With scenic lookouts revealing red rock formations and desert as far as the eye can see, Southern Utah and its five national parks display some of North America’s most striking landscape. Much of the scenery here is characterised by sculpted red sandstone arches, buttes and rock faces, which glow in the changing light and lie in stark contrast to the verdant forest and waterways that cut through this arid land. From the city of Moab, set out on a journey with Trafalgar to see just how extraordinary Utah’s red rock country can be.
Moab lies at the heart of this unique landscape, alongside two of the region’s celebrated national parks. Arches National Park is located on the Colorado River, to the north of the city. Spanning over 300 square-kilometres, the park contains around 2,000 natural stone arches, amidst many more giant pinnacles and other rock formations, which are perhaps best seen by following the park’s meandering hiking trails.
Moab also borders Canyonlands National Park, which covers an even greater area of 1,366 square-kilometres. Here, the Colorado River and its tributaries carve their way through the vast canyons and buttes, dividing the national park into four distinct areas: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and Rivers.
Island in the Sky takes its name from the area’s elevation 1,000 feet above the surrounding land, The Needles owes its name to its cedar mesa sandstone spires, and The Maze is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a more remote area where trails are notoriously more difficult to navigate. Rivers, meanwhile, consists of both the Colorado and Green Rivers, which are a dramatic contrast to the desert that surrounds. In addition, the park’s Horseshoe Canyon is noted for displaying some of North America’s most important rock art.
Travelling Further from Moab
Two more of Southern Utah’s national parks can be reached by travelling a little further. Covering over 590 square-kilometres, Zion National Park – the first national park to have been established in Utah – is distinguished by the enormous Zion Canyon, where a path is dramatically carved through towering red cliffs, with forest and the Virgin River lying within it. The Kolob Canyons section of the park is noted for its scenic trails and viewpoints, while the narrowest section of the canyon, The Narrows gorge, leads hikers on a trail through the water.
Bryce Canyon National Park is also worth the extra journey for its vast landscape of glowing rock hoodoos and spires, including Bryce Amphitheatre, a hoodoo filled depression with a number of spectacular viewpoints. These scenic spots can be reached by following the trails that wind through this surreal landscape and forest.
While based in Moab, Trafalgar guests have the unique opportunity to set out on an outdoor dining experience in Utah’s red rock country with Jose Tejada of Sheri Griffith Expeditions. After strolling along the Colorado River, guests reach their private beach, where they can dine to the sound of the river lapping against the shore and as the sun dips below the horizon.
Visit Moab in Utah’s Red Rock Country on Colourful Trails of the Southwest, Best of the Canyonlands, and Scenic Parks Explorer.
Image credits: Cover photo of Arches National Park © iStock / Ben Blenkenburg. A view over Arches National Park © iStock / beklaus. Delicate Arch at Arches National Park © iStock / lightpix. The Colorado River within Canyonlands National Park © iStock / Adventure Photo. The Colorado River © iStock / Dean Fikar.