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From viewpoints on the Island in the Sky of Canyonlands National Park you can see panoramic vistas, with canyons too numerous to count extending beyond the horizon. Here at the head of Shafer Canyon is a more intimate view, where the structure and details of a typical canyon may be examined more closely.
Notice that the rocks are arranged in layers. The layers differ in color, depth, texture, and vegetation. Some layers form sheer cliffs, while others form sloping edges composed of broken blocks of finer debris. The same layers, or geological formations, may be seen elsewhere in the park, and at other parks in this region.
The canyon is being cut principally by running water. It does not rain here often, but when it does there are few plants to protect the rocks. Grain by grain, the softer rocks wash away, undermining harder rocks which collapse and fall to the canyon floor. Year by year the process continues, and the canyon grows deeper, wider, and longer.