The Sydney Overlook lies about 6 miles down a dirt road between Cedar Breaks National Park and Panguitch Lake. For specific directions call 1-435-865-3200 or stop at the US Forest Service office in Cedar City. There you can get information and maps of the Markagunt Plateau.

As you can see the view is magnificent. But not all the beauty is off in the distance. If you look closely you'll see that the very rocks you're standing on are covered with even more colors than those on the trees. The colors come from lichen, a cross between algae and fungus that grows on rocks and trees.

Of course not everyone at the overlook is inspired by the beauty of the changing colors. In this case, a marmot and a hawk are more interested in each other than in the esthetics of the forest.

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