Colorado Plateau - American natural wonder

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Where is the Colorado Plateau and what is it? This is the name of the area, which, in fact, is an intermountain region in the western United States. On this plateau there are many natural attractions attractive for tourists. There are mountains, former volcanoes, amazingly colorful canyons and picturesque remnants here. Due to the presence of the huge Colorado River, many forests are scattered on the plateau. But its main area is desert. However, thanks to the huge number of canyons, most of the country's national parks are located on the plateau.

Where is the Colorado Plateau in the US

This unique natural monument is located in the southwestern United States. Its area is more than three hundred thousand square kilometers. It is located on the territory of several states at once. These are Utah, Colorado (southeastern part of the plateau), New Mexico and Arizona (northwestern). There are many picturesque hills with flat tops. They were formed as a result of the destructive work of the Colorado River, originating in the Rocky Mountains, andalso its tributaries the Green River and the San Juan. The uranium ores of this plateau are among the largest reserves in the world. Because these places are not only beautiful, but play an important role in the country's economy. Two-thirds of all uranium in the United States is mined here.

Grand Canyon

This is the most famous place in the world, thanks to which even children know where the Colorado Plateau in the USA is located. Photos of this amazing area, which is visited by 4 million travelers every year, have spread all over the world. They are published by magazines, we are happy to watch all sorts of travel shows on TV, where the heroes are kayaking through the canyon or climbing rocks. Grand, or Grand Canyon has a length of more than 440 kilometers. Its plateau is located at an altitude of about 1800-2000 thousand meters above sea level. The canyon is a national park named after him. In addition to various tourist sites, there are reservations of various Indian tribes. The most famous among them are the Navajos. The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona.

Capitol Reef

For many thousands of years, the Colorado Plateau has been exposed to weathering and water erosion. Because of this, thousands of amazingly shaped canyons have formed here. Most of the plateau national parks are associated with these long bizarre gorges. One of the most famous is Canyonlands Park in Utah. There is really a whole world consisting of mountain formations. There are thousands of them, both large and small. There are also specific national parks in Canyonlands. One of them, Capitol Reef, is known to tourists as the land of the most bizarre mountains, rocky monoliths and ledges, from which dizzying views open up. The local ridges are interesting because they often look like real castles with suspension bridges. Capitol Reef has a well-developed tourist infrastructure, and the trails that travelers follow are not too difficult. Therefore, people with families and children often come here.

Other canyons of the Colorado Plateau

Bryce National Park is interesting because its winding gorges have a different geological structure. It is the highest among the canyons of the plateau. Here is a completely different nature, the rocks are reddish and orange, and the depressions resemble giant amphitheaters. Unlike desert canyons, Bryce has many forests and meadows, hundreds of species of birds. You can see a puma, a bear, a deer, a mountain lion. At night, astronomers come to local sites to observe the stars. In winter, people go snowboarding here. Near the city of Springdale is another interesting national park of the Colorado Plateau - Zion. It consists of blocks of red and yellow sandstone. This canyon was created by the Virgin River. It is located near the Mojave Desert. Therefore, there is a forest, a river floodplain, and quicksand here. The gorges here are deep, and the rocks are bizarre and incredibly picturesque. Another strange place is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The river that created it is so deep that the Indians considered it bottomless. There is still no bridge across it. There are many artificial reservoirs and recreation areas in these mountains.beaches and campsites.

Amazing and strange places

In addition to gorges and canyons, the Colorado Plateau is known for other attractions. One of them is the "petrified forest" in Arizona. This is not about some bizarre rock formations. These are real trees that have turned into stone. Here they are whole deposits lying in the open air for thousands of years. The famous Colored Desert is also located on the territory of this national park. It is known for the fact that all its hills and highlands seem to be decorated in the style of bright colors. They shimmer with green, purple, blue, red and yellow stripes. And all this amazing mosaic occupies about 20 thousand square kilometers. Thousands of tourists from all over the Earth gather to look at this rainbow carnival of colors. Excursions on the plateau are most often organized from Las Vegas. And it is most convenient to travel along it on “campers”, which can be “loaded” by a family or company and stop at special places provided for this. Tourists eat differently, both by cooking on their own and by visiting restaurants, of which there are many.