Southern Utah Scenes

By Eilene Lyon

Utah, like most western states, contains large swaths of federal land. It’s safe to describe southern Utah as having nearly as much public as private land. The National Parks have become major draws to the region. These include Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Zion, and Bryce Canyon.

Then there are tiny-to-vast National Monuments: Natural Bridges, Bears Ears (created by Pres. Obama, reduced by Pres. Trump, restored by Pres. Biden), and Grand Staircase-Escalante (created by Pres. Clinton). And don’t forget Glen Canyon National Recreation area and many National Forests.

I will probably never return to Arches NP. This tiny park has an outsized claim on the public imagination, thanks to Edward Abbey. It is crowded year-round, even in the too-hot summer months.

But there is still plenty of elbow room and awesome scenery to be found inside and outside the parks. Honestly, I have few pictures to entice you–I’m usually either too busy soaking it in, or the views are simply too vast to capture in an image. I’ll give you a small taste.

Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona, is renowned, but you can find many equally spectacular slot canyons in Utah. This one is in Grand Staircase-Escalante.

This national monument has plenty of interesting rock formations to wander through.In the southwestern corner of the state, Zion and Bryce can offer up big Wow-factor scenes, but consider visiting in the winter.

In wintertime, Zion is magical with a white crust of snow, or with early-spring runoff cascading from the cliffs.

Water is a vital resource in the desert, of course. There are opportunities for rafting on the San Juan, Green, and Colorado Rivers.

Of course, water is important to wildlife and plant life as well.

We regularly go camping in Bears Ears National Monument, as it’s just about a two-hour drive from home. There are many remote campsites available and places to hike. Even just driving around on Forest Service roads is a great way to explore.

Near the south end of the monument is Valley of the Gods.

And not far from there is Muley Point, overlooking the canyon of the San Juan River.

If you’re looking for arches and natural bridges, they can be found in all the Four Corners states. Some are in parks, such as this one in Capitol Reef, but many others are outside the parks–even along highways.

One reason for the protection of Bears Ears is for Native American cultural artifacts and sacred sites. There are petroglyphs such as these found all over the region. Unfortunately, like this panel, vandals have damaged the historic images.

If you get a chance to visit southern Utah, be sure to pick up a gazetteer to guide you. There is so much to be explored outside the parks. Just follow your nose, carry plenty of water, and bring a camera!

Feature image: Lenticular clouds crown a typical southern Utah scene along Hwy 95.

There are six bighorn sheep in the picture above.