The rugged and varied terrain of Utah is home to more than 50 national and state parks, as well as more than 3 million residents, most of whom live in the north-central part of the state, near the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake. Here are a few glimpses into the landscape of Utah, and some of the animals and people calling it home.
This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.
Sandstone rock formations in Bryce Canyon's Amphitheater, viewed at sunrise on November 8, 2018, in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park, located two hours north of Zion National Park, features spectacular geologic formations including mountains, canyons, spires known as hoodoos, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, and natural arches. #
An eastbound freight train begins the long trek across the Great Salt Lake at Lakeside, Utah. Promontory Peninsula and the Wasatch Mountains dominate the background, with Ogden located between them. #
Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, at night, with the Wasatch Mountains in the background #
Longhorn cattle cross the front lawn of the capitol to kick off Utah's rodeo week on July 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. The cattle drive was a promotion for the annual "Days of '47" celebration in Utah, an event that commemorates Brigham Young bringing Latter-day Saint pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. #
Candlestick Tower is seen in the distance, viewed in Canyonlands National Park. #
Main Street in the small town of Panguitch, Utah, photographed in May 2007 #
A worker walks through the Ice Castles in Midway, Utah, on December 27, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of icicles make up the 20-foot walls, jagged mazes, and fountains of the castles. Visitors were able to interact with the castles, which featured a slide, mazes, canyons, tunnels, and fountains. #
National Park Service volunteers and others reenact Andrew J. Russell's 1869 "Champagne Toast" photo on the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Golden Spike National Historical Park in Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 2019. #
Riders on horseback herd bison during an annual roundup on Antelope Island, Utah, on October 22, 2016. Utah State Parks workers were moving the animals from across the island so they could be weighed, tagged, and given health checkups. Antelope Island is in the Great Salt Lake, approximately 41 miles north of Salt Lake City. #
A paddleboarder floats by Lone Rock in Lake Powell near Big Water, Utah, in March 2015. #
People gather on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, a remnant of an ancient lake that evaporated thousands of years ago. #
People cross a festively lit Main Street in Park City, Utah, on January 8, 2018. #
Chloe Kim in action on her way to a first-place finish in the ladies' FIS Snowboard World Cup at the 2016 U.S Snowboarding Park City Grand Prix on February 6, 2016, in Park City, Utah #
The Draper Utah Temple, a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, photographed in Draper, Utah, with the Wasatch Mountains as a backdrop #
A Bureau of Land Management helicopter team herds wild horses in the Bible Springs Complex west of Cedar City, Utah, in 2017. #
Sharp twists and turns of the San Juan River created dramatic formations in Utah's Goosenecks State Park. #
A dune buggy drives through Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. #
Wahweap hoodoos, weathered sandstone pillars in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument #
A mule deer in Arches National Park #
A view of the Bridal Veil Falls along the Provo Canyon, near Provo, Utah, seen on May 30, 2017 #
Horses, floats, and a large balloon make their way down University Avenue during the Provo Freedom Festival Parade on July 4, 2018, in Provo, Utah. #
A view down University Boulevard in Salt Lake City at sundown #
Revelers covered in colored cornstarch celebrate during the 2015 Festival of Colors Holi Celebration at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, on March 28, 2015. #
Canyon Overlook in Zion National Park #
People hike in the Virgin River through the Narrows of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park. #
New homes in Utah Valley #
A summer sunset in the Wasatch Mountains #
One of about 300 sheep leaps from a truck for the annual Soldier Hollow Classic Sheepdog Championship on August 28, 2019, in Midway, Utah. Handlers send their dogs to herd sheep down a hilltop, through gates, and eventually into a corral in front of spectator stands. #
A winter view of Balanced Rock, with the La Sal Mountains in the background, in Arches National Park #
A view through Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park #
A desert spiny lizard basks atop a fencepost in southern Utah. #
A view of the beautiful terrain in Capitol Reef National Park #
People wade out of the Great Salt Lake during a gathering that fell short of making it into the record books on June 8, 2019, near Magna, Utah. Utah park officials had invited people to a beach on the lake's south end in an attempt to set the world record for the largest number of people floating together, unassisted, in a line at one time. #
Rock formations in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Washington County, Utah #
A storm passes over the Needles in Canyonlands National Park. #
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