Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
Arizona Strip
Home of the giant California Condor
|

Vermilion Cliffs
at Sunset |
|
The 294,000 acre Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is
located on the Colorado Plateau in the northern Arizona Strip. The
remote and unspoiled monument is a geologic treasure. It encompasses
the Paria Plateau,
Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes and Paria Canyon. Elevations range
from 3,100 to 6,500 feet. |

California Condor |
|
Read the
Vermillion Cliffs Fact Sheet
by AZwild.org
 |
Because of its remoteness,
Vermillion Cliffs was selected as the release site for the California
Condor reintroduction program in northern Arizona. These giant birds
can have a wing span of over six feet! In addition to the soaring
condors, desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, and
other mammals roam the canyons and plateaus. The Paria River
supports sensitive native fish, including flannel mouth sucker and
speckled dace. |
 |
|
Vermillion Cliffs also contains
outstanding flora and fauna, which have been preserved by the monument’s
remoteness. The monuments vegetation is a distinctive assortment of cold
desert plants and warm desert grassland. There is one threatened
species called Welsh's Milkweed. Twenty species of raptors have
been seen here, as well as an array of reptiles and
amphibians. |

"Welcome Sign" on the monument
border. |

Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center |
|
There is no visitor center in the
monument, but the inter-agency "Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center" is a
good place to get information. It is on the Fredonia-Vermillion
Cliffs Scenic Road (U.S. 89A) near the Navajo Bridge which spans the
Colorado River at the 700 foot deep Marble Canyon. An interactive
video at the center depicts the lives of earlier settlers, natives and
Colorado River runners and the difficulty they had traversing the Colorado
River. The center, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily March through October.
It's operated jointly by the National Park Service, the Glen Canyon
Natural History Association and the Arizona Department of Transportation. |
Vermillion Cliffs Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
Next >
Official NPS home page for Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
| |
|