Pleasant Grove Review | 1981-05-21 | Page 27 | Parks Full of Awesome Wonders

Parks Full of Awesome Wonders Within a 200-mile circle in southern Utah are one-seventh one-seventh of the United States' i national parks. And within Utah's five national parks is ; housed the world's largest 'concentration of natural i wonders. Lake Powell, in the Glen joyon National Recreation i has more shoreline ! j Ihe entire west coast of j'lJKnited States. Flaming Gorge National Recreation 'Area has a 91-mile long lake rand the reputation as the ' (hottest trout catchery in the (Vest. j Travel throughout the park areas is easy and the attractions are accessible. I For example, the drive from Arches to Zion, the two ; parks farthest apart in J souihern Utah, is about six r,uurs. National Forests The eight national forests wthin Utah's boundaries blanket almost the entire siaie. j 1'ne High Uintas Primitive . Area, located in the Wasatch 'and Ashley National I Crests, is dedicated to "lose who enjoy America's : remaining untouched and ""spoiled beauties. The area toeing preserved in its wiid '"natural state. No roads or r man-made structures are to be permitted in this 244.ooo-acre area "llfrs simple trails for foot "ntl horseback travel ""Weds of takes and rns stocked with fish, sged alpme scenery and """"I've forest conditions, i National -Monuments spot where the i "7nline"tal railroad I over 1CH) years ago is f Golden Spike National ; Site. And where I Jurs fought hundreds i ; years agQ.is Mo m 1 nSaUr National ' em. Utah even has brd fgest national stone Rani the world at ntBrid Nion.l Glen Canyon National ' Re"eati0n Area ..n LMaP-No,15 'lmanvn! ,ewalls' and bk , shand u monument- So P" hUUeS are observed. lSe;b ve acurious feature, f onderful . rovai ; earved wa'ls. . mulches eS' g'enS' alcove ",numentsTUnds' and SP , ts' Frm which of Safeatur shall we ; Jla ame? We decided r Me nf nCanyon'' So Vllon rrJOhn WeSle- ; N,0;lon August 3, 1869. "arsi'atVf a hundred VGfcUke Poland of t aetl0n Area remain one : fertile erSU!,hwest"s most (area at on' ?ot nly is the -Paradi photgrapher's ' e' ll's also a fisherman's fondest dream come true. Behind the concrete barrier of the Glen Canyon Dam stretches a 186-mile 186-mile lake channel, over 1900 miles of shoreline, and largemouth bass, rainbow and brown trout, walleye pike, bluegill, crappie, sunfish, and catfish. The Pueblo Indian culture thrived here between 900 and 1100 A.D., but drought forced the inhabitants out in the 1200's. The first recorded description of the area came from Father Escalante, a Spanish Franciscan missionary, in 1776. Ranchers, Ran-chers, . miners, and prospectors were here in the latter half of the 19th century. cen-tury. The Navajos came and stayed, and are noted now for their handicrafts. The 390-foot high Rainbow Bridge reigns as one of the area's most awesome natural stone monuments, but there are countless side canyons to lure the visitor, loo. At an elevation here of 3,700 feet you can expect summer temperatures to topp 100 degrees F occasionally, oc-casionally, but low humidity means more comfort'. Summer squalls will sometimes force boaters into side canyons for refuge. Winters are relatively mild, usually without snow. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area .Map. No. 3K Famous for fishing, r-fling, water skiing, hiking, . i.rne MMjvvmobiling. .: . . a :"-.-:-. hounding and si .-ti . located in the r-ortheastfiT comer of Utah, i; -ead.es tor over 90 miles i.;;. 'h- mx hills, shale r: . ., ri'i.s. i.M: desert shrubs ;.: sinv From the : s ' . o:t Utah 43. ,) .- .,.!. off Utah -. '.in depart for t. ., iresis. canyons, .. .d sc.- -d campgrounds .) "( ..essiD.e only by ;: .nat were first ittd i.:- tusands of years by game-hunting In- i ns. Wniie beaver hunters . ri-.'c. m the early 1800's. I: iSu:' J.iha Wesley Powell i aftei' Uv.wn the Green River and was so impressed he called his course Flaming Gorge. Ranchers, outlaws. .d fugitives took refuge in nes(! parts for years after, 1 at modern development accelerated only as recently as 1957 with the construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam. Visitor centers, wayside exhibits, nature trails, stores and commercial accomodations make the area a prime vacation destination. Arches National Park Map. No. 17 One of the nation's newest national parks, Arches is sandwiched into a triangle of the Colorado River, Interstate In-terstate 70 and U.S. 163 in the southeast