THE GREAT OUTDOORS — The number seven has long held significant meaning for various cultures across the world. There are seven days of the week, the seven virtues and seven deadly sins, and of course, the Seven Wonders of the World.

So we thought it would be fun to compile a list of what we think are Utah’s seven natural wonders.

The criteria for our list

So first, we have to specify the criteria for what we picked. Where other lists like this have highlighted Utah’s most wondrous features by simply listing large regions of Utah (i.e. "southern Utah"), this list is all about specificity. Only individual natural features, formations or objects will be included in this list. Note that some of them are large formations, but they are still single, natural formations.

They must also be wholly or mostly located within Utah and qualify as a single feature on the landscape to be considered. This is not a list of entire national or state parks, national forests or wilderness areas.

With Utah’s innumerable singular natural features, here are the seven we think are among the most wondrous.

The Great Salt Lake

Beginning with the state capital’s namesake, the Great Salt Lake belongs to an exclusive club of lakes with no outlet, making it among the 10 saltiest bodies of water on earth and the largest such body in the Western Hemisphere. The lake’s size and location provide a crucial habitat for a diverse array of birds.

At roughly 75 miles long and 35 miles wide, the Great Salt Lake is the largest natural body of water between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean. The lake is so large, it greatly influences weather patterns through much of the state, according to an American Meteorological Society journal. Its salinity and size even fooled early explorers, who were sure it was an extension of the Pacific Ocean, according to Utah.com.

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It has inspired tales of whales and sea monsters, and on a calm evening when the water is still, there may be no better place in the state to view the sun setting. There is no denying the significance of The Great Salt Lake to the state of Utah.

Utah’s per capita water use continues to be among the highest in the nation, according to reports by the Utah Division of Water Resources. And due to Utah’s ever-increasing water usage, there are growing fears that Utah’s famous inland sea may one day be little more than a memory if residents don't cut back water use.

Pando

A Latin term meaning “I spread,” Pando is the name given to a somewhat inconspicuous grove of aspens in Utah’s Fish Lake National Forest. Its claim to fame is being the largest known organism by mass on Earth and may well be the oldest living thing on the globe as well.

This grove of roughly 50,000 clone trees is estimated to have started at the end of the last ice age, according to the U.S. Forest Service. That means Pando was likely ancient eons before the first pharaoh even dreamt of pyramids in Egypt. That, coupled with the quaking aspens significance to Utah’s landscape and wildlife, ensures Pando captures its place on this list.

But like the Great Salt Lake, Pando may one day find itself listed among Utah’s extinct wonders. Aspens all across the West are not doing well, and Utah is no exception.

The prime suspects are grazing cattle, foraging wildlife, competing vegetation, drought and unnatural suppression of fire, all of which may have interfered with the growth of sprouts. Smithsonian Magazine also cites global warming as a contributing factor for the dying aspens.

In 2014, the Forest Service fenced off portions of Pando in an effort to figure out what's going on. The Forest Service also experimented with controlled burns and with mechanical removal of vegetation to determine whether competition from other plants is partly to blame, according to a 2014 KSL article.

Bryce Canyon Amphitheater

While there are other similar landscapes that could have been included on this list, it’s Bryce Canyon’s world-renowned amphitheater that we selected as one of Utah’s seven natural wonders.

Not actually a canyon at all, the series of towering limestone formations called “hoodoos” which make up Bryce Canyon’s main amphitheater, constitutes the highest such concentration in the world), according to the National Park Service, and has been named as one of the most beautiful places in the world more than once.

If you haven’t seen Bryce Canyon in person, you owe yourself a visit. The two best ways to take in this natural wonder are: hiking among the enchanted hoodoos, as seen in this video, and witnessing the sunrise bathe the hoodoos in golden light on a clear morning.

If you really want to experience something special, try hiking among the hoodoos at sunrise.

As the first light of the day ignites the amphitheater in flaming hues of white, orange and pink, it will become clear why Bryce Canyon’s Amphitheater is one of Utah’s greatest natural wonders.

While the natural processes of erosion) and the passage of time will eventually destroy many of Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos, responsible visitors can help maintain Bryce Canyon's beauty by staying on trails and leaving no trace of their visit.

The Uinta Mountains

Utah is home to a large number of stunning mountain ranges, all of which provide the state with incredible scenery and diversity. Choosing one range over the others to appear on this list was no easy task; but in the end, the Uintas came out on top. So why did we pick the Uintas above the others?

