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Cedar Breaks General Info
The Amphitheater
There is nothing subtle about the great natural rock amphitheater
of Cedar Breaks. It is a spectacle of gigantic dimensions full
of extraordinary forms wrapped in bold and brilliant colors. Once
you see it for yourself, you may agree with the observer who said,
"If Cedar Breaks were anywhere but in this region, it would be
picked as one of the world's greatest scenic wonders." The Cedar
Breaks amphitheater is a product of many of the same forces that
created the Southwest's other great landscapes, including the
Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, and the Bryce amphitheater. It is,
however, an original work of nature not quite like any other.
Shaped like a huge coliseum, the amphitheater is more than 2,000
feet deep and more than 3 miles in diameter. Millions of years
of uplift and erosion carved this huge bowl in the steep west-facing
side of the 10,000 foot-high Markagunt Plateau.
Exhibited tike statues inside this natural gallery are stone spires,
columns, arches, and canyons of intricate design and seemingly
infinite variety. The many forms are time-worn sculptures of rain,
streams, ice, and wind. Saturating the rock throughout is a color
scheme as striking as any found on the Colorado Plateau. Varying
combinations of iron and manganese give the rock its different
reds, yellows, and purples. Impressed with the artistic shading,
early Indians called the amphitheater the Circle of Painted Cliffs.
Many years later early southern Utah settlers renamed the amphitheater
Cedar Breaks: "Cedar" for the cedar, or juniper, trees that grew
nearby, and "Breaks," another word for badlands. In 1933 Cedar
Breaks National Monument was established, calling nationwide attention
to the spectacular amphitheater.
A Park Guide
Planning Your Stay A good starting point for your tour of the
park is the visitor center. This building is packed full of books,
brochures, and exhibits on Cedar Breaks and its geology, history,
wildlife, and wildflowers. Rangers can help plan your stay and
suggest things to do. The center is open daily from early June
to mid-October. The rest of the year, information is available
at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center in Zion National Park, located
43 miles southwest of Cedar Breaks just off U.S. 15. Throughout
your travels, be aware that high altitudes may cause shortness
of breath and tiredness. Slow down and rest often. Also, remember
that everything here even the tiniest flower is protected and
should be left undisturbed. Feeding wildlife, hunting, and carrying
firearms are prohibited.
The Scenic Drive
A 5-mile road through the high country of Cedar Breaks is the
main route to the park's scenic attractions. Scenic overlooks,
trailheads, and all visitor services are located along this road
or on short side roads. The roads are designed for sightseeing,
not speeding; observe posted speed limits. Don't drive into easily
damaged meadows; use designated roadside parking areas only.
Scenic Overlooks
Four overlooks, where you can view the massive Cedar Breaks amphitheater,
are located along the scenic drive. Stop at each viewpoint, for
no two give you quite the same perspective. Stay behind overlook
fences and away from the edge where the rock is loose and crumbly.
Don't throw rocks or other objects off the rim. Keep a close eye
on children. During thunderstorms, avoid overlooks and other exposed
areas where lightning may strike.
Trails
Cedar Breaks has two high country trails. The circular 2-mile
Alpine Pond Trail leads to a picturesque forest glade and pond.
A trail guide is available at the trailhead or the visitor center.
The 2 mile Ramparts Trail along the plateau rim passes a stand
of ancient bristlecone pine at Spectra Point and ends at a viewpoint
overlooking the Cedar Breaks amphitheater. Pets are not permitted
on these trails. Experienced hikers may want to explore Rattlesnake
Creek Trail, just north of the park. Before attempting this hike,
talk to a ranger about the hazards of steep terrain and flash
floods.
Camping, Picnicking
The 30-site park camp ground is open on a first come, first-served
basis from June to mid-September. Daytime temperatures are commonly
in the 60s and 70s?F, while nighttime lows are in the 30s and
40s?F. The campground has water, restrooms, tables, fire grills,
and an outdoor amphitheater where evening programs are given.
Near the campground is a picnic area with water, tables, and grills.
Fires are permitted only in campground and picnic area grills.
Roads
and services are usually closed from mid-October through May because
of heavy snow accumulations, but the park is open for cross country
skiing and snowmobiling (only on unplowed roads).
Nearby Accommodations
Cedar City has lodging and other major visitor services. Closer
by, smaller towns, including Brian Head just to the north of the
park, have year-round lodging, restaurants, gasoline, and groceries.
These services are not available in the park.
Information and Emergency Assistance
For more information, write: Superintendent, Cedar Breaks National
Monument, 82 North 100 East Street, Cedar City, UT 84720-2606;
or call (435) 586-9451. In an emergency, come to the visitor center
or contact any park employee.
The High country
Atop the Markagunt Plateau is the high country of Cedar Breaks.
It is a world every bit as rich in color and as delicate in form
as the rock amphitheater below, yet it is a very different place.
Here you can immerse yourself in the lushness of the scenery,
breathe in the intoxicating fragrance of spruce-fir forests, and
tread softly through subalpine meadows of grasses and seasonal
wildflowers. In this sanctuary of clean. cool air, abundant rainfall,
full sunlight, and fertile soil, nature exhibits its full irrepressible
potential.
Seasons of Color
Cedar Breaks flaunts its natural flair for life most dramatically
with an annual show of spring and summer wild flowers. The floral
display begins late in June, as sprays of mountain bluebell. pale
pink spring beauty, lavender fleabane, beardtongue and other penstemons,
and other early bloomers appear. In late July the display begins
to peak, and the rolling meadows fill to overflowing with larkspur,
lupine, penstemon, columbine, Indian paintbrush, and a variety
of other flowers. For the next few brief weeks, until about mid-August,
the open fields are stages where the flowers of Cedar Breaks improvise
one spontaneous show of color after another.
Ancient Trees of Life
In sharp contrast to the flowers, which rush through their lives
in months, is the bristlecone pine. This native of the Cedar Breaks
high country is the Methuselah of trees; one gnarled and weather
beaten individual at Spectra Point on the plateau rim has already
lived more than 1600 years. In other southwestern states 4,500
year-old specimens have been discovered. That the bristlecone
lives at all is something of a miracle considering that it grows
only in forsaken spots where water is scarce, soil is thin. and
fierce winds blow unchecked.
A Place of Refuge
Elsewhere in the high country are luxuriant forest retreats, like
the one at Alpine Pond. This spring-fed back country pool lies
in ashady grove of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and quaking
aspen. Interspersed among the trees are luxuriant meadows of grasses
and wildflowers. Here, and throughout the parks fields and forests,
various kinds of wildlife roam. As you drive along a road or walk
a trail, you are likely to encounter many birds, including the
neighborly Clarks nutcracker, the violet-green swallows that fly
along the plateau rim, and the common raven. You also may see
or hear mule deer, pikas, marmots, porcupines, red squirrels,
golden mantled ground squirrels, and chipmunks. Rarer, harder-to-find
animals, such as mountain lions, also inhabit this protected area.
This, then, is the world of Cedar Breaks' high country atop the
Markagunt Plateau. Small in size but great in what it has to offer,
this land of meadows and forests is a gentle and glorious expression
of wild America.
For More Information
- Contact
Superintendent
Cedar Breaks National Monument
82 North 100 East Street
Cedar City, UT 84720-2606
Phone: (435) 586-9451
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