Garfield County Utah Information

Garfield County, Utah is home to two National Parks including Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. The county is sparsely populated and is rather remote. Though it is small, the area is also home to numerous natural resources including oil, coal, tar sands and uranium – much of which has not yet been developed.

Garfield County is not well populated. The largest community is Panquitch, which is also the County seat. Other communities include Antimony, Boulder, Cannonville, Escalante, Hatch, Henrieville and Tropic.

First inhabited by the prehistoric Anasazi Indians, and later by early Mormon pioneers, today the area is a favorite among tourists. History of the early settlers can be found at the Anasazi State Museum near the city of Boulder. Visitors are attracted to Garfield County to visit the two National Parks – Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. The creation of Bryce Canyon National Park in 1928 increased the importance of tourism to the local economy. The seasonal nature of tourism often gives the county higher than average unemployment.

Be sure to take the time to visit the National Parks and see the hoodoos while you are in the area. Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and desert badlands. Hoodoos are more abundant in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park than any other place in the world.