The title of this post is adapted from my favorite National Parks T-shirt. The pun is obvious; this is the world’s mecca of red rock landscapes. The circuit of the entire set of red rock parks in this region is known as the Grand Circle.
One version of the Grand Circle can be seen here but honestly there’s much more to be seen than is shown at that site. I’ve been to most of them. Actually, I’ve been to most of them more than once in the past few years so I can attest that they’re awesome. On this trip my goal was to cover distance and just to breeze thru the parks but even with brief visits the beauty jumps out at you. In this region of the country, you don’t have to look very hard to see nature at her very best.
The map below shows my one-day driving route:
The sites indicated above are:
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Dixie National Forest
- Escalante National Monument
- Kodachrome State Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Zion National Park
My list is the tip of the iceberg. The Grand Circle focuses on National Parks which is not unreasonable as there are many and they are astounding. However, you have to realize that they don’t exist in isolation in this region. National Monuments can blow your socks off. Cedar Breaks, Escalante, and Natural Bridges are just a few examples. Kodachrome, Dead Horse Canyon, Valley of Fire and Snow Canyon are amazing State Parks. There’s much in the region to be dazzled by!
To sample just how much beauty there is click a picture below.
Remember, these were from one day visits.
by 
