Moab, Utah is a gateway city to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Because of the opportunities for outdoor recreation in a stunning natural setting, Moab, Utah is known for mountain bike riding, hiking, river rafting, motorcycling, ATV riding, Jeep trails, climbing, and canyoneering.
Bluff, Utah was only an hour drive from Monument Valley. Since there were quite a few things to see in the area, we couldn’t pass it up. Funny picture of two cows.
Monument Valley is known for its stunning isolated red buttes surrounded by sandy desert. It has been depicted as the essence of the American West, mostly because Monument Valley has been featured in numerous films, commercials, and advertising.
A gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is Page, Arizona. Its where the Glen Canyon dam is located. Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for the workers during the construction of the dam.
From Black Canyon City, Arizona, at about 2000 feet elevation, we went to the Grand Canyon National Park, which is at 7000 feet elevation. The drive was a 3 hour uphill climb. The area is at a high elevation because of the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau. Approximately 5 million years ago the entire Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau were uplifted 4,000 to 6,000 feet.
Black Canyon City, Arizona is north of Phoenix. Before heading to the Grand Canyon, we wanted a week of warmer temperatures, be near a Costco to stock up, and order stuff on Amazon.
