There is much more to see and photograph than Zion and Bryce Canyon in southern Utah. Grand Staircase—Escalante National Monument (not Park) occupies much of south central Utah—vast and less dramatic than the national parks, but with a stark and serene beauty all its own.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is not a park, but a vast area of south-central Utah with impressive vistas.
We hiked up the Calf Creek trail.
Tree skeletons stand out against the dark sandstone.
Even in late autumn there is color if you know where to look.
Another grand vista. The canyon carved by Calf Creek is at lower right.
Devils Graden is 13 miles down a dusty dirt road—a weird mini-Arches of sandstone carved by water, ice , and wind.
Evocative shapes in the late afternoon sun.
There are even arches at Devil's Garden.
A small bristlecone forest off highway 14 above Cedar City. The Temple, highest point in Zion Park is visible in the distance.
Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living things on earth.
Kolob Canyons is part of Zion NP, but distinctly different.
Nagunt Mesa dominates the view form the trail.
Late autumn at Kolob Canyon I
Late autumn at Kolob Canyon II