corner of the state. Roughly crescent-shaped crescent-shaped with horns pointing west, the park has five distinct sections, each unique in both geology and scenery. The Windows Sections is centrally located. Courthouse Towers is in the southern extremity, Klondike Bluffs at the point of the north horn and Devils Garden and Delicate Arch in the rest of the north horn. The park was named for its numerous arches, the largest concentration in the world. These range in size from holes barely large enough to crawl through to massive pinnacles that dot the immense landscape, and are the result of thousands of years of erosion by wind, water and frost. Short foot trails, much less intrusive than roads, lead to many of the park's most impressive features. LOCATION SE Utah 5 mi. N. of Moab. SIZE 129.6 sq. mi. SEASON open all year. CLIMATE winter snow-seldom snow-seldom over 4". Wide temperature range. Summer Sum-mer nights can be chilly. WILDLIFE larger mammals mam-mals such as deer, coyotes, and foxes generally typical of Great Basin Desert. Most active at night. May to August moist areas are usually covered with wildflowers. particularly in Sail Valley. Many small birds, squirrels. Kangaroo rats, rabbits and reptiles. ROADS paved road runs length of park, good foot trails lead to many impressive im-pressive sights. Avoid soft sand. Inform ranger of destination and return time. VISITOR CENTER 5 mi. N of Moab. Bryee Canyon National Park Map No. 22 The Paiute Indians know Bryce Canyon as red rocks standing like men in a bowl-shaped bowl-shaped canyon. Technically Bryce is not a canyon, but a series of "breaks" in 12 enormous amphitheaters plunging down a thousand feet through nearly 60 different dif-ferent colored layers of pink and white limestone. Each amphitheater has its own unique set of formations ranging from the seeming ruins of a Gothic temple to vast columns of pink-shrouded pink-shrouded monks marching across the canyon floor. Of all five national parks. Bryce is probably the best for day hikers. Since the park is located on an 8-9,000-foot plateau, you should slow down and take time to get used to the altitude. The main geological features of the park are easily seen from roadside vantage points overlooking the area. Park Service rangers suggest walking shoes and a reasonable amount of energy to enjoy the park trails." Horses are available for the less ambitious. (Cont. on page 24) Ifli ... ' de? ' . . ftll anir " ... hik( ' ' . . : 4 ' ' ... , fed ' . " y ., . , : .. . exi - ' inj mi iv -"-- A ' . . ; - f( . . ' ' r , ' , . ,. - v .'...i....., ;(.....!.. ' j . - ..; ' f , : "- . - - I - St- . r-2 -"-.- - . , - p ' t ' ' . P - - - ..... i . ' .'; , ' - , ' . " "-,'. (Con. from page 5) Many of the trails are self-guiding like the one to the Queen's Garden. SEASON all year, some roads closed in winter, check with ranger. CLIMATE warm days, cool nights April-October. Generally cold November-March. November-March. Altitudes range from 8-9,000 ft. WILDLIFE desert zone animals and reptiles, largely nocturnal. ROADS all paved in excellent condition, con-dition, some roads closed in winter, check with ranger. VISITOR CENTER north end of park off U-12. Canyonlands National Park Map. No. 28 Canyonlands - National Park became a reality in 1964 though nature began working over 300 million years ago to get it in shape. The Colorado River is the greatest erosive force at work in the park today. The Colorado joins the Green River inside the park before plunging through Cataract Canyon, the wildest canyon for river runners in the U.S. Both rivers have cut down into the earth nearly 1,500 feet, creating the spectacular spec-tacular canyons that gave Canyonlands its name. The park is generally divided into the Needles Section in the southern end of the park and Island in the Sky in the north. Between these two general areas are fascinating formations in The Maze, Land of Standing Rocks, Doll House, Salt Creek, Horseshoe Canyon and White Rim. In the south for instance, Chesler Park lies in a secluded valley completely ringed by the fingers of rock poking toward the sky. Canyonlands features three known major arches which are easily reached by foot trails. Jeeps and hiking are the best way to explore the back-country. LOCATION SE Utah, 11 mi. S Moab, to Island in the Sky section, 13 mi. NW Monticello to Needles section SIZE 526.97 sq. mi. SEASON open all year. CLIMATE warm days April-Oct., April-Oct., generally cold Nov.-May Nov.