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Show Utah's National Parks When you sit down with your family to plan this year's vacation don't overlook one of the'greatest masterpieces Mother Nature ever created Utah. The Beehive State offers an unequalled variety of scenic beauty and recreational opportunities throughout the state. Utah is a land of contrasts. Throughout the state snow-capped peaks stand out against arid deserts, and brilliant wildflowers speckle mountain meadows and colorful canyons. But Southern Utah is a scenic wonderland, displaying some of the most rugged and delicate attractions in the world. Within a two-hundred mile circle lie five National Parks, which preserves this natural beauty just for your consumption. Arches National Park lies in a region of desert sandstone, deep canyons and unusual plant life. Wind, water and time have carved the world's largest concentration of stone arches within the 115 square-mile park. The most well-known attraction, Delicate Arch, stands 45 feet high and frames the LaSal Mountains and the Colorado River. Many of the arches can be seen from the road, but well-marked trails lead to the more obscure ones. Bryce Canyon is one of the most delicate and colorful of all the National Parks. Bryce is technically not a canyon but a series of "breaks" in the earth's surface. Within these breaks are twelve large amphitheatres. The breaks plunge down a thousand feet through multicolored limestone. The canyon is full of burnt orange and red rocks, shaped like spires to resemble mountain castles. Pine trees and sagebrush are mixed in, and in the winter, a trace of snow lies in the cracks and crevices of the formations. Thunderstorms will rearrange sediments and the location of the sun will change the brilliant colors from one moment to the next. Time appears to have stood still leaving the park untouched by civilization. Hiking down into the parks is the best way to view the delicate columns, spires and windows which are a maze of reds, pinks and creams. Canyonlands National Park is a result of the Colorado and Green Rivers cutting almost 1,500 feet into the earth's surface. The many spectacular formations include eroded arches, needles, spires and standing rocks, and cover 257,640 acres. One of the best ways to see the park is by river. Cataract Canyon, where the Colorado and Green Rivers meet, is one of the wildest rivers for rafting in the United States. Other ways to explore this rugged wilderness are by hiking, jeeping or scenic flights. Paved state roads also allow access to the park. Capitol Reef National Park is filled with massive gorges, cathedrals, pinacles and scarps. The park is named for its domed formations, which, capped with white sandstone resemble the nation's capitol building. The domes are part of Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long bulge in the earth's crust which contains pockets that catch thousands of gallons of water with each rainfall. The park is the site of many Pre-Columbian Indian ruins and marked trails lead to ancient petroglyphs and artifacts. Zion National Park is one of the nation's oldest and combines some of the most colorful, deep and narrow canyons, sheer rock walls and unique formations found anywhere. For millions of years, the wind, rain, frost and the Virgin River have shaped the Navajo sandstone creating thousands of layers of multicolored sheets of rock placed in many different directions. In the winter, there are traces of snow against the red rock with green pine trees sparcely decorating the tall cliffs. Zion is massive and overbearing; the whole canyon seems to be frozen in time. A road has been cut through part of the mountain to include a one-and-a-half mile tunnel that looks like the inside of a medieval castle. The stream flowing along the canyon floor creates a contrast with the green and gold trees and shrubs below and the striking colors of the rocks above. Most of Zion's main formations can be seen from the paved road which winds through the park. Utah's five National Parks are open-round. The climate is mild enough to enjoy the parks in any season. Whether you plan to hike, camp or just explore, the parks offer the visitor a rare opportunity to experience the beauty and diversity that time has created. |