Canyon Country

Discover one of the world's natural wonders, the iconic Grand Canyon. Behold its amazing, colorful, and ever-changing views. The canyon’s towering cliffs plunge an average of 5249 feet to the turbulent Colorado River below. The beautiful layers of colorful rock reveal the earth’s history spanning a stunning 1.75 billion years. Scientists studied the canyon’s layers, along with fossils and sediment, to map the world’s evolution. The U.S. government began to explore and chart the area in the early 1800s and it was officially named a national park in 1919.

Created in 1963 when the Glen Canyon Dam was built on the Canyon River, sits the second-largest man-made lake in America: Lake Powell. With depths of 3700 feet, it is a playground for house-boating activities and water sports. Set against a backdrop of red rocks, Lake Powell offers landmarks such as Rainbow Bridge, Cathedral Canyon, and Hole in the Rock.

A small national park in southwestern Utah, Bryce Canyon is named after the Mormon pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, and became a national park in 1928. Known for its unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters, slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called "hoodoos", Bryce is a virtual stone forest tinted with colors too numerous and subtle to name.

As Utah's first national park, Zion became a national park in 1919. The word Zion translates from Hebrew as a place of safety or refuge. This area has been settled by people since 6000 BC and became home to Mormon pioneers in the 1860s. A staggering mix of canyons and sandstone mountains, Zion today welcomes over 3 million visitors a year and is Utah's most visited national park.

A desert oasis, Las Vegas is also known as "Sin City". With the legalization of gambling in Nevada in 1931, Las Vegas became a hotspot for casino owners. Today, it bills itself as the "Entertainment Capital of the World" with its mega-casinos and entertainment venues.