Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks sit in the southwestern part of Utah. These parks, like many in that region of the American desert southwest, lay plain the power of nature and time. Eons ago, a vast sea encompassed much of the Western United States. Over time, sand, sediment, and other debris drifted to the bottom of the sea, layer upon layer, as gravity and pressure squeezed it all together. Over millions of years the movement of Earth’s crust began to lift this sea floor, and in doing so, drained the sea into the Pacific Ocean. As the water drained it began to carve channels in the sandstone and limestone that was previously the sea floor. Today, what was once the sea floor now sits upwards of 8,000 feet above sea level. The channels that drained the ancient sea have revealed the now rugged landscapes of deep canyons and molded columns of rock - a landscape of wonder and inspiration.
The grandeur of Zion and Bryce Canyons will make you pause. Today’s world is complicated and challenging in many ways. It is a time of constant and rapid change, sometimes for the better, and sometimes not. I feel grateful that I can disconnect from the noise of the day-to-day and reconnect with Nature from time to time. Being in these parks, among the rocks and trees, listening to the waters and the breeze, is a reminder that this world is bigger than any one of us; that there are special places worthy of preserving. These cliffs and canyons care not who you are or where you come from. They are both welcoming and challenging. Beautiful and powerful. They stand as grand monuments and sacred temples of the Earth - forged by Nature; witnesses to a time beyond human reach.
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
