Physical Geography

Land. Utah lies in three major physical regions of the United States—the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateau, and the Great Basin.

The Rocky Mountain section consists of the high, rugged Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains, in the northeastern part of the state. The Wasatch Range extends north-south, the Uintas east-west. Most of Utah's people live near the base of the Wasatch Range, and all of the state's major cities are situated here. Utah's highest mountain, Kings Peak, rises to an elevation of 13,528 feet (4,123 m) in the Uintas. The maximum elevation in the Wasatch Range is slightly more than 12,000 feet (3,658 m).

The Colorado Plateau section of Utah is a high tableland extending southward from the Wasatch and Uinta ranges, covering about half of the state. It is mostly dry, desolate land, averaging some 5,000 to 6,000 feet (1,500 to 1,800 m) above sea level. Erosion by wind and water has produced fantastically shaped rock formations, including steepsided canyons, natural arches, cliffs, and towering spires. Brilliantly colored rocks are typical of the region.

The western third of Utah is part of the Great Basin, an arid area with elevations somewhat below those of the Colorado Plateau. Deserts, salt lakes, salt flats, and short mountain ranges running generally north-south are among the region's chief features. Prominent are the Great Salt Lake, the Great Salt Lake Desert, and the Bonneville Salt Flats. There is no outward drainage from the basin.

More than half of Utah is drained by the Colorado River, which flows south-westward from Colorado to the Gulf of California. The rest of the state has few rivers other than those flowing from the Wasatch Range into the Great Basin.

The Colorado River flows diagonally across the southeastern part of the state and is joined by two principal tributaries, the Green and San Juan rivers. Smaller rivers joining the Colorado include the Dirty Devil and Escalante rivers. Many of the rivers of the Colorado Plateau flow in deep gorges, sometimes in great meandering bends.

The Bear, Weber, Ogden, Logan, and Provo are among the rivers flowing from the Wasatch Range into the Great Basin. There, at the base of the range, they provide water for cities, towns, and farmlands. They also provide water for the Great Salt Lake.

The Great Salt Lake is Utah's largest lake and the largest body of salt water in North America. Like Utah Lake, to the south, the Great Salt Lake is a remnant of prehistoric glacial Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake is quite shallow and its volume of water is greatly exceeded by that of Lake Powell, which is impounded by Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River.

The state has abundant sunshine, scant precipitation, low humidity, and a wide range of temperatures.

Except in the mountains, where cooler conditions prevail, summers are warm to hot throughout the state. Average July temperatures range from about 70° to 85° F. (21° to 29° C.), depending on location. Daytime highs often exceed 90° F. (32° C.); nights are almost always cool.

Winters vary from mild in the south to cold in the north. January temperatures average about 15° to 38° F. (-9° to 3° C.).

Winters are mildest in the extreme southwest. They are coldest in or near the mountains in the northeast.

Precipitation is scanty throughout most of the state, generally between 5 and 15 inches (130 to 380 mm) a year. The Great Salt Lake Desert receives less than 5 inches. Many mountainous areas receive up to 30 inches (760 mm) a year; some get 45 inches (1,140 mm) or more, mainly in the form of snow.

More than 3,000 species of plants grow in Utah. Sagebrush, shad scale, and greasewood are characteristic plants throughout much of the state. Joshua trees, creosote bush, mesquite, and various cacti grow in the southwest.

Blue spruce grows at high elevations in the mountains, as do Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, and ponderosa and lodgepole pines. The quaking aspen is found in most areas near the 7,000-foot (2,134-m) level. Gnarled juniper trees and piñon pines grow on arid mountain slopes and on high plateaus. Cottonwoods and other broad-leaved deciduous trees border many Utah streams.

Mule deer are the most abundant of the state's big game animals. Other large animals are found in relatively small numbers; they include grizzly bears, black bears, bison, moose, elk, cougars, bighorn sheep, and pronghorns. Utah also has coyotes, lynxes, bobcats, foxes, beavers, and many kinds of smaller mammals. Among the many birds found in the state are eagles, cormorants, pelicans, egrets, gulls, wild turkeys, pheasants, geese, and ducks. Utah lakes and streams abound with several kinds of trout and other freshwater fish.