What to see and do. The Mormon Trail begins in Illinois and cuts through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. Approximately 80 historic sites dot the route, and a 1,624-mile marked auto tour allows you to closely follow the trail of the Mormon pioneers. For information about trail routes, state trail administration contacts, historic sites and trail conditions contact either the National Park Service's Long Distance Trails Office in Salt Lake City, Utah at (801) 539-4095, or the Bureau of Land Management, Historic Trails Office, in Casper, Wyoming at (307) 261-7648.


Arches National Park
PO Box 907
Moab, UT 84532
Phone: 435-719-2299 or 435-259-5279
Fax: 435-259-8341

Overview. A crimson and gold panorama of graceful arches, spires, and fins set against an azure desert sky rewards visitors to Arches National Park. These massive rock formations, some fanciful, some bizarre, some breathtakingly beautiful, were carved by hundreds of thousands of years of water, ice, and exfoliation into the Entrada sandstone that formed over thick salt beds over 150 million years ago. As the salt dissolved, it warped and cracked the sandstone into vertical ridges that eroded into fins. Repeated freezing and thawing chipped away at the fins, resulting in windows and arches. The process continues today, as rockfalls destroy older formations and new ones emerge from eroding fins. Set aside as a national monument in 1929 and designated a national park in 1971, Arches protects over 76,000 acres of desert landscape and over 2,000 arches, one of the greatest concentrations on earth.
Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont peoples hunted here and later settlers attempted ranching, which significantly affected the delicate desert ecosystem. Petroglyphs of men on horseback, the handiwork of more modern Utes, are visible near the trail to Delicate Arch, just past the Wolfe Ranch, which is all that remains of the small homestead of John Wesley Wolfe.
What to see and do. Before setting out on the 48-mile round trip scenic drive through the park, stop by the visitor center near the park entrance to acquaint yourself with the geology and history of the park. A short audiovisual presentation is shown every half-hour, and a self-guided tour booklet will introduce you to the geology of the area. The Canyonlands Natural History Association operates a bookstore in the visitor center. Make reservations and purchase tickets for the popular, ranger-led tour through the Fiery Furnace, and obtain backcountry use permits here. There is no food concession in the park, but drinking water is available at the visitor center and at Devils Garden. Balanced Rock and Devils Garden also provide picnicking facilities.
The scenic drive though the park winds over twenty miles each way, and extends as far as the Devils Garden Trailhead. You can see plenty of awe-inspiring scenery from your car window, but to experience the park to its fullest, and to see some of its most famous formations, you must get out and take one of the many short trails that lead from overlooks and pullouts along the route. For instance, you can take in all of Balanced Rock, a 55-foot-high boulder perched on a slender 73-foot pedestal, from the nearby parking area, but a mere 0.2-mile stroll will take you to its very base. The trail to Balance Rock is full accessible. Farther along, sights such as the Windows, Double Arch, and the Fiery Furnace, a maze of close-fitted fins that glow a fiery vermilion as the sun sets, can be seen from your car, but again, you'll probably want to get a closer look on foot. Some features, such as famous Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch, with its seemingly impossible 306-foot span, require moderate hikes to view at close range. There is a full accessible 100-yard trail that leads to a good viewpoint, albeit distant, of Delicate Arch. If you decide to hike for any amount of time, remember to take plenty of water and protect yourself from the sun. The formations are at their most beautiful when morning or evening shadows play about them, causing dazzling color changes. The midday sun washes out the colors and is often too hot for any extended activities.
The popular Devils Garden Campground fills to capacity every night between March and October; often all sites are claimed by mid-morning. Park authorities suggest an early check-in. Two tent-only sites are available for groups of eleven or more. Reservations for group sites are recommended and can be made by contacting the Canyonlands National Park Central Reservation Office, 435-259-4351. Mail inquiries to 2282 S. West Resources Blvd., Moab, UT 84532 or fax to 435-259-4285. The Devils Garden Trail, which leads to seven named arches including Landscape and Double O, begins near the campground. Except in winter, rangers present informative campfire programs at Devils Garden Campground.
Backcountry hiking is allowed, although there are no developed trails. Cross-country hikers must take care not to tread on the fragile cryptobiotic crust they will find along their route. It is an essential part of the desert ecosystem, and is easily destroyed. Overnight trips require a park permit. Experienced rock climbers can test their mettle on some of the formations in the park, but you should consult a ranger before you begin. Most named features are off-limits to climbers. Bikes are permitted on park roads, but are not allowed on any trails. There are no specific bike trails at Arches.
Klondike Bluffs, accessible by an unpaved, fair-weather road, is a lesser visited area in the northwestern quadrant of the park. From Klondike Bluffs, a four-wheel-drive-only road stretches south past Eye of the Whale Arch to Balanced Rock and the main park road.
The park is open at all times, year-round. The visitor center is open from 8 AM to 4:30 PM daily with extended hours from April to October. The visitor center is closed on Christmas. Lodging and restaurants are available nearby in Moab.


