AZ/UT: Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area
36 images Created 8 Jun 2011
Fossilized sand dunes have eroded into fantastic striated formations such as "The Wave" in Coyote Buttes North Unit and Paw Hole in South Unit. Coyote Buttes are within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (established in 2000 within Arizona), which is within Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area (established in 1984 spanning across the borders of Utah and Arizona). Over 190 million years, various iron oxides bled through the cross-bedded aeolian Jurassic Navajo Sandstone to create a salmon color; hematite and goethite added yellows, oranges, browns, and purples. For the required hiking permit, contact the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM, in Kanab, Utah). Access to this Federal public land is regulated to protect fragile geologic formations.