Timpanogos Cave National Monument
On a solo trip, I flew into Salt Lake City and made my way into the mountains towards Timpanogos Cave National Monument. The drive led me away from the city and into the Wasatch Range.
The caves are hidden within the mountains and inside holds features that seem to ignore the rules: these delicate formations that twist in unexpected directions.
The landscape was recognized and protected in 1922 by President Warren G. Harding, designated it a national monument. This protected not only the caves but the experience of reaching them. Before that protection, early visitors climbed into the caves using ropes and ladders, sometimes breaking off pieces of the formations to take home.
Timpanogos Cave National Monument is one of those places where the destination mattered.
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