Bryce Canyon National Park
PO Box 170001
Bryce Canyon, UT 84717
Phone: 435-834-5322
Fax: 435-834-4102

Overview. Paiute lore has it that Bryce Canyon was formed when Coyote, displeased with the Legend People who lived there, turned them to stone. Today they still stand, frozen in time. According to geologists, the fantastic spires, bridges, and hoodoos of Bryce are the work of water and time on the limestone, shale, and sandstone of the Pink Cliffs at the edge of southwestern Utah's Paunsaugunt Plateau. Here, erosion caused by rain, ice, and snow runoff has created a series of amphitheaters filled with colorful, bizarre stone sculptures, and the plateau continues to wear away at the rate of a foot every fifty years or so.
Ebenezer and Mary Bryce settled near what is now the town of Tropic, directly east of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, in the 1870s. For five years they tried to raise cattle and ran a sawmill, but they moved to a friendlier climate for Mary's health. By then, locals had started calling the area Bryce's Canyon, and the name stuck. It was declared a national monument in 1923.
Open year-round, the park's high elevation ensures pleasant daytime summer temperatures perfect for hiking, but be prepared for the mercury to drop after the sun goes down. With a dusting of snow on its spires and pinnacles, winters at Bryce Canyon are especially beautiful. And don't miss the park by moonlight, when the fanciful landscape shows an entirely different, but no less appealing, face. No matter what time of year, the beauty changes with the light and location and all are special.
What to see and do. Stop by the visitor center near the park entrance and take in the slide show and the historical and geological exhibits. A schedule of ranger-led activities is posted there, and you can also pick up a copy of The Hoodoo, the park paper, which provides additional visitor information. Rangers lead walking tours and offer talks on a variety of subjects throughout the summer.
Drive along the park road to see the ever-changing panorama of the amphitheaters from the many overlooks. All the overlooks are along the east side of the road; park authorities suggest driving to Rainbow Point, where on clear days your view is obstructed only by the curvature of the earth, and taking in the overlooks on the return trip. Expect a 37-mile round-trip, and please note that trailers are not allowed beyond Sunset Campground. Day-use visitors are encouraged to leave their trailers outside of the park. Spur roads lead to Bryce Point and Paria View. And don't miss Fairyland Point. It's on another spur road north of the visitor center.
It is possible to see some of the beauty of Bryce Canyon without leaving the comfort of your car, but you'll miss most of the park experience if you don't get out and walk. There are over 50 miles of hiking trails through the hoodoos and arches of the amphitheaters, and they range in length and difficulty from the one-mile, relatively level Bristlecone Loop, which leads past 1,600-year-old bristlecone pines, to the 22+-mile Under-the-Rim Trail that connects Bryce and Rainbow Points. At intervals, connecting trails lead from overlooks to the Under-the-Rim trail, making it a good choice for day hikes as well. A number of trails originate in the visitor center area, near historic Bryce Canyon Lodge. Most of these are between one-and-a-half and five-and-a-half miles long and wind through areas named Wall Street and the Queens Garden. All but the Rim Trail descend into the amphitheater, so remember that you have to climb the same distance and elevation to reach the trailhead at the end of your hike. Wear sturdy shoes and carry plenty of water. In addition, horseback riding tours can be arranged at the lodge. Two spur roads are closed in winter so they may be used as cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Snowmobiling is not allowed inside the park.
The area around Sunrise and Sunset Points contain two campgrounds with over 200 sites between them, available on a first-come, first-served basis. A restaurant, gift shop, and U.S. Post Office are located at the lodge which is open April through October.
The visitor center is open all year, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM, with hours extended in the summer. One loop in the North Campground is open during the winter, and the main park road is kept open year-round.
In nearby Tropic, the Bryce's homestead cabin has been restored and is open to the public. Kodachrome Basin State Park, less than twenty miles east, is packed with colorful hoodoos and interesting chimney formations. Bryce Canyon is within a five-hour drive of ten other National Park Service Units, including Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks.