This range of soaring peaks extending 100 miles in Utah’s northeastern corner distinguishes itself in a number of ways. For starters, nearly all of Utah’s mountain ranges are oriented on a north-south axis, except for the Uinta Mountains. Interestingly, there are only two major ranges in North America that buck this trend and are instead oriented on an east-west axis. These nonconformists are the Brooks Mountains in Alaska and Utah’s own Uinta Mountains.

Beyond their unique orientation, the Uintas are also home to the highest point in Utah, Kings Peak, a whopping 13,528 feet above sea level. The mountain range also includes 10 peaks that reach 13,000 feet tall, as well as 14 unnamed peaks, according to the Deseret News.

Further adding to their credentials, the Uintas are home to more than 1,000 natural lakes, according to Utah.com, most of which are located at high elevation surrounded by vast basins and open tundra. Their slopes are the headwaters of the Bear, Weber and Provo rivers, as well as a major contributor to the Green-Colorado River system. Their influence on Utah’s water system and landscape extends throughout the state, even contributing to a number of other wonders listed here.

Zion Canyon

Like many of the wonders on this list, words never seem able to adequately convey their beauty. That is certainly the case with Zion Canyon. The centerpiece of Zion National Park is so unbelievably majestic, words will never do it justice.

Zion is home to some of the tallest sandstone monoliths and cliffs in the world, with some, like the Great White Throne, stretching almost a half mile into the sky. While measurements alone are indeed impressive, the only way to begin to appreciate Zion’s beauty is to visit in person. Whether from the valley floor, the summit of Angel’s Landing or the canyon rim, Zion Canyon’s verticality is awe-inspiring and a true natural wonder.

It is little wonder that trails like Angels Landing and the Zion Narrows are frequently listed among the best hiking trails in the world.

Zion Canyon’s hanging gardens and oases are also wonders in-and-of themselves and only further qualify Zion Canyon as one of Utah’s most wondrous natural features.

Delicate Arch

Natural arches and bridges rank among Utah’s most unique and iconic natural features. Many of which, like Landscape Arch, Rainbow Bridge and Kolob Arch are among the largest of their kind in the world, according to the National Park Service. Utah is home to so many world-class arches it would be easy to fill a list of seven natural wonders with nothing else. But, we decided the one most worthy of this list has to be Delicate Arch.

Though impressive in size, Delicate Arch is dwarfed by many similar landmarks, including those arches and bridges previously mentioned. Where Delicate Arch really stands out is its setting.

Positioned precipitously on the edge of a swirling natural amphitheater, Delicate Arch acts like a window framing colossal red rock buttes, vast canyons and the towering peaks of the La Sal Mountains (the second tallest range in the state)). This is as close as you can get to seeing Utah in a single glance.

If you haven’t made the moderate hike to Delicate Arch, you’re really denying yourself a quintessential Utah experience.

Glen Canyon (Home of Lake Powell)

The Colorado River is the Michelangelo of the American Southwest. Responsible for carving the natural wonder of the world that is the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River has bestowed Utah with numerous natural and scenic masterpieces, many of which were serious contenders for this list. But in the end, any list of Utah’s natural wonders would be incomplete without the inclusion of Glen Canyon.

If the Grand Canyon is the Colorado River’s Sistine Chapel, Glen Canyon is the Colorado’s David, a colossal masterwork hewn from red rock desert stretching close to 200 miles through southern Utah and into Arizona.

Glen Canyon is Utah’s own Grand Canyon, and that’s not a frivolous title appropriation either. Utah’s wondrous Glen Canyon is the Grand Canyon before it widens into its more famous sections, and is even referred to as "Grand Canyon East" by some locals.

It’s a labyrinthian system of more than 90 named side canyons which house such natural gems as Rainbow Bridge, Coyote Gulch, Antelope Canyon and many others. Though no longer purely “natural” since the creation of Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon is as remarkable a wonder as any.

Conclusion

If one thing is for certain, it’s that Utah is an incredible hotbed of natural splendor and that the permanence of Utah’s many wonders is anything but certain.

The author and naturalist John Muir once said, “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” That is certainly true of Utah’s natural treasures.

Some of these landmarks face a very uncertain future and others are showing signs of wear. The fate of Utah’s treasures rests with people, so remember to leave no trace when exploring the outdoors and take some time to learn how your actions, even at home, affect Utah’s natural wonders.

What natural wonders would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments. Watch for this article's companion piece about Utah’s seven man-made wonders.

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