Cedar Breaks National Monument, Natural amphitheater and International Dark Sky Park in Iron County, United States
Cedar Breaks features a three-mile-wide natural amphitheater with red and orange limestone formations descending 2,000 feet from the 10,000-foot elevation rim.
The National Park Service began managing Cedar Breaks in August 1933, protecting geological formations that took shape over 60 million years through uplift and erosion.
Native American tribes named this location the Circle of Painted Cliffs due to the mineral-rich sedimentary rocks displaying red, orange, yellow, and purple hues.
The monument remains inaccessible from October through May due to heavy snowfall, with summer offering the primary window for exploring hiking trails and viewpoints.
The monument contains bristlecone pines exceeding 1,600 years in age, which grow alongside meadows filled with wildflowers during the brief alpine growing season.
Location: Iron County
Inception: August 22, 1933
Elevation above the sea: 2,845 m
Operator: National Park Service
Shares border with: Ashdown Gorge Wilderness
Website: https://nps.gov/cebr
GPS coordinates: 37.64250,-112.84900
Latest update: May 27, 2025 08:46
The Southwestern US features sandstone formations, desert landscapes and historic sites. The region displays national parks with colored canyons, ancient pueblo settlements in cliffs, volcanic terrains and natural bridges. Notable elements include Navajo trading posts, petrified forests and prehistoric petroglyphs.
The selection presents geological formations from basalt columns in Northern Ireland to salt flats in Bolivia. It includes glaciers, volcanoes, canyons, waterfalls, and coral reefs. These geological structures were shaped by natural forces such as erosion, tectonic movements, and volcanic activities over millions of years.
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