Archive for the ‘Utah’ Tag
Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Utah protects a unique transition zone – the meeting of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin Desert and Mojave Desert. Where these distinct landscapes overlap, unusual plants and animals have evolved, including flowers like the dwarf bearclaw poppy and Shivwits milk-vetch that grow nowhere else on earth. Explore the area’s flora, wildlife and spectacular desert scenery with more than 130 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Photo by Bob Wick. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 5/18/16.
Water and wind have carved unique shapes into the soft stone of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Over millions of years, incredible natural sculptures have emerged and eroded away. What you see in the park now is only temporary. As the work of erosion continues, today’s geologic displays will eventually disappear, making way for future wonders. Photo by Kait Thomas, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/25/16.
Moonrise over Balanced Rock in Utah’s Arches National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 4/12/16.
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Star trails above the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah almost look like a tunnel into hyperspace. These salt flats are made of approximately 90 percent common table salt, weighing millions of tons. The crust is up to 5 feet thick near the center of this unbelievable landscape that stretches over 46 square miles – just slightly smaller than the size of San Francisco. Photo by Joseph Gruber. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 5/4/16.
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Here’s a spectacular sunrise over Reflection Canyon – a surreal landscape of the twisting and winding Colorado River through colorful sandstone cliffs. This amazing photo, captured by Yang Lu, is the grand prize winner of the Share the Experience photo contest, an honor that means his photo will appear on the 2017 America the Beautiful public lands pass.
For Yang, photography isn’t just about recreation, it’s also to inspire people to explore these special areas. Yang took this photo during a two-day backpacking trip to Reflection Canyon, which is located in a remote area at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah. “We did not see anybody for two days. There is no trail; we depended on my research,” Yang says of the experience. Yang visited during the winter when the temperature and water levels were low – thanks to meticulous planning, Yang’s efforts paid off. The curves and those formations – I have never seen anywhere.”
Photo by Yang Lu. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 4/28/16.
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Wispy clouds and a star-filled night sky make for a dreamy backdrop to Owachomo Bridge at Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. Home to some of the darkest skies in the country, Natural Bridges is a stargazer’s paradise and was designated the world’s first International Dark Sky Park. On a given night, it’s possible to see up to 15,000 stars! Photo by Ryan McGinley. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/9/16.
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Canyonlands National Park preserves 337,598 acres of colorful canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches and spires in the heart of southeast Utah’s high desert. William Rainey captured this amazing photo of early morning light illuminating part of the park’s iconic Mesa Arch and the surrounding rock formations. Of the experience, William says, “Sometimes the best photo is not the one you came for.”
Photo courtesy of William Rainey. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 12/11/14.
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Canyonlands National Park
The Color Of Summer
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How could I resist showing the Henry Mountains?
Skyline Rim near Factory Butte provides incredible, expansive views of the deserts of eastern Utah. The Henry Mountains offer a stout backdrop. Photo: Brandon Jolley. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/15/14.
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Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah. Dan Perkins (USGS employee) standing on his horse “Cap” on top of Owachomo Bridge. Circa 1925. Photo: WT Lee, USGS. Posted by the US Department of the Interior on Tumblr, 4/24/14.
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Where Is It: 220 miles south of Salt Lake City or 350 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The Birth: After years as an under-developed National Monument, President Nixon finally singed legislation in 1971 to declare Capitol Reef a National Park.
It Happened Here: The early Mormon pioneers who settled in a colony they called Junction (later known as Fruita) planted fruit trees that still stand today in the shadow of Capitol Reef National Park’s towering cliffs.
Size: 241,904 acres
# Visitors: 663,670 in 2013. Peak attendance in May; low attendance was in December.
Fees: $5 per vehicle, good for 7 days.
Staying There: There are 3 campgrounds, 80 spaces, available on a first come, first served basis.
Contact Info:
HC 70 Box 15
Torrey, UT 84775
(435) 425-3791 ext. 4111
The Castle and Sulphur Creek. From the Park’s website.
Goosenecks Overlook. From the Park’s website.
The Castle. From the Park’s website.
Fruita and Wingate Cliffs. From the Park’s website.
Utah Penstemon (Penstemon utahensis) is found in sandy soils on canyon bottoms, hills, or benches in mixed desert scrub, blackbrush, and pinyon juniper woodlands. It is common in the central and southern parts of the park. From the Park’s website.
Harriman’s Yucca (Yucca harrimaniae) has bell-shaped cream colored flowers that grow 14-30 inches above the leaves. American Indians used the plant fibers to make rope. From the Park’s website.
Claretcup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) is found throughout the park in sandy to clay soils on upland benches and occasionally in canyon bottoms. It is associated with mixed desert scrub and pinyon juniper woodland communities. From the Park’s website.
Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) are common in the central and southern portions of the park. Indian paintbrushes are root parasitic, meaning they attach their roots to the roots of other plants and take nutrients. From the Park’s website.
