New Harmony in Washington County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Collapsing Scenery

Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

1. Collapsing Scenery Marker

Inscription below the images.
Right-Truck demolished by rockfall in Oak Creek Canyon, 1947. The rock weighted an estimated 880 tons.
Left-Rockfall along a park road, 2004.

Inscription. The cliffs appear solid and motionless. But the visible scars tell a different story. In July 1983 a huge slab broke off the opposite cliff, leaving a buff-colored scar and tons of rubble at the base. The entire even was over in moments.

These canyons are not permanent scenery. Many rockfalls shaped the dynamic and evolving canyons. Dramatic facelifts like the 1983 rockfall are relatively rare, but frequent small piles of rocks on the roadway reveal this terrain’s volatile personality. Look for other rockfall scars throughout the park.

Erected by National Park Service-United States Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1983.

Location. 37° 26.117′ N, 113° 12.072′ W. Marker is in New Harmony, Utah, in Washington County. It can be reached from Kolob Canyon Road. Marker is located at the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Harmony UT 84757, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Utah’s Color Country. It is also in the American Southwest,

in the Mountain West,

and in Colorado Plateau.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kolob Canyons (here, next to this marker); Fort Harmony (approx. 3.9 miles away); Southern Indian Mission (approx. 3.9 miles away); Snowfield Monument

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(approx. 6.2 miles away); Military Training Camp Site (approx. 6.3 miles away); New Harmony (approx. 6.6 miles away); Fort Kanarra (approx. 7.1 miles away); South Rim of the Great Basin (approx. 10 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Harmony.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 29, 2024

2. Collapsing Scenery Marker

Collapsing Scenery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

3. Collapsing Scenery

Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

4. Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

5. Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

6. Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park

Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park-Sign at the entrance to the park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 18, 2007

7. Kolob Canyons-Zion National Park-Sign at the entrance to the park

Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 783 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on January 5, 2020, by Bruce Guthrie of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on February 13, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 2. submitted on November 23, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 13, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.