California National Historic Trail
Address: 324 South State St, Ste 250 PO Box 45155 National Park Service, Long Distance Trails Office
Salt Lake City, UT 84145
Phone: 801-539-4095 or 307-261-7648
Fax: 801-539-4098

Overview. The California National Historic Trail is arguably the most ambitious, and definitely the longest, of the National Park Service's trail systems. Including cutoffs and alternate routes, the California National Historic Trail comprises an impressive 5,665 miles of scenic and historic trails. The Historic Trail was established in 1992 and passes through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California. This was the main route of the gold miners, homesteaders, ranchers, and immigrants as they made pilgrimage from America's midwestern heartland westward to forge new lives and seek their fortunes in the American West. The passage of thousands, dating from the 1840s and 1850s, is evident in nearly 1,100 miles of trail and wagon wheel ruts that pay mute testimony to America's pioneer heritage.

What to see and do. The California National Historic Trail is relatively new. The National Park Service is still developing a comprehensive system of historic sites, auto routes and public land access to the trail. If you're interested in following the trail your best bet would be to approach it at a state level. Trail segments in any of the nine states through which the trail passes will take you through state park lands and near historic sites. For information about trail routes, state trail administration contacts, historic sites, and trail conditions contact either the National Park Service's Long Distance Trails Office in Salt Lake City, Utah at 801-539-4095, or the Bureau of Land Management, Historic Trails Office, in Casper, Wyoming at 307-261-7648.


Canyonlands National Park
Address: 2282 S West Resource Blvd
Moab, UT 84532-3298
Phone: 435-719-2313
Fax: 435-259-4285

Overview. Bates Wilson, the first superintendent of Canyonlands National Park, entreated visitors to "Come to our wilderness, but be ready to rough it." Canyonlands, one of the youngest of our national parks, remains, intentionally, one of the least developed. This rugged country, with more rough, four-wheel-drive-only roads than paved ones, was visited in the early 1960s by Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior, who saw park potential in this spectacular but remote canyonland at the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. In 1964 this area, until then regularly visited only by cowboys and uranium prospectors, became Canyonlands National Park. Its three districts, Island in the Sky, Needles, and the Maze, are divided by the deep canyons of the Colorado and the Green Rivers. No road links the three sections of the park, each with its unique features. In addition, the Horseshoe Canyon Unit to the west of the main parkland and accessible only by rough, unpaved road, shelters the eerie, life-sized pictographs of the "Great Gallery," the artwork of an ancient culture that inhabited the area well over 1,500 years ago.

What to see and do. Although each of Canyonlands' districts has its own visitor center or ranger station, park authorities suggest you plan your visit before arriving. Write or call for park information and visit the multiagency information center in either Moab or Monticello to check on park conditions. Permits in Canyonlands are not free and the fee structure varies depending on activity and district. Permits are required for day use in restricted areas (Needles District), backpacking, flat-water boating, white-water rafting, and mountain bike or four-wheel-drive camping. Reservations can be made for these activities, as well as group campsites, by writing the park or calling 435-259-4351. Contact the park for more detailed information. Many people tour the park on mountain bikes, but keep in mind that there are no formal bike paths here. Bikes are limited to established roads, and are not allowed on footpaths or off trail. Hiking trails are mostly primitive, marked only by cairns, or rock piles.

