The scenic sights in Utah's southeast corner could easily fill a week's travel itinerary, and that's just hitting the highlights. The area is covered in dramatic landscapes from all points of the compass. From east to west, visitors may connect to the ancient past at Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments. Following a north to south route, exceptional national parks include Arches National Park and two sections of the Canyonlands, then it's south to world famous Monument Valley.
   The Bears Ears, rising up over 8700 feet in elevation, lends its name to this huge section of untamed wilderness. It's here where a transition zone begins. The Bears Ears mark the southern boundary of the Dark Canyon Plateau and the high elevations of the Manti-La Sal National Forest. The splendor of mountain greenery is in great contrast to semi-arid lower elevations and red rock desert. The mountain shrub zone is sprinkled with sage brush, bluegrasses and mountain snowberry. The La Sal - Monticello forest land is a mix of confer and dense aspen groves. This immense area is home for elk, turkey and large mule deer.
    Utah Route 95, from Blanding to Natural Bridges National Monument, passes by the Bears Ears and the southern edge of the Dark Canyon Wilderness area. To the west is the Woodenshoe Canyon area ... and toward the northeast lies the Abajo Mountains, with Abajo Peak, the granddaddy of them all at 11,360 feet. Pictured is here is one of the most famous Cedar Mesa Puebloan ruins. Set on fire by a setting sun, rock striations in the ledge above ruins are lit up, appearing like flames. One of several ruins along South Mule Canyon Trail, hikers will find this scene about a mile from the trailhead. A half dozen stream crossings make this hike a little more of an adventure. Recent rains may have some explorers a little hesitant taking on the 2 mile round-trip House on Fire excursion.
   Contrary to wishes of some Utah state officials, President Obama set aside a huge chunk of southeastern Utah as the Bears Ears National Monument. Following the lead of Teddy Roosevelt, Obama used the powers of the Antiquities Act to preserve this sandstone wonderland. With the tens of thousands of archaeological sites and artifacts scattered throughout the wilderness, Native American tribes are delighted to hear that this sacred land will be preserved for future generations. Subsequently drawing praise as well as protests, the Trump administation has scaled back the size of the monument by more than a million acres. Citing federal overreach, President Trump suggested preservation should be left up to the states. In a seesaw battle, President Biden overturned Tump's reduced version of the monument, and restored the boundaries of both the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments.

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