Rainbow Bridge, one of the most fascinating and most visited sites on Lake Powell is approximately 10 miles southeast of Dangling Rope. It is called "Nonnoshoshi" by the Navajo people, or "rainbow turned to stone." Many of the slot canyons or inlets around Wahweap are highly photographed as well and provide for some unusual rock formations on the water. Castle Rock is just north of Wahweap Marina and lies between Warm Creek and Antelope Island.

Lake Powell was created from many formations over a long period of time: Morrison, Kayenta, Entrada, and Carmel. The Entrada formations make up Castle Rock as well as Tower Butte. Some of the formations resulted in cliffs and ledges colored in black and hues of blue. Other rock formations are white or creamy yellow and consist of sandstone, limestone, and mudstone. Some of the formations closer to Wahweap are made of red, orange, and white Navaho sandstone. There is a wonderful mixture of color and texture throughout the marinas that make Lake Powell a truly unique experience. Castle rock is one of the more Scenics rock formations near Antelope Island and is composed of Navaho and Entrada Sandstone. Slot canyons and inlets can be found at the end of the long lake passageways and main channels. It is best to go out on a smaller boat to reach the slot canyons and inlets due to the shallow waters. The blue waters of the lake are a result of many different rivers draining from the upper regions of Colorado and Utah. Lake Powell is located within Glen Canyon National Recreational Area on the Arizona-Utah border and lies in the heart of The Grand Circle. For more information about Lake Powell, contact the Chamber of Commerce at (520) 645-2741.

Yosemite Valley is characterized by sheer walls and a flat valley floor. Its evolution began when alpine glaciers moved through the canyon of the Merced River. The ice carved through weaker sections of granite scouring the rocks but leaving the harder, more solid portions, such as El Capitan and the Cathedral Rocks. As the glacier began to melt, the moraine advanced into the valley to form ancient Lake Yosemite in the newly cut valley. Sediment eventually filled in the lake and formed the flat valley floor we see today. This same process is now filling Mirror Lake at the base of Half Dome. The valley is a mosaic of open meadows sprinkled with wildflowers and flowering shrubs, oak woodlands, and forests of ponderosa pine, incense-cedar, and Douglas-fir. Wildlife such as monarch butterflies, mule deer, and black bears inhabit this area and you will usually some, if not all, of them while on your trip. One of the main attractions of Yosemite are its majestic waterfalls. The main falls are Yosemite, Bridalveil, Vernal, Nevada, and Illilouette. The best time to visit the falls is in May since the water is gushing. Bridalveil usually has a neat rainbow in the afternoon.

Tuolumne meadows has very unique domes, creeks, and lakes which make for wonderful hiking trips in spring. Lake Tenaya is one of the more interesting lakes in the high country of the Pacific Southwest. Attactions such as El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentinel Rock, the Ahwahnee and Wawona hotels round out Yosemite Valley and make your visit to this park a truly remarkable experience in every season.

The Hebrew word, "Zion", refers to a place of safety or refuge and was given this name by the Mormon pioneers in the 1860's. Zion is located at the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau that includes an area of colorful cliffs and eroded rock layers between Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. The rock layers over time were tilted, worn, uplifted and extremely eroded forming a feature known as the Grand Staircase. Bryce Canyon is much higher in elevation than Zion and the rivers that flowed through these canyons cut strongly and carried with it much more sediment than normal. The streams went over the western edge of the plateau and created deep and narrow canyons causing Zion to become what it is today. The bottom layers of rock at Bryce Canyon are the top layers of rock at Zion Canyon, and the bottom layers of rock at Zion are the top layers of the Grand Canyon. Zion has primarily three main areas to explore: The scenic loop, the eastern side, and Kolob Canyon.

Zion is famous for the hike along the Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava which lets you out into The Narrows, a place truly unforgettable. Here, you will hike through the Virgin River with sheer walls over 1,000 feet high and at some spots the river is only several meters across. This hike is by far the most invigorating experience in my life of travel. The scenic loop has wonderful hiking trails with canyons filled with hanging gardens, western columbine, ferns, and scarlet monkey-flowers. The eastern side of Zion is slickrock country. Rocks colored in white and orange-red have been eroded into fantastic shapes with odd patterns. Checkerboard Mesa, a mountain of Navaho sandstone, is naturally sculptured and one of the most unique places to visit in Zion. The eastern part of Zion is filled with arches, alcoves, hoodoo formations, and wind and water sculpted rock. Roadrunners, eagles, and mule deer inhabit the areas and are easy to spot in the early morning hours. The Kolob Canyon road offers great views of red rock finger canyons, while the Kolob Terrace Road overlooks the white and salmon-colored cliffs of North Creek. Both routes climb into forests of pinyon and juniper as well as aspens. This road ends at Lava Point which offers a great view Zion. You can contact the Zion Canyon Visitor Center at (435) 772-3256.

The Paria River and its many tributaries have carved the plateau edges around Bryce Canyon as rushing water carries dirt and gravel to the edges and steep slopes of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Over a period of time, tall thin ridges called fins emerge. These fins then further erode into pinnacles and spires, now referred to as "hoodoos." Since Bryce Canyon is located well over 8,000 feet, you will mostly look down over these hoodoos and into the canyons, unlike Zion where you mostly look up at the sheer walls of the canyons. This makes a trip to both of these National Parks a must. Bryce and Zion are less than two hours apart through a very scenic drive. Other fantastic locations like Red Canyon, Kodachrome Basin, Escalante, Boulder, and Capitol Reef National Park can be found along Scenic Byway 12. You can contact the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center at (435) 834-4420.