Acreage: 6,154.6
Category: National Monument
Date Established:
08/22/1933
A spectacular, gigantic natural amphitheater, carved out of the living sandstone rock, three miles wide and two thousand feet deep, Cedar Breaks is one of the most amazing scenic wonders of America. Its colorful wind-carved spires and arches are the equal of anything in the West. Yet the park isn’t anywhere near as well-known as Bryce Canyon or Zion. If Cedar Breaks were located anywhere but southern Utah, it would be thought of as one of the great natural wonders of the world. Here it's overshadowed by Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. But in fact it compares well with any of these more famous sites, and because so few people have discovered it, the park is almost never crowded.
If You Go
The Ramparts Trail and the Alpine Pond Trail, which run along the amphitheater’s rim, offer a moderate hiking challenge. The Rattlesnake Creek Trail, along the park’s northern edge, offers a serious challenge for experienced hikers.
Temperatures in the summer months tend to stay in the 60s and 70s during the day, but fall to the 30s and 40s at night. In the winter, freezing temperatures are common.
Don’t miss out on the five-mile scenic drive that runs along the amphitheater’s eastern rim. It offers some of the most amazing views of scenic grandeur in the park—or anywhere.
Depending on the amount of rainfall the park has received in the winter, spring wildflowers can be spectacular at Cedar Breaks. The flowers are normally at their peak in early June.
The 30-site park campground is open from June through mid-September. No lodging is available within the park, but you can find accommodations in Brian Head Town (2 miles north of the park), or Cedar City (22 miles to the south of the park).
—Jim Thompson, NPCA
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