National Parks
Utah is home to five national parks, more than any other state. The parks are Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion. Zion, established in 1919, was Utah's first national park. Bryce Canyon, which actually contains a dozen ravines, is named after Ebenezer Bryce, the first settler in the region.
State Parks
Forty-three state parks are scattered across Utah, including Bear Lake in the north, Antelope Island in the center of the state, the Utah Field House of Natural History in the east and Kodachrome Basin and Coral Pink Sand Dunes in the south.
Recreation
Almost all types of recreational sites exist in Utah. National forests, national recreation areas, scenic rivers and highways, historic trails and wilderness and wildlife refuges are scattered throughout the state.
National Monuments
Utah's national monuments include Cedar Breaks, Natural Bridges National Monument, Timpanogos Cave and Rainbow Bridge. According to utah.com, Rainbow Bridge is the largest natural bridge in the world at 290 feet tall and 270 feet across. The sandstone formation is located near Lake Powell in the extreme south end of the state. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in south Utah is notable for being among the last places in America to be explored or mapped according to utah.com.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Monument Valley is perhaps the best known of Utah's parks. Its colorful, red sandstone buttes, mesa and free-standing rock formations have been seen in movie westerns and TV commercials.
