Not only deserts decribe these parks. But also prickly plants, water-shrewd animals, alkali flats, deep canyons and serpentine caves.
Created in 1906 to preserve the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people, both atop the mesas and in the cliff dwellings below. See how they lived and survived in this difficult land.
This park is named for the great southwest Texas U-turn the Rio Grande River makes. See the river, desert and mountains that comprise this diverse park.
In the park, 48 miles of the Gunnison River drop 4,600 ft. as it flows through Black Canyon. See the impressive results of this river's creation of the canyon.
This park began 250 million years ago with the creation of a 400-mile-long reef in an island sea. Tour these caverns and see the results of the sea evaporating and the reef buried in salts and gypsum.
Nestled against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the dunes are the focal point of a wild life system of high mountains peaks, sparkling streams, forceful winds and billions of sand grains.
Countless colors, hues and shades paint this tapestry of time that stretches as far as the eye can see. Shaped by wind and water, this land holds vital clues to the past.
See how the saguaro, a giant-sized cactus with all-too-human shapes, is being protected in Arizona's Sonoran desert. One of the hottest (greater than 100˚F) and driest (less than 12 inches annual rainfall) regions of the continent.
