Tag rock formations

Zabriskie Point

Towering golden rock formation of Zabriskie Point with the Panamint Range in the background.

There's no shortage of dramatic rock formations in Death Valley National Park. But one that is (arguably) the most iconic is Zabriskie Point. This striking struckure rises out of ancient badlands older than Death Valley itself. It was formed by erosion of sediment left by Furnace Creek Lake when it dried up 5 million years ago, long before Lake Manly and Death Valley as we know it. Today, it is the gem of the Ameragosa Range, the eastern mountain range flanking Death Valley National Park

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Ruby Falls

Discovered in 1928, Ruby Falls is the tallest and deepest falls in North America that are publicly accessible, just outside of Chattanooga.

Ruby Falls is the tallest and deepest waterfall in North America, just outside of Chattanooga. See stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock formations.

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Double Arch Trail

Double Arch - Arches National Park

We wing things. That's what we do. I've made a map of places we would like to go to and then base our routes on our final destination and what mapped points fall between our current location and destination. Exactly how our trip plays out each time is something we play by ear. In this case, we had ten days to travel to Oregon. Half way in, we discovered that we would be swinging by Arches National Park. Arches ranks as one of the most exciting National Parks that neither of us has ever visited. So, of course, we went.

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Devil’s Garden Trail

Woman in front of Landscape Arch in the Devil's Garden of Arches National Park, Utah.

The Devil's garden boasts a notably high concentration of arches, spires, and fins (narrow rock walls) in Arches National Park. Between the main loop and its many offshoots to iconic spots such as the landscape arch and the Double O Arch, hiking the Devil's Garden Trail can take anywhere from 1.9 to 7.9 miles with easy and difficult routes. If you are only going to make one spot in the Devil's Garden, it should be the Landscape Arch.

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Fish Rocks

Graffiti or art in the California Desert

Out in the remote California desert, a debate between art, graffiti, and history rages in slow motion at the Fish Rocks (aka "Whale Rocks" or "Fish Head Rocks,"). These painted rocks off highway 178 trace their origins back to the 1930s. Since then, the question of art vs. graffiti has swirled long enough around this rock outcropping. In the 1970s, the fish faces along with other graffiti that had accumulated over the decades were painted over to restore the natural look of the rocks. Yet, the fish faces prevail as various visitors have restored the fish faces through the years.

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