The Grand Canyon

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Bryce Canyon National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

The Glen Canyon and Lake Powell

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

These are some remote areas and depending on exactly where you wish to explore, it is sometimes difficult to locate all the accommodations, activities, guides and rentals that you may require. This website at gsenm.com invite you to forward us news, trip reports, businesses and more to share here with our readers as well as at our outdoor recreation message board at

The website at AdventureZoneTOURS has just added a new feature and is seeking rural suppliers to the travel market.

Rural Travel Website Focuses on Back Country USA - Seeks New Travel Suppliers

Cedar City, UT,  Social Networking for Wilderness Areas, Parks, Monuments and Outdoors Recreation at AdventureZoneTOURS.
Most travel websites are focused on the large metro areas in the United States. One website has a different twist and has just launched a new feature.
AdventureZoneTOURS partners with small business owners in these over looked rural areas. There are thousands of small business owners located near wilderness areas,
many of them don’t have websites  or are sometimes hard to find in a search engine. We add their products and services into our database.
We are unique since in the past two years we have posts about all the National Parks, State Parks, National Monuments and Wilderness Areas in one place, and the new feature
will allow adventure travelers to plan out all their places to stay and fun things to do all in one action! No more clicking and searching all around. All selected travel partners with available inventory in our system get notified of the reservations request.

The Outdoor Recreation Message Board lists the states, separated into travel region message boards where people can see the outdoor public land areas available with map, information, stories, photos and over 4,000 posts. There are park maps, webcams, directions and a search to located  accommodations and activity providers in that state region.

Travel partners are invited to become part of the rural reservations booking engine that has just been launched. It’s social networking message boards are geared towards all four seasons.
Accommodations and Activities suppliers need only to visit http://www.adventurezonetours.com and click on the link at the top that says Travel Partners. AdventurezoneTOURS is simply the intermediary to assist the traveler and suppliers in creating an incredible adventure opportunity in rural America.  The database is set up for most accommodations suppliers like motels, camps, lodges, campgrounds, etc. The activities database is set up for ATV, horses, hiking, tours, winter, water, rentals and more.

Bob Therrien, President of TrainingPASS Sales, Inc., creator of AdventureZoneTOURS.com, outdoor writer, and constant traveler commented,
“Over the years, the hardest part for me has been the research about which parks, hikes, climbs, guides I want to visit with my family and friends. Exploring site after site, then mapping the distance from each area of interest is inefficient and many times lacking in information. To solve that inefficiency we (AdventureZoneTOURS.com) have collected all the basic information about our parks, wilderness areas and national monuments into one website. Because of the content rich nature of our website the internet search engines really seem to like us. Now we’d like to be able to offer the rural small business owners and our internet users an opportunity to make the back country adventure easier.”

Southern Utah’s Kane County

CONTACT: Cowboy Ted Hallisey

TEL: 435-644-5033

E-MAIL: Cowboyted8(at)aol.com

WEBSITE: http://www.kaneutah.com/

KANAB, Utah—Families and individuals from all fifty states and internationally are invited to attend the First Annual Amazing Earthfest Celebration, happening May 21-26, 2007 in Kanab, Utah. Here travelers will discover, learn from and celebrate national and state parks, national forests and public lands of the Colorado plateau located in Utah and Arizona.

Kanab plans to establish, host and support this broadly inclusive event each year in May, fostering education, scientific discovery and understanding, plus recreation and entertainment. The goal is to attract visitors from across the nation and abroad to Kane County, for the purpose of experiencing the National Parks and Public Lands in the region, recently described by Sunset Magazine as “dramatic.”

Visitors can choose from a wide variety of scheduled activities including: lectures and demonstrations, scientific and educational symposia, Native American and Pioneer cultural programs, guided backcountry trips, expeditions and musical performances. Additional activities include: exhibitions of visual arts, painting, sculpture, handmade crafts, culinary delights and Pioneer history.

Scientific Presentations - Visiting scholars, scientists and staff from major regional educational institutions and the public land managing agencies will be invited to present on geology, ecology, biology, paleontology and archaeology, as well as land and resource management techniques. Programs are planned for a host of visitor centers in the area, as well as guided site visits and expeditions to remote locations in the region. Activities, exhibits, lectures and demonstrations will be designed to educate and inform local residents and visitors about the scientific discovery, study, history and natural wonders of Southern Utah and the Arizona Strip.

