Erosion on the west edge of the Markagunt Plateau has carved a giant amphitheater 2,500 feet deep and more than three miles across. A fairyland of forms and colors appears below the rim. Ridges and pinnacles extend like buttresses from the steep cliffs. Cottony patches of clouds often drift through the craggy landscape.

Traces of iron, manganese, and other minerals have tinted the normally white limestone a rainbow of warm hues. The intense colors blaze during sunsets and glow even on a cloudy day. Rock layers look much like those at Bryce Canyon National Park and, in fact, are the same Claron Formation, but here they’re 2,000 feet higher.

Elevations range from 10,662 feet at the rim’s highest point to 8,100 feet at Ashdown Creek below. In the distance beyond the amphitheater, you can see Cedar City and the desert’s valleys and ranges. Dense forests broken by large alpine meadows cover the rolling plateau country away from the rim. More than 150 species of wildflowers brighten the meadows during summer; the colorful display peaks during the last two weeks in July.

Two easy trails, Wasatch Trail and Alpine Pond Trail, near the rim give an added appreciation of the geology and forests here. Allow extra time while on foot—it’s easy to get out of breath at these high elevations. Regulations prohibit pets on the trails.

A five-mile scenic drive leads past four spectacular overlooks, each with a different perspective. Avoid overlooks and other exposed areas during thunderstorms, which are common on summer afternoons. Heavy snows close the road most of the year. You can drive in only from about late May until the first big snowstorm of autumn, usually sometime in October. Winter visitors can come in on snowmobiles (unplowed roads only), skis, or snowshoes from Brian Head (two miles north of the monument) or from Hwy. 14 (2.5 miles south).

Cedar Breaks National Monument is 24 miles east of Cedar City, 17 miles south of Parowan, 30 miles southwest of Panguitch, and 27 miles northwest of Long Valley Junction. The nearest accommodations and restaurants are two miles north in Brian Head.