Bryce National Park, Utah. View from the Rim Trail.
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding 1923 and was redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres
Bryce NP. Natural Bridge.
Bryce NP. Navajo Loop through Wall Street.
Bryce NP. The horizon stretches out toward the southeast on the Rim Trail.
Bryce NP. Thor's hammer. Another view from the Rim Trail.
Bryce NP. Looking up at the tall pines while walking the Navajo Loop.
Bryce NP. The Queen's Garden.
Bryce NP. Hoodoos on the Rim Trail.
Bryce NP. Inspiration Point.
Zion National Park. The Great White Throne is one of the massive mountains that looks down on the Virgin River. The mountain is a good example of the cream, pink and red sandstone that makes up the Zion landscape. Zion was designated a national park in 1919.
Zion NP. A walking stick awaits some Virgin River hiker who will challenge the narrows.
Zion NP. A view of the Kayenta Trail where the Virgin River flows out of the Spearhead Formation.
Zion NP. Mountain of the Sun.
Zion NP. Lady Mountain on the West RimTrail.
Zion NP. A spindly cottonwood tree, bordered by massive sandstone walls, searches for sunlight.
Zion NP. Falling water on the Emerald Pool Trail.
Zion NP. Tidy fleabane, only one of the many flowers that grows in the canyon.
Zion NP. Pinyon pine nuts await harvest by the rock squirrels that live in the canyon.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The great dunes span more than 30 miles and contain more than 5 billion cubic meters of sand to create the largest sandbox in North America. At the base of the Sangre de Christo Mountains in Colorado, mountain streams have carried tiny bits of sediment for eons down into the San Luis Valley to form the dunes. Named a national park in 2000.
Great Sand Dunes NP. The tiny specs on the dunes are intrepid hikers who are probably discovering the difficulty of walking in loose sand. Some of the dunes are more than 800 feet tall.
Great Sand Dunes NP. As the light changes during the day the hues of the dunes also change.
Great Sand Dunes NP. A storm moves in over the mountains to create an eerie light on the dunes.
Great Sand Dunes NP. A lightning strike over the dunes shows the power of Mother Nature.
Canyonlands National Park. Kathy Hurt photographs Canyonlands from the Island in the Sky. Many of the park's canyons and buttes were formed by the Colorado River. It became a national park in 1964.
Canyonlands NP. View of the needles in the Chessler Park area.
Canyonlands NP. Visitors come here for hiking and rock climbing. When the sun sets, stargazers take advantage of the darkness and quiet.
Canyonlands NP. Camping in our RoadTrek, Kathy watches while I do some very easy climbing.
Grand Canyon National Park. South Rim. Photographs sometimes don't do justice to the beauty of the canyon because of a dusty haze that is often present making it difficult to bring out the true hues and colors. We were fortunate to photograph the south rim on a day when some of the haze had been blown away.
Grand Canyon NP. South Rim. Sunset shows off the canyon colors. You can also walk down to the river from the south, but take water. And remember, you also have to walk back--up.
Grand Canyon NP. South Rim. The south rim is about 8,000 feet taller than the north rim. Farther east you can catch a few glimpses of the Colorado River that created the canyon.
Grand Canyon NP. South Rim. The Desert View Watchtower was designed by Mary Colter, one of the few women architects of her day. She designed many of the landmark buildings for Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe Railroad. You can see more of her work at the park.
Grand Canyon NP. The north rim is not as accessible as the south, but once there you'll appreciate the views shared with smaller crowds.
Grand Canyon NP. North Rim. The north rim is one of my favorite places. People who come here sometimes spend a few days to soak up the solitude.
Grand Canyon NP. North Rim. On our first visit to the north side of the canyon we rode mules down into the canyon. This is Kathy in front of me. Some of the mule paths are only four feet wide and give you a good view of what's below you. The drover who was in charge of our expedition told us to trust the mules. They don't want to die either, she said.
Grand Canyon NP. North Rim. The many switchbacks were nerve-racking at first but didn't bother the sure-footed mules. After the ride down and back we discovered soreness in parts of our body that would took a few days to heal. But we did not regret the chance to see the canyon from top to bottom.
Grand Canyon NP. North Rim. This is Cape Royal Point where we settled down to watch the sunset.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This monument is almost two million acres that protects the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits Plateau and the Canyons of the Escalante through which the Escalante River flows. Established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton it was reduced in half by President Trump. President Biden restored it in 2021. The land is some of the most remote in the country and the last to be mapped.
Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. We drove on the mountain rim from Escalante to Boulder, Utah, and had a good view of the Escalante River canyon. Boulder, due to its remote location, was the last town in the U.S. to have regular mail service.
Arches National Park. Several arches have collapsed since our first visit. Don't put off a visit.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Sliding House overlook was our first view of the canyon. The Hopi and Navajo have both lived in the canyon for centuries although it is now on the Navajo Reservation. In 1846, the United States took control of present day Arizona and New Mexico after the war with Mexico. The Navajo tried to keep control of some of their land and resisted the US government. As a result, Colonel Kit Carson led an operation against the Navajo in 1864, resulting in the forced removal of 8,000 Navajos to eastern New Mexico. The Navajo people were made to walk the 300 miles from Canyon de Chelly to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. The forced removal was referred to among the Navajo as "The Long Walk." Many died. The poor conditions at Fort Sumner caused the deaths of many more. After four years of the first reservation experiment the U.S. government decided let the Navajo return to their land in Canyon de Chelly.
Canyon de Chelly NM. Howard Smith was our Navajo guide for a trip into the canyon. His humorous stories about Navajo folklore kept us entertained as we photographed the cliff dwellings and massive canyon walls.
Canyon de Chelly NM. We were amazed at the number of different cliff dwellings in the Canyon. Some housed small communities while others probably accommodated only a few families.
Canyon de Chelly NM. Another of the numerous cliff dwellings dwarfed by the tall canyon walls.
Canyon de Chelly NM. Navajo wall art in the canyon. Howard Smith said it must have been how the ancient Navajo conducted their social media.
Canyon de Chelly NM. One of most famous cliff dwellings is the White House ruins. It's interesting that this pueblo was constructed both on the wall and also on the floor of the canyon.
Canyon de Chelly NM. Another photo of the White House ruins shows how the canyon walls tower above the canyon floor.
Canyon de Chelly NM. This is Spider Rock, a place sacred to the Navajo. It rises 830 feet above the canyon floor and according to Navajo legend is the lair of the mythical Spider Woman (Na'ashje'ii Asdzaa). It is best photographed in the evening. Unfortunately, this particular morning was my only chance to photograph the stone sphere.
Mesa Verde National Park. The park has several well-preserved Pueblo cliff dwellings. This photo was taken from the Sun Point Overlook. This area was originally settled about 7500 BC by paleo-Indians. The cliff dwellings date back to 650 AD. This pueblo is just down the canyon from the Cliff Palace and it appears I needed a longer lens.
Mesa Verde NP. Archeologists uncovered this spectacular kiva that may have been used more than a thousand years ago for ceremonies. It would have had a wood beam and brush roof with a place for smoke to exit. You can see the fire pit on the floor.
Mesa Verde NP. This photo is the huge Cliff Palace taken from the canyon rim as we made out way down for a closer look. It must have been a comfortable place to live until the creek below dried up because of drought.
Mesa Verde NP. Photo taken below the Cliff Palace.
Mesa Verde NP. The Cliff Palace is one of the best preserved cliff dwelling in the U.S. By 1285 the Puebloans left after a series of long droughts.
