The viewpoint at Inspiration Point consists of three levels that provide varied spectacular perspectives of the main amphitheater. From here, visitors look toward the Silent City (near Sunset Point) with its many rows of seemingly frozen hoodoos set against the backdrop of Boat Mesa. All who look out from this point are bound to be inspired, considering the intricacies of the hoodoos and their formation through the erosion of the Claron Formation.

Utah (USA) ..... Zion National Park. The iconic red roads of Zion National Park matching the color of the mountains

Zion National Park is a southwest Utah nature preserve distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive cuts through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. The river flows to the Emerald Pools, which have waterfalls and a hanging garden.

Kolob Canyons may be the little known portion of Zion National Park, but that doesn’t mean that its not as spectacular as the main canyons of the Zion proper. These rugged, red, navajo sandstone canyons have a unique geological history. They are home to diverse animal and plant life, and provide peaceful and serene surroundings to those that visit.

Mexican Hat, UT - 3 shot stitch

Utah USA ..... Zion National Park.

The Icoonc red roads of Zion National Park matching the color of the mountians

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, UTAH USA

Through its' rugged terrain and endless natural wilderness, Arches National Park is without doubt, a pretty and spectacular part of Southeastern Utah.

With monumental rock faces and natural vegetation, or lack of it, in some parts, hiking these desolate beauties is something worthwhile.

A very photogenic and rewarding natural landscape to visit and enjoy.

Copyright © 2013 ~ 2014 Mark B. Imagery

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Canyonlands National Park

Southeast Utah

USA

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This is one of the views I photographed in Canyonlands National Park, the last park I went to on my trip. The day was a little overcast. More images of the parks to come.

From Wikipedia-

Canyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. It preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964.

The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado—which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the Canyonlands as "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere.

Utah (USA) ....Zion National Park

The iconic red roads of Zion National park matching the color of the mountains.

South Caineville Mesa on Utah RT 24 just 2 minutes before sunrise in predawn blue light. April 27, 2016. It was very windy and cold.

The Valley of the Gods is north of Monument Valley across the San Juan River. It features similar mesas, buttes and towering rock formations rising above the flat desert floor - San Juan County, Utah

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Canyonlands National Park, UT

Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Showing my mom around the desert Gems of southern Utah. We took a break to check out this spot near the Fiery Furnace.

Canyonlands National Park

Southeast Utah

USA

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Major arch seen in Canyonlands.

Mesa Arch is classified as a pothole arch. The arch was formed by surface water pooling on the sandstone behind the arch which slowly eroded the rock. This erosion resulted in an arch that is suspended across the mesa’s edge. The arch spans fifty feet across the top of a 500-foot vertical cliff.

Capitol Reef National Park is one of the best kept secrets in the US. Nearly void of toursit throngs, it is a pleasure to visit. Torrey, Utah, USA

Note: For copyright purposes, this is a low resolution image.

This was taken on my first visit to Canyonlands NP. I was amazed at the silent, timeless beauty of the place and found it interesting to observe that this image, were it to be taken, at a different time of the year, would be an almost completely different image due to the sun striking the arch at a different point.

Being here reminded me of the Navajo prayer of Walking in Beauty. You just had to show up; the photo takes itself.

Factory Butte is an eye-catching land formation located along Route 24 at Cainville, Wayne County in southeast Utah, USA. It was named by early settlers of this region because of its resemblance to a mill in Provo, Utah. Image taken seven minutes after sunrise, April 27, 2016.

Capitol Reef National Park. Torrey, Utah, USA

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Escalante, Utah USA

near Mexican Hat, UT - 3 shot stitch - wished i had shot a row on top and got twice as much sky as i have here - oh well.....i'll have a chance to re-do

Capitol Reef National Park at sunset turns to fire on the high desert. Torrey, Utah, USA

The setting sun casts the shadow of Turret Arch onto the nose of the "The Spectacles" (aka The Windows); Arches National Park, Moab...

Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Capitol Reef National Park. Torrey, Utah, USA

Capitol Reef National Park. Torrey, Utah, USA

Zion National Park, Utah, USA

The Hite Crossing Bridge spanning the Colorado River upstream from Lake Powell. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, USA

Wildlife depends on rain water pools that collect in depressions in the sandstone. Monument Valley can be seen in the distance in this view looking south from the edge of Cedar Mesa at Mulie Point.

