One morning, I'm standing at the edge of towering cliffs overlooking a vast never-never land of multi-colored stone pinnacles. The next afternoon, I'm clutching the seat of a four-wheel vehicle as it inches along a narrow dirt road above a sheer 1,300-foot drop to the valley floor below. Not long after, I gingerly walk between the vertical walls of a narrow "slot canyon" where the only sound is my breathing.

Seldom is a travel writer at a loss for words to describe even the most magnificent of Mother Nature's handiwork. But that's the challenge after a trip to the five national parks strung across southern Utah like glimmering jewels on a necklace. Even the most expressive adjectives pale in comparison to the colors, shapes and magnitude of landscapes that have been shaped by weather, erosion, movement of the earth and time.

Much of this natural splendor may be viewed right from the road and strategically located scenic overlooks — a term that amid such all-encompassing beauty becomes redundant. People in their car, or hopping aboard an in-park shuttle bus, have more than enough dramatic scenery to see, photograph and "ooh" and "ah" over again.

Those with the time, interest and energy can explore in more depth by a variety of conveyances. These include hiking and horseback riding, whitewater rafting and kayaking, biking and jet boating.

My first impression after arriving in the setting was an understanding of its description as red rock country. And while countless hues of red are the predominant color, the landscape also has been painted with splashes of pale gray, tan, chocolate and the "desert varnish" that covers some rock faces with a shiny black façade.

Along with color variations, each park envelops the visitor in a unique environment, as dramatic as it is different in ways from the others. Following roughly a southeasterly route, the impatient traveler probably could maintain a park-a-day schedule — but why would he? A minimum of two days at each one provides time to linger at the overlooks, perhaps enjoy a picnic by a cooling stream, and take leisurely strolls to view up close the astounding geologic formations.

While aptly named Arches National Park is the second smallest of the five, it contains the greatest concentration of natural stone arches in the world — some 900 that measure at least 3 feet in diameter. The varied landscape also boasts cliffs and deep canyons, pinnacles and plateaus, and everywhere a rainbow of colorful rocks.

But arches are the main attraction. Graceful Delicate Arch is the best-known span in the park. Landscape Arch, said to be the longest known rock span, would stretch the length of a football field. Other natural wonders with man-given names include the rock skyscrapers of Park Avenue, Devil's Garden and the Windows, four large openings that can be viewed from the road.

While only a short drive from Arches, Canyonlands National Park — the largest of the five — presents a very different facade. Here is quintessential Western canyon country of towering buttes and mesas, colorful cliffs and deep canyons that have been carved over time by the rushing Green and Colorado rivers.

Given its size — almost half as large as Rhode Island — Canyonlands consists of three separate districts, each named for its distinctive landscape. Island in the Sky is a towering wedge-shaped land island that points toward the confluence of the two rivers. The view from the top stretches across countless canyons to the horizon 100 miles away.

The Needles District is named for a maze of red- and white-banded pinnacles that resemble a fairyland. Adding to the dramatic tableau is a jumble of rock spires, gorges and fins. Names of distinctive formations — like Elephant Hill, Angel Arch and Paul Bunyan's Potty — are as colorful as they are descriptive.

The labyrinth of colorful canyons and pillars of the Maze District, while magnificent, make it one of the most remote and forbidding places in the country. Only the most intrepid travelers venture there, by foot or four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Explorers in the West applied the name "reef" to barriers they encountered, and the first look at white, rounded domes capping an eroded layer of sandstone explains where Capitol Reef National Park got its name. Its terrain is dominated by a 90-mile-long fold in the earth's crust that hindered early east-west travel. Adding to the image are bare-boulder "slickrock" cliffs, towering domes and canyons that in places narrow to not much more than shoulder width.

Much of the scenery the park has to offer is visible during the 10-mile drive through its main section. Walking on the level Pioneer Trail, which follows an old wagon route, I spotted the names of pioneers and prospectors scratched on the vertical sidewalls, along with dates as early as 1871 when they passed that way.

I also found intriguing graceful Cassidy Arch high on a wall of the Grand Wash, one of the ubiquitous narrow canyons that are subject to dangerous flooding from sudden rainstorms miles away. The turn-of-the-century outlaw Butch Cassidy, who rode and robbed in these parts, is said to have hidden on occasion in the Grand Wash.

Despite — or possibly because of — the very different experiences they offer to visitors, Bryce and Zion National Parks are many people's favorites. At Bryce, as at other parks, the most dramatic views combine overlooks down into canyons with panoramic vistas to the distant horizon. At Zion, you look up, up ... and up.

At Bryce Canyon National Park, limestone pillars stretch as far as the eye can see. Those delicately carved "hoodoos" rise from amphitheater floors in an endless variety of sizes, shapes and colors.

Native Americans poetically named the place "Red rocks standing like men in a bowl-shaped canyon." Ebenezer Bryce, the first non-Indian settler there, for whom the park is named, described the seemingly endless labyrinth of twisting trails between the soaring pillars as "one hell of a place to lose a cow."

The game, played until your mind virtually numbs, is to identify the craggy creations as real and fanciful objects. Among those I spotted were the distinct outline of a pioneer woman in a bustle skirt and the image of a hunter wearing a hat. Above it all stands Queen Victoria, seemingly reigning over her countless rock subjects.

At Zion National Park, by contrast, visitors view the soaring sandstone walls, which present a kaleidoscope of reds and pastel hues, from valley floors, a perspective that serves to accentuate their massive size.

With elevations that fluctuate from 3,300 to 8,800 feet above sea level, it's not surprising that Zion houses a variety of habitats. They range from semi-desert conditions along canyon floors to cool, moist plateaus at the upper levels, where mountain lions and big horn sheep find a home to their liking.

Along the canyon bottom runs the Virgin River that, despite its creek-like resemblance, over eons carved the huge rock gorge that surrounds you. Other water, dripping in a continuous flow fed by springs high in the rocks and cliff faces, nourishes hanging gardens of flowers and ferns that add even more color to the multihued backdrop.

The grandeur that surrounds and rises above you at Zion provides a fitting finale to a national park tour of Utah. Each of the unique settings would be well worth a visit on its own. Combined into a leisurely tour, they amaze the eye and provide countless memories — and photographs that, looked at later, can only hint at the beauty you have observed.

IF YOU GO

All five national parks are open year-round. For more information, call the Utah Office of Tourism at 800/200-1160 or check the website at utah.com

Victor Block is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Victor Block and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.