Paria River Valley

The neatest geological formation on the Colorado Plateau is Chinle Shale. Once you understand it, you'll never forget it. It's formed from volcanic ash and each eruption, comprised of different compounds, is colored differently. It has the consistency of stale popcorn. Often you'll see four-wheel tracks up their slopes. That's really annoying. But when you go back the next year, the tracks are gone. If you revisit the same place in ten years, the whole hill has changed. Sand dunes are the only faster changing geological feature.

Another reason they're cool is they're rich with fossils and petrified wood. Ascetically, they're good to look at. Photographically, they're a challenge because the light is often too intense. I think they're at their best when the rains come and the colors become saturated.