- San Juan County, Utah

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Cayonlands National Park, Utah

Arches National Park, Utah USA

The trail runs through the arch. Best to do the loop trail counterclockwise, as the shadow area under the arch is very steep

Forest Gump Point, mile post 13 Utah Highway 163 to Monument Vally.

4 May 2010

The Colorado River at Hite Crossing, Utah USA

In Canyonlands National Park, Utah, on August 24th, 2022, along the Upheaval Dome Trail between the first and second overlooks.

The rock is sandstone of the Kayenta Formation of the Glen Canyon Group, formed from deposits in braided stream environments, ~199.8 to ~188.775 million years ago, during the Hettangian, Sinemurian, and Pliensbachian ages of the Early Jurassic epoch in the Mesozoic era (per Macrostrat).

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Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names terms:

• Canyonlands National Park (national park) (1101443)

• Colorado Plateau (general region) (7030678)

• San Juan (county) (2002119)

• Upheaval Dome (2739266)

Art & Architecture Thesaurus terms:

• Jurassic (300391259)

• Mesozoic (300391255)

• national parks (300008189)

• rain (300055377)

• reddish brown (300127575)

• rocks (landforms) (300404733)

• sandstone (300011376)

• scrublands (300386891)

• summer (season) (300133099)

Wikidata items:

• 24 August 2022 (Q69306532)

• August 24 (Q2825)

• August 2022 (Q61313034)

• Canyon Lands (Q5034224)

• Colorado Plateau (Q925906)

• Colorado Plateau shrublands (Q97999941)

• Colorado Plateaus (Q60140385)

• Colorado Plateaus ecoregion (Q2984378)

• Deserts and xeric shrublands (Q1246061)

• Early Jurassic (Q284787)

• Glen Canyon Group (Q5567629)

• Intermontane Plateaus (Q6047552)

• Island in the Sky (Q62072738)

• Kayenta Formation (Q3077401)

• panhole (Q6452582)

• puddle (Q152841)

• rainwater (Q21555202)

• Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands (Q113680068)

• Upheaval Dome (Q1409370)

• Treaty with the Ute, 1868 (Q113679344)

• vernal pool (Q1103796)

Library of Congress Subject Headings:

• Parks—Utah (sh85098199)

• Rocks—Utah (sh2001005602)

Goosenecks State Park, Utah. San Juan River

4 May 2010

Clouds breaking for a dramatic scene in Arches National Park,Utah.

Fuji Xs-1

The Valley of the Gods is north of Monument Valley, across the San Juan River. It features similar mesas, buttes and towering rock formations rising above the flat desert floor - Bears Ears National Monument, San Juan County, Utah

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Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah

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Of course. Anyone who knows me knew to expect a B&W version of this natural wonder after the previous color upload. No? Here the sun is directly behind the arch. This is an HDR. I took four different exposures but ended up using just two.

Unfortunately, I dropped my external hard drive, and it didn't take it too well. :-( So, for a while at least, the photos I have available to process are relatively limited.

Capitol Reef National Park. Torrey, Utah, USA. Title by the Roling Stones, "Paint it Black"

This photo was taken about 45 minutes after sunset. The 15 second exposure picked up a lot of the light from the rising full moon as well as what was left coming from beyond the horizon.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah

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This was my third visit to the park, but my first visit to this, by far, most famous denizen of not only the park but of Utah. On my other visits, I arrived with only a few hours to spare at the very end of my trip. This time I managed to arrive with two days allotted for exploration. So of course, this was my primary destination on the first day.

I arrived at the park later then I wanted, 2:30 PM, and the ranger I talked to recommended seeing it the next day as he thought it might be dark by the time I began my return hike. I decided to press on nonetheless and I'm glad I did. Sunset was marred a bit by some clouds, but there were three moments lasting about a minute each when the light was beautiful. After the last bit of sun, I left and had no trouble negotiating the trek back in the gradually increasing gloom.

There were perhaps two dozen people here to share the sunset with me, eight of whom were in these frames (this is a Pano combining three shots). As you see, I removed all but one--an exceptionally cute SE Asian woman under the arch to provide a sense of scale.

I took dozens of photos here, so a further upload or two is inevitable.

Death Hollow, a rugged no-man's land on the Aquarius Plateau, from Hell's Backbone in the Grand Staircase - Escalante. Escalante, Utah.