This gallery includes ten sub-galleries. To begin, click on "ZION NATIONAL PARK"

The Colorado Plateau spans parts of western Colorado, southern and southeastern Utah, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico.

Characterized by high tablelands, deep canyons, and dramatic rock formations, the region’s landscape was shaped over hundreds of millions of years by rising seas, sedimentation, uplift, and erosion.

Formed from layers of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and limestone, the plateau rose more than 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) above sea level between five and ten million years ago, accelerating the carving action of rivers. Wind, frost, and water continue to sculpt the land today.

The climate features cold winters, hot summers, and sparse rainfall—much of it from summer thunderstorms. Vegetation ranges from desert shrubs to forests of ponderosa pine and aspen at higher elevations.

Once home to the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi), and later to other Indigenous peoples, the region was settled in the 1800s by Mormon pioneers. Logging, grazing, mining, and invasive plants altered the environment before large portions were eventually protected as national parks and monuments.

The sub-galleries follow the order in which I visited the parks. Start your journey with "ZION NATIONAL PARK"—and enjoy the view.