Hanging in St. George, Utah

The single most amazing thing about Utah is

its beauty.

As we cut through the northeast corner of Grand Canyon National Park and came down from the Kaibab Plateau we caught a view of the Grand Staircase-Escalante in front of us.  The view was unexpected and breathtaking.

It was a staircase, indeed.  And you could tell without knowing that this was the Grand Staircase.  A 200 million year old collection of terraced rock -- vermilion, white, gray, and pink cliffs -- leading to the stars.

I've tried to find views of the Staircase that compare, but haven't found any that compete with coming north on 89A out of the Grand Canyon.

Utah is full of these geological wonders.

Snow Canyon

This is Snow Canyon State Park.  It is a landscape of coral-colored petrified sand dunes about 20 minutes away.

We had a blast traversing and climbing the ripples.  The boys loved finding caves to explore along the path.

I am looking forward to returning to a different section where we are likely to see a desert tortoise.

Exploring Slot canyons or narrows is another Utah tradition.  A slot canyon is made when weathering and erosion causes a crack between two walls grow wider and wider until it becomes large enough to squeeze through.

Pioneer Park - slot canyon

This is a slot at a local park.  The boys loved it.  I cheered them on.

Chuckwalla, a local, sunning at Pioneer Park.

One of our favorite parks around here is Sand Hollow State Park.

There is a gorgeous reservoir with great sandstone cliffs than you can leap from into the water.  On weekends, the boulder is busy with kids hanging out with friends and tearing off the wall into the water.

It can be hard to get comfortable on the rocks, but we don't usually go there to rest.