Creative Arts & Entertainment - Artists, musicians and storytellers will be on-hand to express their experience of the history, life and culture of the Intermountain West, through exhibitions, concerts and presentations, including competitions for prizes. Pioneer history and culinary arts will round out visitors’ enjoyment.

Outdoor Recreation - Campers, hikers, horseback riders, cyclists, mountain bikers, climbers, road tourists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts are invited to make Southern Utah & Northern Arizona their destination for this springtime event; to engage in a favorite sport, while enjoying the welcoming hospitality of area service providers. OHVs are welcome on designated routes and trails.

Want a special treat? Hit the Arizona Strip and learn about the Condor Release Program.

Tentative Amazing Earthfest Participants ~ 2007

· Best Friends Animal Society – bird display on site in Angel Canyon

· Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park – sunset photo clinic and nature walk

· Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – Lake Powell events

· Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim

· Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – Dinosaur talks and exhibits

· Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts – Maynard Dixon Home

· Pipe Spring National Monument – Native American and Pioneer food and lifestyle recreations & sampling

Also: Bryce Canyon National Park, Capital Reef National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Dixie National Forest, East Zion Tourism Council, Kaibab National Forest, Kanab City, Kane County Office of Tourism, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Mormon Pioneer Heritage Highway, Page-Lake Powell, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah Office of Tourism, and Zion National Park.

For more information on First Annual Amazing Earthfest Celebration please call Cowboy Ted Hallisey-435-644-5033.

Cowboy Ted Hallisey
Executive Director
Kane County Office of Tourism
P.O. Box 209
Kanab, Utah 84741
435-644-5033

This web blog at GSENM.com invite’s Utah groups to forward us their news to share here with our readers as well as our outdoor recreation message board at http://www.adventurezonetours.com/

Author: Bob Therrien

www.adventurezonetours.com

The Grand Staircase in southern Utah is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretch south from Bryce Canyon National Park through Zion National Park and into the Grand Canyon. In the 1870s, geologist Clarence Dutton first conceptualized this region as a huge stairway ascending out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon northward with the cliff edge of each layer forming giant steps. Dutton divided this layer cake of Earth history into five steps that he colorfully named Pink Cliffs, Grey Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermilion Cliffs, and Chocolate Cliffs. Since then, modern geologists have further divided Dutton’s steps into individual rock formations.

Visiting Utah can be quite an experience. If you’ve heard about slot canyons and canyoneering, then you’ve probably read about southern Utah. The major airports to fly into the region are normally Las Vegas for southern Utah or Salt Lake City for northern Utah. Researching your trip normally means selecting your areas of interest from the following regions.

· Northern Utah - Central Utah - Southern Utah

The Grand Staircase can be accessed from Southern Utah. It is vast and very diverse. Some of the activities people enjoy are:

• Hiking
• Camping
• Biking
• ATV
• Scenic Drives
• Horseback Riding
• Wildlife
• Rivers

What makes the Grand Staircase worldly unique is that it preserves more Earth history than any other place on Earth. Geologists often liken the study of sedimentary rock layers to reading a history book–layer by layer, detailed chapter by detailed chapter. The problem is that in most places in the world, the book has been severely damaged by the rise and fall of mountains, the scouring of glaciers, etc. Usually these chapters are completely disarticulated from each other and often whole pages are just missing. Yet the Grand Staircase and the lower cliffs that comprise the Grand Canyon remain largely intact speaking to over 600 million years of continuous Earth history with only a few paragraphs missing here and there.

Many people drive into the GSENM on Cottonwood or Skutumpah Roads and enjoy the hikes listed below. These road are very close to Kodachrome Basin State Park, which is very colorful and interesting.

• Willis Creek
• Bull Valley Gorge
• Lick Wash
• Hackberry
• Cottonwood Wash
• Wahweap Hoodoos

Unfortunately, the Grand Staircase is such a vast region of rock that no matter where you stand on its expanse, most of it will be hidden behind the curvature of Earth. Places such as Yovimpa Point and the north slope of the Kaibab Plateau are the exception where even a non-geologist can discern the individual chapters of this colossal history book–these immense steps of Dutton’s Grand Staircase.

