Nature
The Vermilion Cliffs form a long escarpment in northern Arizona and southern Utah and make up the second step of the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. Their deep red color comes from Lower Jurassic sandstone shaped from ancient silt and desert dunes, then stained by iron oxide and other minerals. Rising above House Rock Valley, the cliffs also stood along an important 19th-century travel route between Utah and Arizona, explored by Jacob Hamblin and later closely followed by Highway 89A. The surrounding canyon country gained major protection through wilderness designation in 1984 and national monument status in 2000, and the area also serves as a California condor release site.
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Bitter Springs, Arizona · United States