The Mighty 5

It took me three trips, but I finally got to all five of the national parks in Utah, plus a few state parks. In 2017, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents held its annual meeting in Salt Lake City. After attending the meeting, I took a few extra days to drive around with my friend/colleague Mary Beth. We went to Arches and Canyonlands and a few state parks. 

In 2018, my good friends (and colleagues) Dahlia and Niki and I took a trip to Utah and Las Vegas. We visited Bryce and Zion. I had an extra day (without them) and visited a few other places. In 2021, I gave a presentation at a Soil Science meeting in Salt Lake City. I spent an extra few days touring with Jim and Carole M. We went to Capitol Reef, the last of the five (for me), along with some other places.

Arches National Park

Arches National Park seems to be the park Utah is most known for. It is the one depicted on the state's national park quarter and many items.  Arches is located in eastern Utah. It spans 76,679 acres. The park is considered high desert, with elevations ranging from 4,085 to 5,653 feet. It contains over 2000 natural sandstone arches, from very small ones to those spanning over 300 feet. The arches are formed by natural forces that erode rock.  They can be freestanding arches, cliff wall arches, pothole arches, and natural bridges.

Established 1971

Almost 77,000 acres

Three gossips (wise men)

We hiked to most of the big arches in the park. The best-known arch is the Delicate Arch. We didn't get to see it because the trail to it was flooded. When it rains, there is no place for the water to go. There can be flash floods. We did all our hiking before 12 noon, as it was very hot. The park was very crowded. Sometimes, it was difficult to find a parking spot.

Parade of Elephants

Balancing Rock

Two arches

Big hole

Many movies have been filmed at Arches National Park, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Young Indy is on a boy scout outing in the park when he runs into a bunch of looters. The scenery is very recognizable. I felt compelled to watch the movie after visiting the park.

Courthouse Towers

Up close

Mary Beth

Flooded

Landscape Arch

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Post created 24 June 2024

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Kodachrome Basin

Kodachrome Basin is a state park of Utah, located 20 miles southeast of Bryce National Park. The geological interests of the park are sandstone spires and columns called sedimentary pipes. Chimney Rock is the tallest of the approximately 67 sandstone pipes in the park. It is approximately 170 feet tall. 

Kodachrome Basin is not a large park. with only 2,240 acres set aside. Its elevation is 5,800 feet. The park was named after a brand of Kodak film that is known for its vibrant color. I was disappointed with this park. There wasn't much to see. I suspect you had to hike to see the park's best features, and we didn't have time.

Nature's line

A spire

Certainly was a blue sky

It seems as if every park has a chimney rock.

More of the Beehive State

Utah is known as the Beehive State, in tribute to the state's early pioneers. Now one of the things Utah is best known for is its state and national parks and amazing scenery. Just about every place you drive in Utah has spectacular scenery. 

Deep Creek State Park

Vegetation

I had spoken at an agronomy meeting in Salt Lake City. After the meeting, I traveled around with friend/college Jim. M. and his wife Carol. Such nice people. We went to Capitol Reef National Park, the only Utah national park I hadn't been to. We also drove through the Grand-Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and visited Kodachrome Basin State Park. These pictures didn't fit with any of those places, but were worth sharing.

Lake view

Irrigation

Aspens

Roughly 70 percent of land in Utah is public, the second highest among states.  There are five national parks and 46 state parks.

Pine trees

Rocky landscape

Only in Utah

Anasazi State Park Museum is a state park and museum in southern Utah, featuring the ruins of an ancient Anasazi village referred to as the Coombs Village Site. The Coombs Site is the site of one of the largest Anasazi communities known to have existed west of the Colorado River.

Anasazi State Park Museum 

Ancient dwelling

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Post created 15 June 2026

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

I traveled about with Jim and Carole M. after speaking at an agronomy meeting in Salt Lake City. We visited Capitol Reef National Park and traveled along Scenic Byway 12, which skirts the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Established in 1996

So big!

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a vast area located in southern Utah, covering nearly 1.9 million acres of diverse landscapes. It is slightly larger than the state of Delaware. Originally established in 1996, the monument's size was cut in half in 2017 (by you know who), but it was restored in 2021. The land is among the most remote in the US. The monument is the first and largest to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Its establishment and management remain controversial. Grazing is permitted on 97 percent of the monument's land: what do they eat!

Vast open lands

Grand Staircase

Uninhabited

Lonesome Highway

National monument established 1996 

So remote

Average annual rainfall is 10 to 20 inches

Grand Staircase-Escalante is so big. We only got a tiny glimpse of it. It would be neat to go back and see more of it, travel to some of the more remote areas, so long as you have enough gas and water!

Welcome to Boulder Town

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park is located in Utah's south-central desert. It encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a warp (or wrinkle) in the Earth's crust that is 65 million years old. The park is long and narrow, 60 miles north by south and just six miles wide. It was the last of the five national parks established in Utah. It is a large park, with 241,904 acres protected. I was invited to speak at an agronomy meeting in Salt Lake City. After the meeting I spent a few extra days in Utah with Jim and Carol M. They had a place in Park City. One of the places we visited was Capital Reef.

Layers

Blue Blue Sky

It's official

Chimney Rock

Jim and Carole

Park established 1971

Long and narrow

A pinnacle

Me at Capitol Reef

Colorful sandstone

The drive

Holes in the rock

Pictographs

Gifford homestead

What a backdrop