The sections or steps in the Grand Staircase are named for the dominant color of rock. You are standing on the top step known as the Pink Cliffs. The entire Pink Cliffs of Bryce are but a single step in the much larger Grand Staircase. Directly below you are the Grey Cliffs. As you look into the distance you can see Molly’s Nipple which is part of the White Cliffs. Looking down into distant canyons near the horizon, you can just make out some red rock underneath the White Cliffs. This red rock makes up the Vermilion Cliffs. Hidden from view but directly under the Towering Vermilion cliffs are the comparatively diminutive, Chocolate Cliffs. The tree-covered hills that meet the horizon belong to the Kaibab Plateau — the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Some of the source content of this article was obtained from the National Park Service.

Research, read and share trip reports and pics here.

We’d Like to invite you to be a guest blogger on this site and to share some information by posting on http://www.adventurezonetours.com

Press Release:

National Parks, State Parks, National Monuments, and Wilderness Areas, All in One Website!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT OUR NATIONAL PARKS –

On AdventureZoneTOURS.com

Cedar City, UT (February 27, 2007) The good news is that the United States of America has protected some of the most unique and incredible places to see on earth, and to encourage visitors, AdventureZoneTOURS.com brings all the parks, monuments, and wilderness areas into one online message board where people can share information about these fantastic outdoors resources.

The bad news is that the National Parks face a budget crisis. Struggling to protect the historic, cultural and natural resources, the parks are short of funds for operating facilities, repairs to roads, bridges, trails and buildings. In 2006, a $814 million shortfall was reported. With the National Park Service covering almost 400 protected areas, NPS has fewer employees to service the growing number of visitors per year. Over 273,000,000 people visited the National Parks in 2005, with reports of declining visitors. AdventureZoneTOURS.com fills in the gap where information on locations and services are currently lacking. Instead of contacting a variety of parks or wilderness areas to compile your trip, now planning and previewing a vacation or adventure is just a click away on AdventureZoneTOURS.COM.

In a recent trend, volunteering has become very popular with more people willing to offer their time or vacation in assisting the parks and outdoor organizations with clean up, rebuilding trails and other important tasks. AdventureZoneTOURS.com not only features a message board for each region of every state but under the category Special Interests members are invited to post messages for volunteer opportunities or find links to the volunteer opportunity just right for them.

Bob Therrien, President of TrainingPASS Sales, Inc., creator of AdventureZoneTOURS.com, outdoor writer, and constant traveler commented, “Over the years, the hardest part for me has been the research about which parks, hikes, climbs, guides I want to visit with my family and friends. Exploring site after site, then mapping the distance from each area of interest is inefficient and many times lacking in information. To solve that inefficiency we (AdventureZoneTOURS.com) have collected all the basic information about our parks, wilderness areas and national monuments into one website. We’re still working on the mapping solution right now, so that a visitor can visually see just a region of a state and distances between multiple areas of interest. AdventureZoneTOURS.com is an outdoors recreation message board that now needs real trip reports from people who love these parks and are willing to share information on their special places.”

The Outdoor Adventure Message Board opens up to reveal historic park photos and a listing of U.S. States separated into travel regions. Click on search to find your park or any state region and there are sub forums for all the parks, monuments and wilderness areas in that region. You’ll find links to park maps, webcams and several interesting choices to pick from within a state region. Choose just the park to visit or check special interest message boards for posts on volunteer opportunities and travel for women only, men, training retreats, or shuttle posts.

For the activity-specific minded, AdventureZoneTOURS.com encourages users to share trip reports for a variety of outdoor activities from hiking, climbing, canyoneering, geo exploring, photography, ghost towns, mines, and cave to water sports such as boating, fishing, jet and water skiing, tubing, rafting, and scuba. Winter travel sports locations for snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding are featured. Hunting locations, ATV and horseback trails as well as the most scenic areas for outdoor photography are also available as individual topic posts. To research or share your favorite adventure travel location, and for more information, log on to www.AdventureZoneTOURS.com.