The American Southwest is a maze of roaring rafting
rivers, high, flat-topped mesas, soaring sandstone spires, and hidden
canyon gardens, where water and light dance on shaded walls. Cactus,
wildflowers, yuccas, and sage can be found throughout the Southwest,
where they have carved out a niche in the sunny, warm, and dry climate.
One of the treasures of the American Southwest is
Canyonlands National Park and its surrounding areas. One of the
last remaining undisturbed sections of the Colorado Plateau, the
Park encompasses nearly 370,000 acres of sedimentary rock, eroded
by wind and water into spires, hoodoos, arches, and other fantastical
rock forms.
From atop the snow-capped Rockies, water makes its
annual pilgrimage to the sea, cutting through the Southwest to create
immense canyons striped with layers of rock. As you pass deeper
into the canyons, you travel back through geological history.
