While Arches looks like Mars, Canyonlands resembles the moon. Mushroomlike rock formations rise randomly out of the ground, twisting into all manner of shapes: spires, pinnacles, buttes, and mesas. It's a desert landscape, but it's not devoid of water or color. The Green and Colorado rivers traverse the canyons, where the rich browns, verdant greens, and fresh yellows of the pinyon-juniper forests complement the deep reds, baby pinks, bright oranges, and milky whites of the rocks. The park's dirt roads appeal to mountain bikers, and the rising rapids of Cataract Canyon challenge rafters.
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
"The incredible vastness of this park is indescribable. Being from upstate New York, our family had never seen this kind of rough terrain or experienced the solitude of these canyons. Our daughter Erin, was the brave one who wanted a closer view of the bottom of the canyon. My view was from the front seat of car!"
—scraper, Fodors.com Member
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