The Island in the Sky district, a lofty plateau that towers over the rest of the park and reaches its limit at the confluence of the rivers, is the most visited part of Canyonlands. Paved roads lead to Grand View Point Overlook, where a panoramic view of the rivers, the Needles and the Maze awaits, and to Upheaval Dome, which is actually not a dome but a huge depression. Originally thought to be the result of underlying saltbed deformation, Upheaval Dome is now believed by many geologists to be a meteor impact crater. You'll have to hike about 500 yards to its craggy rim and decide for yourself. Willow Flat Campground, with 12 first-come, first-served units (no reservations), has vault toilets, no water, and charges a small fee. Near the campground you'll find spectacular vistas at Green River Overlook and a short trail that will take you to Mesa and Washer Woman arches. Island in the Sky sits atop the White Rim, a sandstone layer around 1,200 feet thick. A primitive road, accessible only by high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, mountain bike, or on foot follows the White Rim around the mesa. There is no water available on the mesa, so be sure to bring plenty of your own.

The Needles, spires of banded red and white sandstone rising hundreds of feet from the canyon floor, give this part of the park its name. The paved road into the district ends at Big Spring Canyon Overlook, where you can see a fine concentration of mushroom-like hoodoos. Short trails lead from the scenic drive to Ancestral Puebloan ruins, an old cowboy line camp, and fanciful sandstone formations. Longer hiking trails and rough, unpaved roads pass by stone arches and spires, and many sites of Ancestral Puebloan habitation, including well-preserved pictographs and petroglyphs. Water is available year-round in the Needles district, and the 26-site Squaw Flat Campground, which operates on a first-come, first-served basis, charges a small fee per night when water is flowing.

The Maze, a warren of finger-like box canyons in the southwestern portion of the park, is accessible only by a rough, unpaved road. High clearance four-wheel-drive capability is a requirement if you plan to drive in. This is the least-visited district of the park, and its rugged backcountry rewards those who brave the trek into its heart with fantastic scenery and wild rock formations in the Land of Standing Rocks, the Doll House, and the Fins. There is no water available in the Maze; you'll have to pack in your own. There are a few backcountry campsites (permits required), but no developed sites or paved roads.

Despite its remote, wilderness nature, there are many ways to experience Canyonlands. If four-wheel-driving, biking, or backpacking aren't to your liking, park-approved concessionaires operate all kinds of tours from neighboring communities. You can fly over the park in a private plane or view the canyons from below on the smooth flatwater north of the confluence. If the extreme white-water challenge is more your speed, trips down Cataract Canyon's rapids, south of the confluence, can be arranged, but only for experienced rafters. Concessionaires can arrange day trips into the Needles or Island in the Sky districts. Contact the park for a complete list of approved concessionaires.


Capitol Reef National Park
Address: HC 70, Box 15
Torrey, UT 84775
Phone: 435-425-3791
Fax: 435-425-3026

