The Mukuntuweap National Monument, Utah, has as spectacular a cañon,
and as stupendous an array of vast rock-forms, as is to be found
anywhere in the world. This territory is often spoken of as "The
Little Zion River Region." The Mukuntuweap Cañon has some of the forms
shown in the Grand Cañon, and an array of colors not equaled in any
other cañon known. In width it varies from half a mile to only a few
rods across. It does not all tend in a straight direction. It curves.
The cañon walls in places are sheer and rise from two thousand to
three thousand feet. One of its most startling features is shown in
the overhanging walls, which the water has undercut so that in places
the walls prevent a person in the bottom from seeing the sky.
In a recent report on this cañon, T. E. Hunt, of the Department of the
Interior, wrote:--
At the south end, the cañon is about twelve hundred feet wide, but
gradually narrows for a distance of seven miles, until a point is
reached where with outstretching arms the finger tips touch the
walls on either side. In a number of places the walls of this
cañon rise vertically to a height of more than two thousand feet,
thus exhibiting a plain surface of extremely hard, pink sandstone.
The vast barren areas of the walls are broken by figures in relief,
and statuary on the summits--all the carving of Nature. On the
terraces and in the niches are growths of ash and oak, maple and
spruce and other trees. In a number of places these walls are further
enlivened and glorified by waterfalls that plunge grandly over them
into the cañon. We thus have in this region an unexcelled variety of
the best-known cañon effects--the vast sweep of vertical walls, the
walls that are undercut so that they appear to lean, and extreme
narrowness between the walls.
But, enlivening and glorifying all these, is the color! Here you will
find immense spaces of chocolate, red, crimson, magenta, and maroon,
with touches of silver and gold. It is doubtful if Nature has anywhere
covered such immense areas with such deep and contrasting colors as in
this cañon.
This region is little known, but probably in a short time it will be
easily accessible. It was made a National Monument in 1912. The people
of Utah now want it for their National Park.