Discoveries…America National Parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef

This new entry in Jim and Kelly Watt's high-def filmed Discoveries…America National Parks series—travelogues that are great for planning trips or just armchair traveling—pays a visit to southern Utah to explore a cluster of parks featuring stunning geological formations. First up is Capitol Reef, boasting spectacular scenery and a pitch dark night sky perfect for stargazing. The park is distinguished for its “wonderland” formed by colliding plates beneath the Earth's crust, featuring a long, rugged mountain range by the Fremont River. Layer upon layer of sediment created rock formations carrying the prints and scratch marks of prehistoric animals, as well as evidence of the first people here—farmers—found in drawings left behind. The Cedar Breaks National Monument has a staggering beauty with pillar-like rock formations and an abundance of wildflowers. Nearby Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a water-based recreation park offering lots of hiking and nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline around Lake Powell. Several hours away is Rainbow Bridge National Monument, with shapely formations and quite a bit of Mormon history connected with the area. A trip to Bryce Canyon National Park—an array of remarkable amphitheaters at a high elevation—reveals so-called “hoodoos,” which were formed by frost and river erosion over eons. Finally, Zion National Park has something for everyone with its springs, hikes, swimming, and camping. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)