It never ceases to amaze me how unique each of these parks
are. Of course, if they weren’t, there
wouldn’t be much point in seeing them all!
But the topography is SO unique from one to the other, it seems almost
impossible that we could be in such awe at each one. We arrived at Canyonlands Park again not
knowing what was in store. Having seen
so many canyons by this point we really didn’t expect much.
So much for that!
Canyonlands has canyons inside of canyons inside of canyons!! No, really!
Climbing from the entrance to the first overlook, we found a sheer cliff
to a lower white granite plain to more sheer cliffs to another plain. Each level had unusual rock formations sculpted
by wind, water and weather over the ages.
We followed our usual pattern and got trail advice from the
visitor center and headed out to hike and explore. First stop was Grand View Point where we had
a great time wandering the trail to the furthest-most vantage point over the
fascinating expanse. Most trails are
marked with cairns – rocks piled on each other – to help people navigate across
larger expanses. With the area littered
with wonderful rock chips, visitors can’t help but “play” with the rocks. Sometimes frustrating (when the actual trail
markers disappear or creative ones lead you astray!) to entertaining or
artistic. On this trail, the art was in
the form of little cairns built from tiny pebbles in wind holes in the cliffs
which provided extra diversions.
We moved on to Upheaval Dome where they theorize this unusual
crater-like cavity was formed by an ancient meteor hitting the earth. Taking the trail even further, we climbed
huge sandstone slick-rock mounds for views of the Green and Colorado Rivers. Hiking on slick-rock (slick when wet but like
walking on sandpaper otherwise) is an interesting experience and great exercise
because trails follow paths at crazy, steep angles that you would swear
impossible to navigate.
Having begun the day with 3.5 miles in the Capital Reef
Cohab Canyon and logging 4-5 miles more at Canyonlands, we were wearing pretty
thin by this time! We pressed on, having
heard the Green River overlook was not to be missed. With another view of the odd canyons and
rivers, it was a good way to wind down and happened to be right next to the
park campground.
Now after 6pm and being told the campsite was full early in
the day, we did a drive-thru just in case and found an open site! Our good fortune continues! Exhausted from days of extended hiking, we
settled in quickly. Enjoying a beer with
neighbors, we all headed to the overlook for a magnificent sunset over the
canyons. Mesmerized by the shifting
colors on the rock, it was a perfect end to the day.
Arches was the next park on our itinerary. With a reputation for being exceedingly
crowded AND under construction, we knew we had to visit early in the day and
before the weekend to beat the crowds.
That meant we were up with the sun before 6am and on the road minutes
later for the 45 minute drive to the entrance of this park boasting over 2000 arches
in its boundaries.
We arrived within minutes of the park opening and already
saw streams of cars climbing the entrance road to the sights. We skipped the visitor center to save time
and headed straight for the big attraction of Delicate Arch. Thankfully, the parking lot had room for us and
we hit the trail.
The 3 mile hike was essentially straight up! Climbing one slick-rock face after another,
we made our way to this beautiful formation already feeling the heat. Almost entirely slickrock, the “cairn
artists” had a time of it along the trail!
At the arch it was fun watching each group as they made their way under
the arch for photos doing crazy poses. The
girl doing the backbend won a gasp from the crowd of onlookers.
Although crowded and with a major area, Devil’s Garden,
closed for road work, the park did not disappoint even with temps in the 90s
and dry with winds at 20-25mph!
Undeterred, we forged on and got as close to Devil’s Garden as was
possible, hiking connecting trails to 3 other massive arches and enjoyed finding faces in the stone along the way.
Sandstone Arch is a favorite with kids with a natural
sandbox inside the canyon where the arch is found. Not inclined to build sandcastles, we moved
on to Broken Arch (it should be named Cracked Arch!) and Tapestry, hiking
another 3 miles and beginning to feel our early morning start. With the campground closed and the crazy
traffic, we knew we wouldn’t be spending another day so onward we went!
The final big stop for us in Arches were the Windows, Turret
and Double Arch, all accessed in the same parking area. Maneuvering and parking our big ole girl in
heavy traffic and tight spots is not a highlight but we successfully found a
spot and carried on. I think Double Arch
was my favorite of them all with the light playing with the different surfaces
of the sandstone and surrounding walls.
After logging 7-8 miles of hiking before 2, our feet and
determination gave up and we headed to the Visitor Center for our traditional
movie and seeing the exhibits. Having
lunch in the parking lot and making a few calls with the very sparse service
available, we regarded the next challenge of no campsite for the night.
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| Can you see the face? A funny one! |
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| We named this one the Sphynx |
Checking sites as we plied the highway, we ended up at Ken’s
Lake, a Bureau of Land Management property on a reservoir. Fighting the area’s fine sand and 25mph winds
along with the 95 degree day, we did our best to get settled. We made refreshing drinks with the last ice
on board and recounted the bounty of beauty we had already witnessed, ready to
see what was yet to come.
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