Overview.0 Formed by the same forces that shaped the Colorado Plateau and raised the Rocky Mountains, Capitol Reef promises dramatic vistas. One hundred miles of bending, creasing rock created Waterpocket Fold, a prominent natural feature in the park. The fold's layered rock can be seen between Thousand Lake Mountain and the Colorado River. Erosion has exposed these layers, transforming the landscape into a rainbow-hued collection of cliffs, domes, arches, spires, and twisting canyons. Early settlers to the area found some of the fold's ridges to be nearly impassable, and called them "reefs." The park takes its name from one of the most rugged of these features.
The first indication of human habitation in the area dates back to the ninth century, A.D., when people of the Fremont Culture cultivated squash, beans, and other crops along the Fremont River. By the mid-13th century, the Fremont people abandoned the area. When trappers and explorers finally ventured into this beautiful but remote and forbidding area in the late 1860s, they found nomadic Utes and Paiutes.
In the 1870s, a few Mormons moved into the vicinity. In 1880, the first Homesteaders settled in the lush Fremont River Valley. The area became known as "Junction". Founded at the junction of the Fremont River and Sulphur Creek, this community supported around ten families who grew vegetables, sorghum, and alfalfa. Junction's prosperity, however, was due to its orchards. The settlers planted apple, peach, cherry, apricot, mulberry, and plum trees, along with almond and walnut trees, and over 2,500 of the trees survive to this day. In the early 20th century Junction was renamed "Fruita," and today the remains of this historic community are central to visitor activities at Capitol Reef.
The park was designated as a national monument in 1937, but it wasn't until the early 1960s, when a paved road into the area was completed, that visitation rose. In 1971, Capitol Reef was established as a national park. Although it still remains remote and rugged, the park welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors per year.
What to see and do. 0 The main road through the park, scenic UT 24, leads to the visitor center near the 200-acre historic Fruita settlement. In addition to providing information on trail and road conditions throughout the park, the visitor center features an introductory audiovisual presentation, shown on request, and a huge relief map of the park. Geological exhibits explain the natural history of the park, while the area's human history is represented by artifacts from the ancient Fremont Culture and the more recent Mormon inhabitants. A bookstore sells topographical maps, related publications, and interpretive items.
You'll find the orchards and the historic site of Fruita near the visitor center. Although many of Fruita's buildings were removed, a few historic structures remain. These include the Gifford farmhouse and barn, the Merin Smith implement shed, and the one-room schoolhouse, built of logs in 1896, which also served as a community center for dances and other social gatherings. Today, visitors will find a picnic area and a developed campground at Fruita.
The orchards surrounding the settlement still yield, and visitors are welcome to pick ripe fruit from the trees for their own immediate consumption. During harvest, you can pick the fruit in bulk, for a fee. Price lists, plastic bags, scales, and a self-pay station are located at orchard entrances, in season. Visitors are reminded to read and follow all instructions on the use of orchard equipment.
The Scenic Drive through Capitol Reef winds along the base of the Waterpocket Fold. From the road, hikers can wander to view an old uranium mine, the Pioneer Register, and ancient petroglyphs carved by the Fremont people. The drive offers plenty of spectacular scenery as it winds through the multihued landscape.
For the hardy visitor, Capitol Reef offers many opportunities for adventure. Rugged roads and difficult desert trails lead into the backcountry. Fifteen day-hike trails originate near the visitor center; some are rather strenuous and all cover dry, rugged desert terrain. Overnight backcountry hikes require a permit, obtainable at the visitor center. All hikers are cautioned to stay on the trail and away from the fragile cryptobiotic soil so essential to the desert ecosystem. Hikers are also advised to bring plenty of water; there is no reliable source of water along these desert trails.
Mountain biking is allowed on designated park roads; contact a ranger for a list of routes. Rock climbing is an increasingly popular sport at Capitol Reef, but restrictions and regulations apply. Park Rangers can provide more information. Horseback riders are welcome to plan pack trips through the park. Overnight trips require a backcountry permit. Some areas are closed to horses, so talk to a Ranger before you begin your trip.
Capitol Reef's Fruita Campground offers 70 tent or RV sites (no hookups) on a first-come, first-served basis for $10 per night. A dump station and restrooms are located on site, and the campground is open year-round.
Primitive campsites are located at Cedar Mesa and Cathedral Valley in the park's backcountry. These campgrounds are free of charge and include a picnic table and fire grate, and a pit toilet on site, but there is no water available.
There are no lodging or dining facilities in the park. These may be found near the park in Torrey or Bicknell.
Capitol Reef National Park is open year-round. The visitor center is open from 8 AM to 4:30 PM daily, with extended hours during the summer. It is closed on Christmas Day and some federal holidays.


Cedar Breaks National Monument
Address: 2390 W Hwy 56 Ste 11
Cedar City, UT 84720-4151
Phone: 435-586-9451
Fax: 435-586-3813

Overview. Carved into the western side of the 10,000-foot-high Markagunt Plateau, Cedar Breaks is a wonderland of bizarre limestone spires, hoodoos, and steep cliffs 2,000 feet deep and three miles across. The product of tectonic uplift and millions of years of erosion, the amphitheater of Cedar Breaks rivals Bryce Canyon, its larger cousin, for variety of color and vividness of hue. Deposits of iron and manganese have stained the rocks a spectrum of reds, purples, yellows, oranges, and pinks. Ancient bristlecone pines, some as old as 1,600 years, grow along the rim, while the lofty plateau is covered with dense, fragrant spruce forests. Wildflowers blanket the plateau from spring to high summer; a thick, silent layer of snow takes their place in winter. "Cedar" refers to the juniper trees growing at the base of the plateau, and "Breaks" is another word for "badlands."

