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Utah, United States
Photo: Peter Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Canyon Country is a region in the state of Utah in the United States of America. It is a wild, sparsely populated area along the southern boundary of the state, with an extraordinary concentration of national parks (referred to as "The Big 5") and monuments offering scenic opportunities galore and an inexhaustible array of hiking trails and canyoneering routes. It includes the counties of Kane, Garfield, San Juan, Wayne, and Grand.
By car
Highways I-15 (connecting Salt Lake City and St. George and US-70 (intersecting with I-15 on the west and leading into Colorado on the east) flank the region on the west and north, respectively.g.
Drive. If there was ever an area that justifies having a 4-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle, this is it, but don't make the mistake of believing that an "urban" 4WD will suffice to get you everywhere you want to go.
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Moab · Regional · CNY
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Big Water is a tiny town in Utah's Canyon Country, not far north of Page, Arizona.
Blanding is a city in Utah's Canyon Country.
Duck Creek Village is an unincorporated community in Canyon Country, Utah.
Hanksville is a tiny town located in the Canyon Country of Utah.
Kanab is a small town in the Canyon Country region of the state of Utah, in the United States of America. It is famous for its past use as a backdrop for many famous western movies as well as a good base for exploring the surrounding area.
Mexican Hat is a village in Utah.
Moab is a town in the Utah's Canyon Country and a gateway to the nearby Arches National Park and other attractions in Canyon Country.
Monticello is a cool haven in the midst of the Canyon Country region of Utah. Located at the base of the Blue Mountains (aka "Abajo" Mountains) in the center of San Juan County, Monticello typically has cooler weather than the surrounding desert.
Mount Carmel Junction, Mount Carmel and the other small towns (Mount Carmel, Orderville, Glendale) form a rural community known as East Zion, which is located in Utah's Canyon Country, near the east entrance to Zion National Park. Mount Carmel is less a destination in its own right and more a convenient stopover between the many national parks in the area.
Panguitch is a city of 1,700 people (2017) in the Canyon Country of Utah in the Western United States. Panguitch is a good jumping-off point for travelers who want to hike in the Grand Circle of U.S. national parks.
Thompson Springs (sometimes just called Thompson) is a small settlement of 39 (2020) in Canyon Country, Utah.
Torrey is a town in Utah's Canyon Country and a gateway to the nearby Capitol Reef National Park and other attractions in Canyon Country.
Arches National Park is a national park that is in Utah's Canyon Country near the town of Moab. It is home to the world's greatest concentration of natural arches, including Delicate Arch, one of the state's most famous icons.
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park in Utah's Canyon Country. Some 35,835 acres (14,502 ha) or 56 mi² (145 km²) in extent, the designated area around the spectacular Bryce Canyon (not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion) became a United States National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928.
Canyonlands National Park is a national park in Utah's Canyon Country. The small town of Moab is the gateway to this and the nearby Arches National Park.
Capitol Reef National Park is a national park, in Utah's Canyon Country.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes is a state park located in Utah's Canyon Country between Mount Carmel Junction and Kanab. The park offers recreation for both motorized and non-motorized users, with over 125,000 yearly visitors, and at the same time it protects endangered species endemic to the park.
Glen Canyon is a vast United States National Recreation Area in Utah's Canyon Country.
goosenecks - of the San Juan River.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a United States national monument that is managed by the Bureau of Land Management in the state of Utah. If you like slickrock and slot canyons, this is the place to go.
Kodachrome Basin State Park is a state park in Canyon Country of Utah. In the park there are almost 70 monolithic pillars made of sand sediments that are up to 50 m high.
Natural Bridges National Monument is a national monument in the Canyon Country of southeastern Utah, showcasing three natural stone bridges within its boundaries. Natural Bridges became the first International Dark Sky Park in 2007.
The Navajo Nation occupies a large portion of northeastern Arizona, as well as part of northwestern New Mexico and southern Utah. Its capital is at Window Rock, Arizona.
Even among America's national parks, few can match the stunning beauty of Zion National Park. Situated between the Dixie and Canyon Country regions of southern Utah, the park protects a series of incredible rock formations and high sandstone cliffs, and is a favorite spot for hiking, backpacking, canyoneering and climbing.
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