geological feature of east-central Utah and western Colorado, U.S. Beginning near Helper, Utah, and joined at Green River, Utah, by a second escarpment, the Roan Cliffs, the 2,000-foot- (610-metre-) tall mountain wall, winds a 250-mile (400-km) course along the Tavaputs and Roan plateaus, ending near Grand Junction, Colorado; it is the longest continuous escarpment in the world. Viewed in oblique light, the cliffs resemble a book lying on its side. Much of the rugged region is administered as wilderness or grazing land by the federal government.