-May cool summer nights. WILDLIFE primarily desert zone animals including in-cluding many unique to the area, the least studied land form in the U.S. ROADS paved state roads into park, some interior roads are graded,, check at ranger station. VISITOR CENTER ranger stations north end and south ends of park. Capitol Reef National Park Map No. 14 Capitol Reef National Park preserves fantastically eroded rocks, pinnacles, gorges and scarps. One description is "the fantasy of Bryce Canyon and the grandeur of Zion, but with more color than either." The park, one of the newest in the nation, also c -mains huge arches, petrified forests and the artifacts of pre-Columbian Indians of the Fremont Culture. It is named tor the huge, domed formations, cv ''d with white sand-sto-. which resemble the nation's capitol. The domes are part of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long bulge in the earth's crust that contains "tanks" or pockets eroded in the rock that catch thousands of gallons of water each rainfall. In the north end of the park on the cliffs behind the peach orchards at Fruita are petroglyphs carved by the ancient Indians. Parts of the park" were hideouts for outlaw Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch. Now, visitors follow marked trails to hidden arches and windows win-dows eroded in the massive stone or explore convoluted canyons near the Fremont River. LOCATION S. central Utah, llmi.E.Torrey.SIZK :i;i7.3 sq. mi. SEASON open all year. CLIMATE summer days in 80-90 degrees, cool nights, cold from mid-December mid-December to February. WILDLIFE high Sonoran desert animals, small reptiles and birds plentiful. Mammals, in addition to small rodents, include coyote, mule deer and cougar. ROADS U-24 runs through park. Many hiking trails. All motorized vehicles restricted to maintained roads. Give ranger destination and time of return. VISITOR ( ENTER EN-TER N. end park, 11 mi. E. ofTorrey. Zion National Park Map No. 21 Zion, one of the nation's oldest national parks, is crudely described as a main canyon with several side canyons carved from a high plateau by a river. The region contains so-moes, so-moes, colorful, dej;; canyons, sheer and imprs'. rock formation' plateau and can of southern Utat The beauty of in its scenerjf cessibility- v, formations. '" White Throne(,, Landing. i.: of the Virg'.n R ;edlj!i The mam park folio e V ' through - oreJ : brilliantly mations m canbera v on lwrsebamCarkedl numerous ma Cedar C. a The Natural Beauties shredding them between your fingers. Fishing Fishing is allowed in all national parks if you possess a valid Utah fishing license. Due to heavy spring runoffs, however, few of the park streams have any consistent fishing. One exception is the Fremont Kiver through Capitol Reef which produces excellent trout. Flash Floods Desert flooding occurs most often in late summer. If the weather looks like rain stay out of narrow canyons, washes or areas ihat could become a stream bed. Even if it doesn't rain right on top of you, there could be enough rain falling a few miles away to form a flood. Do not park vehicles in stream beds; ihey can be washed away. . jl .' A:, , t i " v-- S. ; " ' n jj'; "1 1 j b . V ' . L V ; " ' ? v - - . -t i . .3 . - ; j, - - - . , 1 ! - ' f - ,- -k Jj . . . ',.xtMtMimt .. .. . .faiMiiitmii&MM (Cont.from page 24) March, 60 degree average winter high, May to Oct. 85-. 105 degrees daytime, 65-70 ' degrees at night. WILDLIFE desert zone , animals. ROADS all paved. Well marked trails for hikers. VISITOR CENTER . S. end of park 1 mi. N. of a Ningdale. J Tips To Make Your Stay More Enjoyable Antiquities State and federal law prohibits the excavation, appropriation, injury or destruction of prehistoric ruins, monuments or objects of antiquity. Fines can be up to SIM and nine months in jail. Federal law also protects rocks, fossilized trees and gemstones located on land administered by the National Park Service. In mher words, even if you see something that might look nice on your mantle, please leave it where it lies. ! Firearms No hunting is Permitted in any national Park. The use or display of ''rearms is strictly prohibited. Fires Fires are permitted ! ""'' at designated camp-i camp-i Be sure your campfire ' completely out before you ,'iVl' Be careful with ' 'weties. ..Make sure thev rl!v completely out by . YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED UTAH until you have toured the Salt Lake Temple grounds. .