Paria Windows

Paria Windows:  Cracked Windows of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Several beautiful sections of Paria Canyon give different photographic rewards.  The easiest one to reach is the Paria Windows.  These formations are scooped out from the cliff.  Wind and water erode them.  They are bleached white by the floodwaters which occasionally traveled down.  Higher up, the deep red canyon walls give a wonderful colorful contrast to the whitewashed windows below.

If it hasn't rained recently, deep cracks in the mud are usually present in front of the windows.  When I visited, it had one week earlier.  Much of the water was dried up but not very many people had visited this area since the last rain.  Consequently there were no footprints and these cracked mud surfaces were undisturbed.

Curiously while I was there, water did start to flow down.  It did not reach the windows photographed above.  It did reach some of the windows farther down the canyon.  A photograph of them is below.

Paria Canyon windows and flood water