Vividly illustrated and exhaustively researched and documented, Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts weaves a sweeping tapestry of artists' attempts to capture the majesty, rare beauty, and raw danger of Utah's frontier West. A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF ARTISTS WHO PAINTED SOUTHERN UTAH, INCLUDING: Solomon Nunes Carvalho Frederick S. Dellenbaugh John Heber Stansfield William Keith Samuel Coleman Thomas Moran Minerva B. K. Teichert Maynard Dixon LeConte Stewart J. Roman Andrus Birger Sandzén Everett Ruess Georgia O'Keeffe Max Ernst Alfred Lambourne Henry L. A. Culmer Donald Beauregard
Utah's landscape is among the most spectacular in the world. It is a region of prominent peaks, sweeping valleys, dramatic canyons, and plateaus rimmed by sheer cliffs. Unique among western states, Utah's landscape includes the Colorado Plateau, Basin and Range, and Rocky Mountains geologic provinces. Exposed rocks tell the geologic story of the region's basement structures, overlying surface features, and rock sequences that have contributed to sculpting the appearance of today's landscape. Rocks and formations record the evolution of the western part of the North American continent, and give clues to the nature of ancient crustal basement and Earth's deeper layers. Climate change has shaped the present landscape through the erosional power of ancient glaciers and the presence of today's large lakes and basins. Geology of Utah introduces the state's deep earth, plate tectonics, and the development of its ancient mountains. It describes the geology of the three main geological provinces, ancient elevations, cliffs, valleys, and the history of the region's climate. This book will enrich the experience of enthusiastic amateur geologists who want to understand and explore the development of Utah's highlands and the history of this dynamic landscape.
Discover soaring sandstone cliffs, ancient rock-art, sun-baked desert, and open woodlands of pinyon and juniper. Up-to-date trail and campground information are featured in this second edition and 124 different hikes are detailed. Includes descriptions of desert geology, plants and animals, and a topographic map for each hike.
The vast public lands of the American West are being transformed today, not geologically but conceptually. A century ago, visitors to western public lands were likely to be ranchers or miners. Today, the lands are popular destinations for campers, hikers, rock climbers, river runners, artists, and off-road-vehicle enthusiasts. These new visitors have proved to be a challenge for managers of public lands, in particular the federal Bureau of Land Management. Perhaps no area has been more affected by changing users and shifting policies than the San Rafael Swell, a million-acre expanse in southeastern Utah. In this insightful and useful book, Jeffrey Durrant follows the trail of decisions and events that have had—and continue to have—a transformative impact on this ancient land. In detailing political and environmental squabbles over the San Rafael Swell, Durrant illuminates issues that confront land managers, bureaucrats, and elected officials throughout the country. He describes struggles between county commissioners and environmental activists, conflicts over water rights, proposals that repeatedly fail to gain government approval, and political posturings. Caught in the crossfire, and often overwhelmed, the Bureau of Land Management has seen its long-time mission—once centered on grazing and mining rights—transmogrify into a new and, to some, unsettling responsibility for recreation and preservation. The sandstone crags and twisting valleys of the San Rafael Swell present a formidable landscape, but as this book clearly shows, the political landscape may be even more daunting, strewn with bureaucratic boulders and embedded with fixed positions on the functions and values of public land.
An updated edition of the most comprehensive guide to the area, full of spectacular scenery and ripe for outdoor adventure. In this definitive guide to Utah’s Wasatch Region, entertainment abounds, from the ski slopes of Park City to the theaters of Salt Lake. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Rockies’ impressive peaks, this region offers the perfect pairing of outdoor escapes and urban options—with convenience, accessibility, and affordability.
