What Do Locals Call the Colorado Plateau? Official & Colloquial Names

The Colorado Plateau — a vast, elevated region centered on the Four Corners — goes by several names depending on context: scientific, administrative, or local.

Formal & Scientific Names

• Colorado Plateau Province — physiographic province (USGS)
• Colorado Plateau Upland — emphasizes its high-elevation character (avg 1,500–3,000 m)
• Colorado Plateau Region — broader geographic/ecological reference
• Colorado Plateaus (plural) — acknowledges its dissected nature: multiple sub-plateaus (Kaibab, Aquarius, Markagunt, etc.)

Local & Colloquial Usage

• Most residents (in UT, AZ, NM, CO) simply say "the Plateau" or "Colorado Plateau"
• Indigenous names persist: Diné Bikéyah (Navajoland), Hopiitutsqua (Hopi lands) — the Plateau *is* their homeland
• River-based: "Canyon Country", "Red Rock Country" — tourism marketing

What It's NOT Called

• Not "the Grand Canyon region" — that's just one part
• Not "Mormon Country" — cultural, not geographic
• Not "High Desert" — that's Basin & Range to the west

Why Names Matter

Scientific names define boundaries for geology, hydrology, ecology. Indigenous names assert sovereignty and deep time. Tourist names sell landscapes. Locals? They just say "I'm going up on the Plateau."