The National Parks and Monuments of Southern Utah

 

 

Southern Utah has more national parks and monuments than any other part of the country. This includes Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, and Grand Canyon.  National monuments include Cedar Breaks, and the Grand Staircase.  Other awesome areas are the San Rafael Swell, Kodachrome Basin, the Paiute ATV Trail, Goblin Valley, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and the slot canyons of southern Utah.

 

These areas are unsurpassed for outdoor sports and hobby opportunities.  This includes hiking, photography, bird and animal watching, ATV riding, and general sight-seeing.   A good option is to find a nice cabin that is centrally located and then visit these parks as day trips.

 

 

        Bryan and Ana Burrell

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryce Canyon is described by an early rancher as a “hell of a place to lose a cow”.   We never tire of our annual visit to Bryce Canyon with a lunch at Rubies Inn.  The brightly colored spires and columns rising out of the winding canyons with the Pine Trees is an unforgettable photographic experience. There are some 50 miles of hiking trails.  There are also horse trails as well as ATV trails in the area.

 

Zion National Park  is world-renown for it spectacular beauty and adventurous slot canyons, this park has something for everyone.  It has great self-guided tours along the virgin river in Zion Canyon.  One can also opt for more intense experience by hiking the Narrows or Angels Landing.

 

Capitol Reef Park is a great fold in the earth that exposes all the geologic layers of the Colorado Plateau in a 20 mile stretch with a combination of buttes, cliffs, and canyons. There is biking, hiking, and a back-country section called Cathedral Valley that requires a high-clearance vehicle to access.

 

Paiute ATV Trail complex consists of several thousand miles of ATV and Jeep Trails that wind around, over and through the 12000+ Tushar Range, the Pahvant Range, and areas of the Sevier Plateau. It ranges from high Steppe Desert to Forests to high tundra-like expanses above timberline.  The trails also access towns in the area such as the centrally located town of Marysvale.

 

The Slot Canyons are the name given a specific kind of very narrow and deep canyon that occur mostly in the southeast and south central parts of Utah. These are a favorite for canyoneering enthusiasts who combine rock-climbing skills with hiking to access the remote corners of Utah canyon country.

 

Cedar Breaks consists of the same geologic patterns as Bryce Canyon but situated at 10000 feet elevation.  There are beautiful forests with high country meadows filled with summer wildflowers on the plateau adjacent to the brightly colored canyon.

 

San Rafael Swell is another uplifted fold in the earth that bares open many layers of the colorful geologic strata of the Colorado Plateau.  It is a paradise for hikers, geologists, photographers, bicyclists, and just general back-country enthusiasts.