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Spectacular National Parks in Utah

Shrutika Sinha
Utah, known for national parks, historic sites, hiking trails, national monuments, and recreational areas, calls itself a "place for everyone" from hikers, adventure lovers to vacationers who like to be at peace.

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Plan a road trip to these majestic terrains. They are fairly named as 'Mighty Fives' as they represent the most spectacular rocky landscapes of the Colorado Plateau!

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Zion National Park

This national park is a sure shot treasure.

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You won't be able to stop gazing at the marvelous sandstone cliffs in pink, salmon and red color soaring magnificently into the clear blue sky!

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The jaw-dropping landscape has a rich history and prides itself of being a native place to the Native Americans some 8,000 years ago. Also trek on the highest cliff of this park, the Horse Ranch Cliff. The rich wildlife is an explorable feature of this archaic park.

Arches National Park

This national park has the highest collection of sandstone Arches (like 2,000 of them) which makes it one of the most beautiful rugged terrains of the South West. Not only that, it's the birth place of rock cliff mountain climbing!
Soaring pinnacles, perfectly balanced rocks and colossal sandstone fins will hold you spellbound! The most beautiful arch is the delicate arch.
A 3-mile hiking trail will land you near this marvelous arch. Catch the glimpse of early sunrise through this window arch, which will make you want to stay here forever!

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Bryce Canyon National Park

Visit this geographical marvel located at the top of the grand staircase. It's made up of a series of natural amphitheaters.

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Be it any season, the sight of these naturally formed hoodoos will never fail to mesmerize you.
The myriad viewpoints are connected via hiking trails letting you explore the forest along. A shuttle service drives you to the spire if you visit between spring to fall. You can also opt for horse riding by professional horse connoisseurs during summer!

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Canyonlands National Park

Located in the South Eastern Utah near the city of Moab is the great Canyonlands.
You can behold wide stretches of colorful canyons, mesas and spires which were once carved by the Colorado and Green river. The eroded landscape is divided into four units:- Island in the sky, The Needles, The Maze and another combining the Colorado river and Green river.
Island in the city is the most accessible region and provides beautiful vistas as you drive along as well as numerous hiking options!
The four points are probably two hours away from one another and definitely require more than just a day to explore. The Needles and The Maze, although being less accessible and a huge challenge even for expert hikers, does provide some of the most dazzling landscape views on earth!

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Capitol Reef National Park

It's actually a 100-mile great pot hole into the earth's surface in the middle of nowhere! Yeah you heard that right!
This is one of the least visited of the five national parks and provides a really wrinkly red rock surface with numerous campsites, natural bridges, spires and much more!

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The broad, sweeping vistas, twisted rocks, limitless landscapes and endless sky are out of this world! You'll feel you have landed into some mysterious land some 1,000 years back! It does require more work to explore this, it's worth it!
Some options of must-do are: Capitol Reef scenic byway, easy to moderate hiking experience at the Natural bridge and unpaved but gorgeous Capitol George at the end of Capitol Reef scenic drive.

Great Basin National Park

Located in the east-central Nevada region at the border of Utah is the Great basin National Park. This park with its grove of ancient Bristle-cone spines, numerous limestone caverns, enormous range of flora and fauna is a treasure of natural wonders!
Visit the 550 million years old Lehman cave and admire the rare marble and limestone cave formations as you walk along.
You can also find a great variety of very old species of mammals, fish, birds and amphibians in this epic national park. A great place for people who love wildlife, also offers some of the darkest night skies and hence great for stargazing.