Utah is filled with geological wonders.
Utah is an area of rugged beauty and geological interest, famous for its unusual and colorful sandstone rock formations. The state is often photographed and used for movie and TV western locations. Its capital city of Salt Lake City has landmark monuments and churches built by the Mormons.
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch is often the subject of photographs and postcards to encapsulate the natural splendor of Utah and its rock formations. Its image is also seen on the state's license plates. Many people go to the Arches National Park near Moab to hike to it and to see the hundreds of other sandstone arches. The park is unique in its subtle varieties of color and texture in the rock.
Delicate Arch
Arches National Park
Box 907
Moab, UT 84532
435-259-8161
Timpanogos Cave Trail
The roundtrip trail through Timpanogus Cave National Monument is approximately 3.5 miles. Three caverns make up the cave network in the Wasatch Mountains, each one with spectacular formations and spirals. The route is a reasonably easy hike with a guide, a paved trail, resting benches and lights. Interpretative signs explain the history of the local people and wildlife and a visitor center can provide you with further information.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument,
RR3 Box 200
American Fork, UT 84003
801-756-5239
Temple Square
Temple Square is an area in downtown Salt Lake City with strong associations with the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) who settled in the area. The landmarks include Salt Lake Temple, built between 1853 and 1893 in a neo-Gothic style. Both the building and its grounds are impressive. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds, but only Mormon Church members are allowed inside the temple. Salt Lake Tabernacle is another famous building in the square and is praised for its architecture. It also has remarkable acoustics and the tabernacle's organ, which contains 11,623 pipes, is one of the world's largest organs.
This Is the Place Heritage Park
This Is the Place Heritage Park tells the story of the Mormon pioneers who came to Utah in 1847. Heritage Village recreates a 19th-century settlement within the park with shops and houses, both original and replica. Working craftspeople demonstrate their skills and children can try their hand at crafts. The park also features a miniature train, pony rides and a Visitors' Center where you can buy souvenirs. Settlers' Pond is a Native American village that looks at the history of the first people in Utah. "This is the place" refers to the This Is The Place Monument, which was erected in 1847 to commemorate the 1,300 miles that the Mormon settlers traveled. Other settlers also receive a tribute at the monument, including fur trappers, Spanish priests and Native Americans. The park also has features the National Pony Express Monument.
This Is the Place Heritage Park
2601 E. Sunnyside Ave. (800 South)
Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1453
801-582-1847
Tags: Salt Lake, Delicate Arch, Heritage Park, Lake City, Place Heritage
