The Magic Crest

Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, AZ.

Of all the dramatic landscapes of the Southwest, none lights me up more than the Paria Plateau. Just getting to a trailhead is an adventure. House Rock Road is virtually the only main road through it, and most people don't feel comfortable on that. The terrain is not all that conducive to trails, so they can disappear at times. When you stop moving there is no sound. No planes, no cars. Maybe the wind. All this is a good thing.
The names of formations are hard to come by here...there's no real map (that I know of)--it's definitely not a numbered nature trail with guide. An image from another angle, online, revealed what it as The Magic Crest. Perhaps the name comes from it's resemblance to a wizard's hat.

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Filename: The Magic Crest
Image Size: 2048x1363 / 3.0MB; AZ Arizona South Coyote Buttes beehives canyon desert domes landscape nature southwest teepees rock forms Magic Crest Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness wilderness crossbed sandstone sandstone brain rock House Rock Road Paw Hole
Contained in galleries: West

Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, AZ.<br />
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Of all the dramatic landscapes of the Southwest, none lights me up more than the Paria Plateau. Just getting to a trailhead is an adventure. House Rock Road is virtually the only main road through it, and most people don't feel comfortable on that. The terrain is not all that conducive to trails, so they can disappear at times. When you stop moving there is no sound. No planes, no cars. Maybe the wind. All this is a good thing. <br />
The names of formations are hard to come by here...there's no real map (that I know of)--it's definitely not a numbered nature trail with guide. An image from another angle, online, revealed what it as The Magic Crest. Perhaps the name comes from it's resemblance to a wizard's hat.