Monday, November 21, 2016

Canyonlands National Park

Ah Utah, you just don’t disappoint, do you? Canyonlands NP is only about an hour from Arches NP which makes a trip to one strongly suggest a trip to the other! Which is good news because, well, you will see.


We arrived at Canyonlands early afternoon. The day: clear, cool, pleasant to be out and about! The park is separated into 3 sections which must be accessed separately, so we had to choose which one we wanted. Lets just be honest, we wanted all 3… but we chose the Island in the Sky section as it has the most accessible experience on a short time frame.

The first stop on our trip was the Mesa Arch, accessible via a short hike out to the rim of the Green River canyon side of the mesa. So, we headed out from the trailhead expecting to see an amazing arch. We ended up seeing an arch with an absolutely amazing backdrop. The canyon stretches out for miles, the arch perched on the very lip of the cliff, a gateway into the panorama of Canyonlands (one of many, thankfully!). The precipitous cliffs, the winding river canyon, the rock features shaped by incredible erosion forces… we were not disappointed that we decided to visit the arch, although the arch had very little to do with that!


But we had to move on, our next stop was The Whale! A mound of rock that (loosely) reminds some people of a whale (humpback whale to be precise). However, as we neared The Whale we were captivated by the Colorado River Canyon side of the mesa and the viewpoints there! We did drive past The Whale… but at that point it really just paled in light of the incredible canyon vista we had just passed, so we turned around, no regrets!

The Colorado side of the canyon is much more consistently sheer in the canyon form, with red rock forming cliffs all along the edge of the mesa! The Colorado River itself formed a second canyon in the flatlands of the greater canyon, adding another layer of depth to the view. There is just no way anyone could not stand in awe! We definitely did. (Well… we sat in awe for a little while too…)

Having seen both of the river canyons, we felt like we had enough of a taste of this incredible place to know we will be back (that seems to be a common theme recently!).

Personnel:
We didn’t actually see or talk to any of the park staff during our visit. Once again we assume they were friendly and efficient because the restrooms were great!

Climate/weather:
Honestly the weather was perfect. It was a clear blue sky day, the sun warmed us enough that we were very comfortable while hiking, not too hot, not too cold. The day was calm and beautiful. November is a highly recommended (by us) time to visit this park!

Facilities/signage:
The restrooms (pit toilets) were good, clean, stocked, hand sanitizer. The entrance sign was really big, but it wasn’t anything really special besides that. The signs within the park where we traveled were well placed and clear.

Hiking experience:
We went on 2 short hikes here. The first one was out to the Mesa Arch. Super fun trail! Not only was the view from the arch spectacular, the trail itself was well kept, interesting, and more than just a straight out and back vehicle for sightseeing. It had its own character that was worth experiencing. We also walked out on an unmarked trail from a viewpoint to get pictures of the other side of the mesa. Again, the hike was rewarding, and the view at the end was fulfilling.




Driving experience:
The portion of the drive that we experienced was good. It had plenty of tasty glimpses of the true depth and beauty that can be found in this park! It really enticed us to want to get out and go explore!

Camping options:
There are 2 first come first served campgrounds (one in the Needles area and one in the Island in the Sky area) as well as backcountry camping (permit required).

Hammockability:
We didn’t see anything that stood out as a good hammock location (sadly).

Scenery:
We thought the canyons here were aggressive in their transition from the mesa to the canyon floor. It was an awesome experience to be on the edge looking down!


Nearby food:
We didn’t see any food offered in the park. The nearby town of Moab is probably the best bet.

This park is far more impressive than expected, and based on what we experienced at the Island in the Sky portion it would be easy to spend several days in each section of this park exploring! We are especially excited to do the backroad portion of the park called The Maze (4wd high clearance vehicle required!).

Next stop: Capitol Reef National Park!

No comments:

Post a Comment