This Natural Wonders Road Trip Will Show You Utah Like You’ve Never Seen It Before
Utah is just full of natural wonders – attractions that are so amazing we just can’t help visit over and over. We wrote about 14 of Utah’s natural wonders in this article. Now we’ve created a road trip that takes you to several of the gorgeous spots featured in that article. Because Utah is so vast, we’ve created this road trip for the natural wonders in the southern part of the state.
Every once in awhile when I post photos of Dead Horse Point, I get comments with people saying that I've posted the Grand Canyon (which is clearly not in Utah). Nope...this is really is in Utah - it's our very own canyon that is grand. The overlook here is truly stunning; the view stretches for miles, and the Colorado River winds through the valley about 2,000 feet below.
Oh, Delicate Arch. You're on Utah's license plate for a reason. You're immense (65 feet tall!), and so, so beautiful. Check out this stunning arch (and maybe a few of the other 2,000 arches in the park). It's photogenic all times of day, and in all weather.
Is there a stranger place in the state of Utah? I think not! These funny little hoodoo goblins are charming and weird (kind of like the Beehive State itself!). You'll find thousands of formations here; they're carved from Entrada sandstone.
The Waterpocket Fold is truly a natural wonder - at just over 100 miles long, it's one of the world's longest monocline (a fancy word that just means folded rock layers). It was created between 50 and 70 million years ago. The "waterpocket" part of its name comes into play because of the various depressions in the sandstone that act as water catchments.
You might think that Pando consists of thousands of quaking aspen trees...but that's not the case at all! Pando is one organism - with thousands of shoots coming off of one main, male tree. It's the heaviest organism in the entire world, weighing an estimated 6,600 short tons. Walk through this amazing forest and listen to the wind in the aspens...amazing.
Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, Bryce Canyon National Park
I have to admit - Bryce Canyon National Park is my favorite. The amphitheater, with its hoodoos and spires, is just simply magnificent. I think that the view here is the best in the Beehive State. Do you agree? View the amphitheater from any of the four viewpoints along Hwy 63: Sunrise, Sunset, Inspiration and Bryce Points.
Much of Utah is desert...but the Coral Pink Sand Dunes are the kind of desert you think of when you think of the Sahara. ATV enthusiasts love it here, but it's also an amazing place to play, hike and photograph. The dunes move as much as 50 feet per year, and they get their rich, pink color from Navajo sandstone.
Zion National Park is the most popular in our state, with more than 3.5 million visitors annually. You can see why when you view Zion Canyon (this photo was taken from the Zion Canyon Overlook along the Canyon Overlook Trail). The canyon is truly stunning - especially after a storm.
Buckskin Gulch is the longest, deepest slot canyon in the entire Southwest. It's right on the Utah border, near the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The canyon is gorgeous, with its twisting paths and stunning colors and textures. Check it out - but make sure to steer clear if there's a threat of rain - it's deadly during a flash flood.
Allow several days (or two-three weeks, if you’ve got the time) to see these natural wonders. You could really spend months in this portion of the state, and still not see everything. The road trip takes on a total of 556 miles, but feel free to add on some more of Utah’s national or state parks to see even more attractions.
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Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