Yellow Eye Catspaw (Cryptantha flavoculata) is found in saltbrush scrub, mixed desert scrub, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities. It is common throughout the park and typically found on hillsides and uplands. From the Park’s website.
Silvery Townsendia (Townsendia incana) is associated with dry, sandy or clay soils on hills and benches in desert scrub, saltbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper woodland communities. From the Park’s website.
Mountain Pepperplant (Lepidium montanum) is found in dry, sandy to rocky soils on hills and benches in desert scrub, sagebrush, and pinyon juniper woodland communities. It is common throughout the park and has seeds that taste like black pepper. From the Park’s website.
Pinyon (Pinus edulis) has yellowish brown bark that grays with age. American Indians used the sticky resin as a glue and waterproofing agent. From the Park’s website.
Naked Stem Sunrays (Enceliopsis nudicaulis) grow in clay soils, mixed desert scrub, and pinyon juniper communities. It is common along Highway 24 east of the visitor center and the scenic drive. From the Park’s website.
Ferron Milkvetch (Astragalus musiniensis) is a common endemic species found in the Colorado Plateau. It is found at low elevations in the park, in mixed desert scrub, salt desert, and pinyon juniper woodlands. From the Park’s website.
Central Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) is associated with mixed desert scrub, sagebrush, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities. It is common in sandy to rocky soils, especially along the Cohab Canyon Trail. From the Park’s website.
Showy Four O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora) is found in mixed desert scrub and pinyon juniper woodland communities throughout the park. It was commonly used for medicinal purposes by American Indians. From the Park’s website.
Common Globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) is found in mixed desert scrub, sagebrush, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine communities in wash bottoms and uplands. It was used by Navajo Indians to heal wounds, stop bleeding, and treat colds. From the Park’s website.
Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) is common throughout the park and has a fibrous bark that becomes shredded with age. From the Park’s website.
Roundleaf Buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia) is an evergreen shrub endemic to the Colorado Plateau. Settlers cooked the berries to make a sauce for buffalo steaks, giving the plant the name. From the Park’s website.
Bighorn sheep. From the Park’s website.
Hickman Bridge. From the Park’s website.
From the Park’s website.
Hamburger Rocks. From the Park’s website.
Hall’s Creek Narrows. From the Park’s website.
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National Park Service: Capitol Reef National Park
TerraGalleria.com: Capitol Reef National Park
YouTube: Capitol Reef National Park
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Road Canyon Wilderness Area, Utah. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 3/15/14.
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Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. Photo by Don Paulson.
Did you see the news coverage this week of the “Boy Scout Leaders” that destroyed a rock formation in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park?
The images were disgusting. The idea was disgusting. My quibble, here, is the headline of “Boy Scout Leaders” getting the blame for destroying a rock formation in a state park.
Two guys, named Dave Hall and Glenn Taylor, were indeed part of a Varsity Scout outing into the Goblin Valley State Park in Utah this past weekend. There were 2 other adults on the outing (I don’t know which were Boy Scout leaders, and which were just adults on the outing) and the Team of 8 Scouts, ages 14 and 15. The Scouts were “playing” among the hoodoos in this park, which are typified by the picture, right. Varsity Scouting is a program of the Boy Scouts of America, intended for older boys.
The “leaders” noticed that one hoodoo was barely balanced, and about to break apart. They saw this as a safety issue, and decided to unbalance the hoodoo to end the hazard. They didn’t consult any park rangers, geologists, or any other responsible adult. Unfortunately.
Their gleeful video went viral, showing them destroying this rock formation that was originally formed millions of years ago.
Today, Mr. Hall and Mr. Taylor are receiving death threats because they destroyed this rock formation.
Their behavior, obviously, is reprehensible. My point is that in NO WAY do they represent the Boys Scouts of America. Here’s what I see:
- Adults not in uniform, which indicates they are not following Scouting principles.
- Adults not following required Boy Scout training to “leave no trace” in the wild.
- Boys not present at all.
- A video posting that was originally intended to aggrandize the adults … which were not supervising their boys when they made the video.
At this point, I don’t know if these 2 adults had followed any rules of the Boy Scouts of America on this outing. They may have been registered, trained leaders … or not. The evidence I do have says they were not following training that is required for registered leaders of every outing sanctioned by the BSA.
Were they really “leaders” or were they just adults tagging along on the outing? I don’t know. But I do regret their actions, and regret that their actions have reflected badly on the Boy Scouts of America that they truly do not represent.
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4:14pm PDT, 10/21/13
UPDATE: BSA ejected both adults from membership in the organization. Apparently, one of the men was a unit leader and the other was simply a registered adult. From NPR.com: Boy Scouts Eject Leaders Who Toppled Ancient Rock
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Huffington Post: Boy Scout Leaders Topple Ancient Rock Formation In Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park
Salt Lake Tribune: ‘Goblin’ topplers say they are receiving death threats
BoingBoing.net: Boy Scout Leaders Destroy Ancient Formation In Utah’s Goblin Valley
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