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When you think of the western part of America, one of the natural landscapes that comes to mind is the vast and famous vistas of the Grand Canyon, located in the western state of Arizona. But it is not the only place in this part of America for you to enjoy guided walking holidays. The natural land formations in the west make for dramatic and unforgettable visits to places in the United States that are often overlooked in lieu of heading to the major coastal cities. In addition to the Grand Canyon, walking holidays can take you to see the interesting geological formations of Bryce Canyon National Park, Monument Valley and Mesa Verde National Park. Bryce Canyon National Park As you head to the more remote area of southern Utah, you cannot miss the landscape at Bryce National Park. The park features Bryce Canyon, which, as you will discover on your guided walking holidays around the canyon, is not a canyon at all, but a collection of massive amphitheatres with pillar like structures populating them. These “hoodoos” are distinct, chimney-like formations that are formed. not by erosion, as canyons typically are, but by headward erosion from frost weathering. This erosion, over time, has formed hoodoos that stand in tall (some up to 61 metres) stacks of red, orange, and white that present an amazing sight for those who visit this canyon. It is slightly cooler than the other canyons and often has snow in the winter months. The largest of the amphitheatres is the Bryce Amphitheatre, which is 19 kilometres long, 4.8 kilometres wide and a staggering 240 metres deep. Monument Valley After you have hiked through parts of the amphitheatres in Bryce Canyon, travel over to the Arizona-Utah state line where you can visit Monument Valley. On the Colorado Plateau, you can see the large sandstone buttes towering over the valley floor, some of them reaching a staggering 300 metres high. The buttes get their vivid red colour from the iron oxide exposed in the stone. Walking holidays to Monument Valley will take you up close to some of the buttes and show you some of the most famous views such as The North Window, The Totem Pole (which is an impossibly precarious looking butte), the Thumb, and the curious Three Sisters. Mesa Verde National Park From the Colorado Plateau, head to the actual state of Colorado on your walking holidays to visit one of the most interesting places in the West, the Mesa Verde National Park. The park was founded in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is comprised of 81.4 square miles where the remains and ruins of the dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloan people (Anasazi) are situated. In the late 1190s, the Anasazi built the cave dwellings that are visible today. These are structures that were built within caves under the cliff-like over hangings and today there are over 4,000 archaeological sites and 600 cave dwellings that you can see while walking in the National Park. Tony Maniscalco is the Marketing Manager for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. Join us on walking holidays to see scenic locations & landscapes at the best value prices. We offer over 200 guided group walking holidays in over 60 different countries.
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