has dramatically painted
with the brush of erosion. It’s a land of reds, pinks, and ochers;
of mountains, canyons, and rock formations, all sculpted by water, wind,
ice, and salt. It should be no surprise that this area contains six
national parks. Two of these, Zion and
Bryce Canyon, are well-known
and receive plenty of visitors. They’re in the southwest corner of Utah
and are each easily accessible day trips from Las Vegas.
The other four parks are much less crowded, mainly because they’re
away from major cities and Interstate highways. But if anything, they offer even
better scenery.
Arches National Park,
with “the greatest density of natural stone arches in the world,” is
furthest east, near the Colorado border.
Capitol Reef,
with its deep gorges and impressive rock formations, is between Bryce Canyon and Arches via an out-of-the-way
state highway. Only a small part of
Canyonlands,
a “second Grand Canyon” on the Colorado River east of Arches, is accessible by
paved road. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the newest of the parks
(it wasn’t a monument when I took these pictures), includes the scenic
drive between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef.
I’ll begin with two little-known parks, Capitol Reef and Arches.
I found Capitol Reef to be the most spectacular of the parks.
Particularly at sunset, the red landscape takes on a fiery,
other-worldly effulgence. Change the blue sky to pink and you could
easily imagine yourself on Mars.
The park got its name from early gold prospectors who saw the huge rocks
that loomed from the desert floor as a reef that barred westward travel.
One of the formations resembled the rotunda of a capitol building, thus
“Capitol Reef.” Geologically— and you can’t discuss any of
southern Utah without mentioning geology— the area is known as the
Waterpocket Fold. Built of sedimentary layers laid down by ancient
oceans, lakes, and rivers, the forces of mountain building and erosion
jumbled and sculpted the land into massive monoliths and imposing
gorges. Much of the park is accessible only through unpaved or
4-wheel-drive roads, although there is plenty to see on the paved Scenic
Drive. You can drive through Capitol Gorge (at right) on an unpaved spur
road off the Scenic Drive.
In the 19th century, several Mormon families built a settlement they
called Fruita. Reputedly, these families were polygamists who hid from
the law in a canyon nearby after a church elder’s revelation ended
that practice (the revelation conveniently arrived just in time to
overcome objections to the Utah statehood bill in Congress). Although
the settlement is gone, the orchards they planted still bear apples
and peaches.
As in other Utah parks, the Mormons viewed the distinctive features they
encountered through the lens of their faith. They imagined one large
rock (at right) on the Scenic Drive as an Egyptian Temple.
Another Scenic Drive landmark is the Golden Throne, (left) which at
some times of the day indeed takes on a distinct gold hue.
Near the park’s Visitor Center is the Castle (right).
|
|
Finally, here are three views of Chimney Rock, near the west entrance to the park. Taken at sunset, the pictures capture the preternatural glow. But they can’t convey the majesty, isolation, and eerie silence that, all too briefly, gave a feeling of connection with something beyond the realm of ordinary existence. |
|
||
| Next: Arches | to Zion and Bryce Canyon |
| Places page | Virtual Light Table Home |
The guidebooks tout Arches National Park as having “the greatest
density of natural stone arches in the world.” As with the other
scenic wonders of southern Utah, it all comes down to geology.
Underneath the park is a bed of salt several kilometers thick, the
remnant of an ancient ocean. Over time, sediment from later (but still
ancient) rivers, floods, and oceans covered the salt and became rock.
Salt isn’t a very strong material, so the weight of the accumulated
rock made it shift, forming cracks in the rock layer. Erosion and
further shifting enlarged the cracks, leaving long, narrow strips of
rock called “fins.” Weathering ate holes into the middle of some of
the fins, creating arches.
The arches come in all sizes. Some are massive, such as the “South
Window,” above. Others are small, such as “Jug Handle Arch” (left).
This one is a mere baby and will eventually either grow into a
large arch or lose its “handle.”
“Double Arch” (right) is a pair of arches set at an angle to
each other.
“Skyline Arch” was known as “Arch in the Making” until November 1940.
That’s when a large block of stone fell out of what was a small opening
near the top, creating this arch that’s known for the way it
glows at sunset.
Among the remains of rock fins, arches are rather unusual creatures.
Most fins didn’t have that elusive combination of sufficient softness
to be weathered into arches, but sufficient hardness to avoid rapid
collapse once they did develop a suitable hole. Most fins wore down
into unremarkable rock piles. But some became spires and balancing
rocks that seem to defy gravity. In the “Courthouse Towers” section of
the park are isolated parts of fins, including “The Organ” (right)
that, to some, resembles a large pipe organ.
An Arches landmark is “Balanced Rock,” shown during the day and at
evening twilight. The large boulder on top looks precarious, but it’s
actually “cemented” quite firmly in place. Eventually, however, the
“neck” will erode enough so that a good wind gust or rain will topple
the rock.
Balanced Rock isn’t the only precarious formation in Arches. Here are
two more in the section called “Park Avenue,” presumably named for the
resemblance of its sandstone spires to New York skyscrapers.
A visit to Arches is not complete without a side trip to Dead Horse Point. This Utah state park is on a promontory surrounded by very steep cliffs overlooking the Colorado River, 600 meters below. Cowboys once used the promontory to corral wild mustangs so they could select those that were suitable for sale. The story goes that someone forgot to open the gate to let the unsuitable ones go, so the horses died of thirst in full view of the river.
Dead Horse Point provides an aerial view of Canyonlands National
Park, a “second Grand Canyon” reputedly every bit as stunning as the
famous one in Arizona.
Paved roads penetrate only a small part of Canyonlands, so most of this
remote park is accessible only to hikers and high-clearance,
4-wheel-drive vehicles.
| Continue to Zion and Bryce Canyon |
| Places page | Virtual Light Table Home |