Many consider Garfield a true natural treasure

The nice thing about Utah is that so many of its natural wonders can be shared, as is the example in Garfield County.

Within the boundaries are parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park, not to mention a good share of the Boulder Mountains.

What you know:

Highway 12 is probably Utah's most famous stretch of highway.

The highway, from start to finish, all 120 miles, is breathtaking. There is a blend of natural attractions seldom seen anywhere, let alone over such a short stretch of road. It is considered one of the top 10 Scenic Byways in the country. It starts with Red Canyon a few miles from the turnoff near Panguitch and ends with a ride over the Boulder Mountains.

Past Red Canyon there are Bryce Canyon National Park, Mossy Cave, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Calf Creek Falls Recreation Area, the Escalante Canyons, and the Anasazi Indian Village State Park. There are the towns of Tropic, Cannonville, Henrieville, Escalante and Boulder, quaint farming communities with small stores and down-home restaurants and not a single stoplight among them.

There are streams and lakes, hiking and biking paths, and attractions dating from pre-man to modern cowboys and Indians. And there's more yet to be discovered.

It's easy looking at a map to see why so many people consider Garfield County a true "natural" treasure.

The eastern border of the county is the very path of the Colorado River as it flows into Lake Powell and on down to the Halls Crossing area, forming a pretty jagged but definitive border.

Along that line, and in the center of the river, is a section of Cataract Canyon, Utah's most famous and well-traveled whitewater river adventure.

The remainder of the border incorporates the upper half of Lake Powell, from Halls Crossing to Hite. It is one of the lesser-visited areas of the lake. Most visitors opt to stay in and around the Bullfrog area or venture south on into Wahweap.

Many who visit this area, however, consider the upper reaches some of the most spectacular on the lake.

Seven-Mile Canyon, about 24 miles uplake from Bullfrog, with its striking rock walls and contrasting colors, is said to be one of the most photographed of the 96 major canyons on the lake.