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National Sites

Utah lays claim to some of the most amazing national parks in the world. There are a total five national parks in Utah, all in close proximity, as well as several national monuments.


National Parks
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Arches National Park Arches
Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations. In some areas, the forces of nature have exposed millions of years of geologic history. The extraordinary features of the park create a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures that is unlike any other in the world.
Bryce National Park
 Bryce
Bryce Canyon National Park is a scientist's laboratory and a child's playground. Because Bryce transcends 2000 feet (650 m) of elevation, the park exists in three distinct climatic zones: spruce/fir forest, Ponderosa Pine forest, and Pinyon Pine/juniper forest. This diversity of habitat provides for high biodiversity. Here at Bryce, you can enjoy over 100 species of birds, dozens of mammals, and more than a thousand plant species.
Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands
Canyonlands preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries. The rivers divide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers themselves. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and offers different opportunities for exploration.
Zion National Park Capital Reef
Called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s by local boosters Ephraim P. Pectol and Joseph S. Hickman, Capitol Reef National Park comprises 378 square miles of colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. About 75 miles of the long up-thrust called the Waterpocket Fold, extending like a rugged spine from Thousand Lake Plateau southward to Lake Powell ,is preserved within the park boundary. Capitol Reef is the name of an especially rugged and spectacular part of the Waterpocket Fold near the Fremont River.
Zion National Park Zion
Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, you need to walk among the towering cliffs, or challenge your courage in a small narrow canyon. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons.




National Monuments
Cedar Park Natiional Monument Cedar Break
Resting on top of the Colorado plateau, at over 10,000 feet in elevation, this breathtaking view awaits. Millions of years of sedimentation, uplift, and erosion are carving out this giant amphitheater, that spans some three miles, and is more than 2000 feet deep.  Due to minerals that have been deposited over time, the cliffs of Cedar Breaks National Monument display an amazing rainbow of warm hues.
Dinosaur Natiional Monument Dinosaur
As you explore the craggy hills, discover fragments of a long ago world where the largest land creatures of all time once roamed and died. While the main exhibit wall of dinosaur fossils is closed, some fossils can be seen by hiking 1/2 mile from the Temporary Visitor Center. You can also view rock art and captivating scenery, explore homestead sites, and go whitewater rafting.
Hovenweep Natiional Monument Hovenweep
Hovenweep National Monument protects six prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. Multi-storied towers perched on canyon rims and balanced on boulders lead visitors to marvel at the skill and motivation of their builders. Hovenweep is noted for its solitude and undeveloped, natural character.
Natural Bridges Natiional Monument Natural Bridges
Natural Bridges preserves some of the finest examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest. On a tree-covered mesa next to deep sandstone canyons, three natural bridges formed when meandering streams slowly cut through the canyon walls. In honor of the Native Americans that made this area their home, the bridges are named "Kachina," "Owachomo" and "Sipapu."
Rainbow Bridge Natiional Monument Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge is the world's largest known natural bridge. The span has undoubtedly inspired people throughout time--from the neighboring American Indian tribes who consider Rainbow Bridge sacred, to the 300,000 people from around the world who visit it each year.
Timpanogos Caves Natiional Monument Timpanogos Caves
Timpanogos Cave National Monument sits high in the Wasatch Mountains. The cave system consists of three spectacularly decorated caverns. Helictites and anthodites are just a few of the many dazzling formations to be found in the many chambers. As visitors climb to the cave entrance, on a hike gaining over 1,000 feet in elevation, they are offered incredible views of American Fork Canyon.