Canyonlands National Park
The Green River and the Colorado River cut their separate canyons, and then together cut a larger one. All together, these huge canyons comprise Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. The scale is immense; the views at dawn and dusk are vibrant with the color of the rocks and the sun.
Read More"False Kiva." The hike to False Kiva is strenuous. The trail, roughly marked with rock cairns, descends steeply. It cuts across the face of a canyon wall and then switches back up to a half-cave hollowed out by wind. The kiva is tucked under the lip of the soaring cave wall. We stayed until sunset to get the best light we could, then hiked back in the growing darkness, eventually relying on our flashlights to stay on the trail. (2nd, Digital Pictorial, N4C Feb 2012; 2nd, USA Places, Iowa State Fair August 2012; 1st, Digital Pictorial, Best of N4C, 2012).