Whether you’re exploring on foot, with two wheels or even dangling from a rope, the spectacular canyons of southern Utah look good from every angle, writes Alexis Buston-Collins For some 15 million years, powerful rivers swollen with snowmelt have carved ever-deepening channels through the soft, multicoloured sandstone of the American southwest. The paths they’ve left behind range from slot canyons so narrow you can touch both walls with outstretched hands, to vast chasms that are hundreds of metres deep and kilometres across. The greatest concentration of these spectacular landmarks lies in southern Utah , and no matter your preferred mode of transport (and adventure), there’s a canyon waiting for you.
READ MORE: USA holidays: Destination Utah - the best of Red Rocks Hit the trails on foot You could spend years exploring southern Utah and still only scratch the surface of the hiking opportunities , but few trails are more iconic than The Narrows in Zion National Park. This hike follows a canyon so, ahem, narrow that there’s no path – walkers simply follow the Virgin River between walls that squeeze in until they’re only 7m apart despite towering 450m above the water on either side. It means that precious little sunlight penetrates the lower regions, and while the strikingly moody colour palette has inspired a thousand postcards, they miss out on the soundtrack of rushing water and chirping swallows that provides a peaceful counterpoint to the dramatic scenery.
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