The San Juan River starts high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and cuts a deep, sinuous path through the Colorado Plateau to Lake Powell. Despite being one of the fastest flowing rivers in Utah, there are no big rapids to get too excited about, so the geology and human history really steal the show.Rock layers in the plateau country of southern Utah are typically flat lying, stretching out like an endless stack of pancakes. But there are a few wrinkles here and there - evidence of tremendous compressional forces in ancient times buckling the earth's crust. It is one of these wrinkles known as the Monument upwarp and the Raplee anticline that make a float trip down the San Juan unforgettable:
Of course, the flora and fauna vie for attention as well.
Other curiosities along the river.
Above: the River House ruins along the San Juan a few miles below Bluff.
The infamous Mexican Hat.
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