What to see and do. A five-mile scenic drive winds along the rim, where four overlooks provide glimpses of the ever-changing vista. Two plateau walks begin at trailheads along the drive. The two-mile Alpine Pond loop trail leads to a sylvan glade surrounded by aspen, fir, and spruce. The Wasatch Rampart Trail follows the rim of the Breaks for two miles each way, passing by a stand of bristlecone pine at Spectra Point. Hikers should keep in mind that, while these trails are relatively flat and not very long, the high elevation makes them fairly strenuous. Take your time and don't overexert yourself.

The visitor center offers a wealth of exhibits and information on the human and natural history of the area, as well as its abundant wildlife. A small campground, operated on a first-come, first-served basis, is open during the summer. There are no hookups, but water and restrooms are available. Leashed pets are permitted in the campgrounds. Check at the visitor center for a schedule of ranger-led programs; many take place at the campground's amphitheater.

At such a high elevation, winter comes swiftly and early. The campground closes in September, and all park roads and services are closed by first snow. The park is still open for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoe hiking. When the Cedar Breaks visitor center is closed (mid-October through early June), the Kolob Canyon Visitor Center in Zion National Park, 43 miles southwest and open year-round, can provide information about Cedar Breaks. The Cedar Breaks visitor center is open daily from early June to mid-October, from 8 AM to 6 PM.


Golden Spike National Historic Site
PO Box 897
Brigham City, UT 84302-0923
Phone: 435-471-2209
Fax: 435-471-2341

Overview. A Golden Spike was ceremoniously driven, joining the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads at Promontory Summit in Utah. At exactly 12:47 PM, May 10, 1869, the labor of thousands of men, most of them Irish or Chinese immigrants, achieved the dream of a rail link between the east and west coasts. Now the west was open to all who could afford a ticket. Bypassed by the Lucin Cutoff in 1904, Promontory Summit languished, and in 1942 the tracks over the grade were salvaged for the war effort.

Today, the glory days of the American railroad are remembered and celebrated at this National Historic Site where,throughout the summer, the event is re-created, complete with replicas of the two original engines, the Jupiter and the 119, meeting cowcatcher to cowcatcher. Onlookers are encouraged to cheer and wave their hats.

What to see and do. You'll feel the excitement of railroading when you visit Golden Spike NHS. The visitor center offers films about the history of the railroad, as well as a museum featuring several exhibits on the history of the Transcontinental Railroad, and the impact its completion had on our expanding nation. The Jupiter and the 119, both faithful replicas of the originals (which were scrapped around the turn of the century), are on display May through early October, and can be seen in the engine house during the winter months.

The self-guided Promontory Auto Tour allows visitors to drive along the original grade and offers sights of both historic and scenic significance. The entire drive takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes. If you are pressed for time, the west section of the tour takes 45 minutes, and the east section, a half-hour. A hiking trail provides a one-and-a-half-mile walk to the Big Fill and Big Trestle areas, where each railroad used a different method to negotiate the steep grade. There is a picnic area at the visitor center, as well as a sales counter where books on the Transcontinental Railroad, Utah history and railroading, postcards, and souvenirs may be purchased.

The visitor center is located 32 miles west of Brigham City, and is open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM in the summer, and to 4:30 PM the rest of the year. In addition to the May 10 Golden Spike Anniversary Celebration and the Railroader's Festival held on the second Saturday in August, the site hosts a Winter Steam Demonstration and Film Festival on the last weekend in December. The site is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.


Natural Bridges National Monument
PO Box 1
Lake Powell, UT 84533-0001
Phone: 435-692-1234 or 435-259-5174
Fax: 435-692-1111

