| |
photos & text by Don Roberson |
ARCHES
NATIONAL PARK
Utah
|
|
|
|
established as Nat'l Monument 1929
became National Park 1971
administered by National Park Service
|
Arches
National Park contains the largest concentration of natural sandstone
arches in the world, with over 2000 discovered. Towering monoliths,
pinnacles, and balanced rocks add to extraordinary landscape. Landscape
Arch's slender stone span of 306 ft. (above) is among the longest
freespan arches on earth; in 1991 a 60-foot slab fell from the center,
narrowing the arch even more. The view of Delicate Arch (below) near
sunset, with the snow-capped mountains beyond, is one of the great
natural landscapes in the world. The climb to reach the viewpoint adds
to the adventure. |
|
|
photos March 2008, July 1968 |
photos (above, clockwise from top): Balanced Rock by moonlight, Landscape Arch, Delicate Arch with LaSal Mountains near sunset, and a different, side angle on Delicate Arch
below (left to right): Pine Tree Arch (1968 print), North and South Windows (with Rita) |
|
|
|
| |
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Utah
|
|
|
|
photos March 2008, July 1968 |
photos (clockwise from top): winter view from Sunset Pt., winter overview from Bryce Pt., and early morning hoodoos (all March 2008); a spire from a 1968 kodachrome print. |
proclaimed Nat'l Monument 1923
became National Park 1928
administered by National Park Service
|
Bryce
Canyon National Park is known for its kaledoscope of spires, fins, and
hoodoos arising from horseshoe-shaped ampitheatres at the edge of a
pine-covered plateau. Eroson has created a blizzard of shapes and
colors. I've always wanted to see it when the formations were topped by
fresh snow, and had that chance during a March 2008 visit (most
photos). The impression is quite different, but still dramatic, in
summer. |
|
|
|
| |
CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Utah
|
|
|
|
photos March 2008 |
photos (clockwise from top): Canyonland views from Grand View Point, Buck Canyon viewpoint, and Green River viewpoint (all under threatening skies); canyonlands seen through Mesa Arch |
established as National Park 1964
administered by National Park Service
|
Canyonlands
National Park is a world of unparalleled vistas. From the "Island in
the Sky" section — probably the locale most easily reached by most
tourists — one can stand at the edge of a plateau and see the immense
canyon country beyond where the Green River meets the Colorado River. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
