Editing San Juan County, Utah (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Ruins in Montezuma Canyon With stones of Unusual size San Juan Utah.jpg|thumb|left|Ruins in Montezuma Canyon with stones of unusual size]]
San Juan County lies in the southeastern corner of the state of Utah. Its borders coincide with the borders of the states of [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Arizona]] with Utah.<ref name=SJCU>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Juan+County,+UT/@37.7487057,-110.7870944,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8737d125d02a37f5:0xfe1b93f5d35290e7!8m2!3d37.4634157!4d-109.7591675 ''San Juan County UT''  Google Maps (accessed March 31, 2019)]</ref> The convergence point of these borders, [[Four Corners Monument]], is located at the extreme southeastern corner of the county.

The county's terrain generally slopes to the west and the south, with its highest point, [[Mount Peale]], at {{convert|12726|feet}} above sea level.<ref>The Peakbaggers website "Utah County High Points" [https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=13209] lists Mt. Peale elevation at 12,721 feet (accessed March 31, 2019)</ref> The county has a total area of {{convert|7933|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|7820|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|113|sqmi}} (1.4%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_49.txt|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=June 25, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> It is the largest county by area in Utah.

The county's western and southern boundaries lie deep within gorges carved by the [[Colorado River|Colorado]] and [[San Juan River (Colorado River)|San Juan]] Rivers. Tributary canyons, cutting through rock layers of the surrounding deserts, have carved the land up with chasms, cliffs, and plateaus. In the center of the county is [[Cedar Mesa]], [[Comb Wash]], [[Natural Bridges National Monument|Natural Bridges]], and [[Hovenweep National Monument]]s. [[Canyonlands National Park]] lies mainly within the county borders. The Eastern side of [[Glen Canyon National Recreation Area]] / [[Lake Powell]] is also in the county.

The [[Blue Mountains (Utah)|Blue (Abajo) Mountains]] and the [[La Sal Range|La Sal Mountains]] exceed {{convert|12000|ft|m}} in elevation. Both ranges are covered with lush forests, contrasting the scenery below. The elevation change within the county is from nearly {{convert|13000|ft|m}} in the La Sal Mountains to {{convert|3000|ft|m}} at Lake Powell, a difference of about {{convert|10000|ft|m}}.

The county's towns lie primarily on a north-south axis along [[U.S. Route 191 in Utah|U.S. routes 191]] and [[U.S. Route 163#Utah|163]] from [[La Sal, Utah|La Sal]] in the north to [[Monument Valley]] in the south.

===Natural resources===
[[File:House on Fire Ruin.jpg|thumb|House on Fire ruin, one of many [[Ancestral Pueblo]] ruins in the county]]
In 2018, the only operating uranium processing plant in the United States was located in the town of [[Blanding, Utah|Blanding]]; however, the plant was moved to be on standby in 2019.<ref>U.S. Energy Information Administration. (May 2020). [https://www.eia.gov/uranium/production/annual/pdf/dupr2019.pdf "2019 Domestic Uranium Production Report"]. Retrieved October 12, 2020.</ref>

San Juan County is home to numerous oil and gas fields, including [[Squaw Canyon Oil Field]], that produce primarily from the Desert Creek and Ismay Formations.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

===Major highways===
{{div col}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|US|163}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|US|191}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|US|491}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|UT|46}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|UT|95}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|UT|162}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|UT|261}}
* {{Jct|state=UT|UT|276}}
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
[[File:ISS067-E-175591 Confluence of the Escalante and Colorado rivers in Utah.jpg|thumb|right|The border between San Juan (right) and Kane (left) counties along [[Lake Powell]], taken July 4, 2022, from the International Space Station]]
{{div col}}
* [[Grand County, Utah|Grand County]] - north
* [[Mesa County, Colorado]] - northeast
* [[Montrose County, Colorado]] - northeast
* [[San Miguel County, Colorado]] - east
* [[Dolores County, Colorado]] - east
* [[Montezuma County, Colorado]] - east
* [[San Juan County, New Mexico]] - southeast
* [[Apache County, Arizona]] - south
* [[Navajo County, Arizona]] - south
* [[Coconino County, Arizona]] - southwest
* [[Kane County, Utah|Kane County]] - west
* [[Garfield County, Utah|Garfield County]] - west
* [[Wayne County, Utah|Wayne County]] - west
* [[Emery County, Utah|Emery County]] - northwest
{{div col end}}
San Juan County is bordered by more counties than any other county in the United States, at 14.<ref>{{cite web |title=San Juan County |url=http://ucdp.utah.edu/t_county/san-juan-county/ |website=The University of Utah |access-date=January 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110141129/http://ucdp.utah.edu/t_county/san-juan-county/ |archive-date=January 10, 2020}}</ref>

===Protected areas===
{{div col|colwidth=33em}}
* [[Bears Ears National Monument]]
* [[Canyonlands National Park]] (part)
* [[Dark Canyon Wilderness]]
* [[Edge of the Cedars State Park]]
* [[Four Corners Monument]] Navajo Tribal Park (part)
* [[Glen Canyon National Recreation Area]] (part)
* Grand Gulch Primitive Area<ref name=SJCU/>
* [[Goosenecks State Park]]
* [[Hovenweep National Monument]] (part)
* [[Manti-La Sal National Forest]] (part)
* [[Monument Valley]] Navajo Tribal Park (part)
* [[Natural Bridges National Monument]]
* [[Navajo Mountain]]
* [[Rainbow Bridge National Monument]]
* [[Valley of the Gods]]
{{div col end}}

[[Image:Sipapu Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|Sipapu Bridge, in [[Natural Bridges National Monument]] ]]