Overview. The streams that sculpted White and Armstrong Canyons also carved three natural bridges out of the region's ancient Cedar Mesa sandstone. Massive Kachina Bridge, the youngest of the spans, is 210 feet high and 93 feet thick. It is still being sculpted by the stream it crosses, and is named for pictographs decorating its base that resemble symbols found on Hopi Kachina traditional costumes. Symmetrical Sipapu Bridge gracefully spans 268 feet and is 210 feet high. Named for the way to the Hopi underworld, Sipapu is the second largest natural bridge in the world. Fragile, delicate Owachomo is the oldest of the bridges and has been eroded to a precariously thin nine feet thick. It stands 106 feet high and spans 180 feet of Armstrong Canyon. In addition to the awesome grace of these stone bridges and the varied canyon landscape, the monument is a treasure trove of ancient Puebloan dwellings.
What to see and do. The nine-mile-long, scenic Bridge View Drive provides overlooks and trailheads for all three bridges and for Horsecollar Ruins, the remains of canyon cliff dwellings. If you'd like to get a closer look at any one of the bridges, trails lead from the overlooks to the bridges and back, or you can take the 8.2-mile hike through the canyons that passes all three. Allow adequate time (six to eight hours) and bring plenty of water.
Exhibits and a ten-minute video at the visitor center will introduce you to the geology, history, and wildlife of the monument, and trail brochures are available here. Rangers can answer your questions and direct you to archaeological sites at the monument. A 13-site primitive campground is located near the visitor center and operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Trailers and motor homes exceeding a 26-foot combined length cannot fit in the sites here, but rangers can provide information on nearby campgrounds. To protect the fragile cryptobiotic crust ecosystem of the canyons and mesa, no backcountry camping is allowed in the monument. Rangers lead interpretive programs during the spring, summer, and fall.
The park is open year-round, including the campground, but sites are not plowed after snowstorms. The visitor center is open from 8 AM to 6 PM during the summer, in spring and fall to 5 PM, and in winter from 9 AM to 4:30 PM. Bridge View Drive is open daily from dawn until after dark, and is kept clear of snow in winter.
Pets: Leashed pets are permitted.
Fees: A daily entrance fee is charged.


Pony Express National Historic Trail
Address: 324 S State St, Ste 250 PO Box 45155 National Park Service Long Distance Trails Office
Salt Lake City, UT 84145
Phone: 801-539-4095
Fax: 801-539-4098

Overview. Established by the freighting firm of Russell, Majors, and Waddell in 1860, the Pony Express was a short-lived, long-remembered effort to deliver mail and news to the West Coast in a timely manner. Since the telegraph and railroad stopped short of the Missouri River at St. Joseph, MO, carrying mail overland to California and the Oregon Territory, and to points in between, was a lengthy process. Since 1858 the Butterfield Overland Mail Company had been making the run in a record 22 days, the Pony Express cut that record in half.

The first run began at St. Joseph on April 3, 1860 at 7:15 PM, and delivered 49 letters, a few newspapers, and nine telegrams to San Francisco (via boat from Sacramento), a little after midnight on April 14. Pony Express riders regularly covered the 1,855 miles between St. Joseph and Sacramento in ten days time. Riders averaged 33 miles each, stopping twice at established Relay Stations, placed ten to 15 miles apart, to change horses, a process that took no more than two minutes. At the third Relay Station, a new rider took over.

Despite its aura of western excitement and romance, the Pony Express lost money from the outset. Delivery charges were steep (on top of U.S. Postal rates, a letter cost as much as $5 and a ten-word telegram, $6.90), and so were expenses. By 1861, only 18 months after its inaugural run, the Pony Express went out of business. Both the railroads and telegraph service had extended far enough west to make the ten-day run, so amazing only a year before, commonplace and too expensive. But the Pony Express had become a symbol of the vigor and spirit of the West, part of the lore of that exciting era.

What to see and do. Pony Express National Historic Trail, established in 1992, is one of the youngest trails in the park service, and is largely undeveloped. The basic route runs from St. Joseph, MO, to Sacramento, CA, through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. The only pristine portions of the trail are short segments in Utah and California; the rest of the original trail has been erased by time or more modern development. In the west, many portions of the original route are now used as private ranch roads or, on federal lands, as jeep trails.

The National Park Service is currently developing a management plan for the trail, and hopes one day to include 120 historic sites and 50 existing Pony Express Stations or their ruins as part of the trail. As of this writing, affiliated agencies and sites along the trail corridor include Scotts Bluff National Monument in Gering, NE; Rock Creek Station and Fort Kearney State Historic Parks, both in Nebraska; Pony Express National Memorial and Patee House Museum, both in St. Joseph, MO; and other historic Pony Express Stations located in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado.

For more up-to-date information as the trail develops, please contact the National Park Service office in Salt Lake City, UT.


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•	Things to Do in Utah
•	Start planning your road trip to Utah now!