Since this is our 5th park on this trip, I think we're finally getting the selfie thing down. It helps to wear dark glasses so you can't really tell where our eyes are looking! In case I haven't made it clear yet, if you haven't been to the National Parks in Utah - GO! This was the most amazing trip, and I am hoping these blogs share some of our wonder with those who can't make the trip, and encourage those who can to put it on their list.
Canyonlands was probably the park we gave the least time to, partly because we fit our trip there into the 1/2 day we had before our second Arches reservation. As with the other parks, there was something new about this one, and that is that most of the scenery was below you! Even on the drive there, we saw some beautiful canyons.
Like Arches, we waited about 1/2 hour to enter the park, but admittedly we weren't there super-early. It was almost 10:00 by the time we found coffee in Moab and made the drive over to Canyonlands. Unlike Arches, they have "Disneyland-like" signs that tell you "1 hour from here", "30 minutes from here" so at least we knew how long we would need to wait.
We only explored the Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands. As you can see from this map, there are two other sections to the south, Needles and The Maze, but given our time constraints we didn't explore them. We stopped at the visitor center briefly, just past the entrance. The view from the overlook across the road was incredible.
As you can see, there are roads and hikes down amongst the canyons, so there is lots more exploring we could do next time we are back. On this day, since we had hiked Delicate Arch the day before and planned to do more in Arches that afternoon, we were looking for a hike that was not too strenuous. Our research the night before had uncovered one called "White Rim Trail", so that's where we headed. It was 1.8 miles, out and back and only had 160 feet of elevation change. Just our speed!
For those who prefer a moving picture, here is the video. As you can see from this or the map in alltrails, this hike is on a spit of land that sticks out. When you get out to the tip, you have amazing views. In case it wasn't obvious, the "White Rim" name comes from the white rim of the canyon. Initially I thought maybe it was salt deposits or something that caused the color, but apparently it's the white sandstone unique in this area. According to wikipedia, "The White Rim is eponymous, as the sandstone is named for its prominent white color, and forms the rims of cliffs." And in case you, like me, don't know what "eponymous" means, an eponym is someone who gives a name to something else. Learn something every day!
On the other side, if you can stomach getting close to the drop-off, you have another white-rim canyon view. The Colorado River and the Green River are both visible from this viewpoint.
I can just imagine the fun it would be to drive closer to these or explore within them. As it was, we had plenty of fun just enjoying the scenery along this hike. Here are some examples of what we saw:
Given that much of the path was on rock, they often mark the path with rows of rocks, sticks, or cairns like the one you see above.
Only in looking at the pictures later did I realize how gorgeous the skies were that day. The only downside to the weather was the wind that day was horrific. I had a whole new respect for the plant life in the area, not only do they grow in extremely arid conditions, but they have to withstand this wind. Look at this poor little plant!
Next we drove to another overlook, this one for the Green River. Another amazing view. You can see how much my hair is flying around in that wind.
One of the other sites we had read about included Mesa Arch, so we headed there next. The hike in was very short, and well worth it for the scenery at the end!
This arch is often photographed at sunrise. We didn't get our butts up in time, but lest I deprive you of the glorious sunrise view here is an article on the experience, including some amazing photos.
The only downside to these gorgeous views we'd been enjoying was the people. At all the famous sites there are tons of people also wanting to get their picture taken. In most cases, we didn't care to get a photo with us in it and would make do with a selfie or two. In the case of this arch, I really just wanted to get photos of the view through the arch and tried to find angles that didn't include strangers in the shot. In most sites people were very considerate and would take turns. At this spot, there was a Mom with a tripod trying to get photos of her family including two little girls. You can see her in the background just over Rick's head. We finally gave up getting a good shot without them in it!
That was our quick trip through a piece of Canyonlands. As is true with the other parks, there is a lot more to see so we hope to make it back one day. Before I wrap up this series about our Utah trip, I must tell you about a unique experience we had the following day before our drive to Salt Lake City. Remember the map we picked up at the restaurant in St. George that I talked about in this blog? It mentioned a place called "Hole in the Rock", which is just a short drive from Moab. Having time in the morning before we departed, we decided to pay it a quick visit.
What is a "Hole in the Rock" you ask? It is actually a 5,000 square foot home CARVED out of solid rock, built over 12 years starting in the 1930's. Ignoring the fact that the double-quote is on the wrong side of the "N" and should only be a single quote, this is quite an amazing place. Note the chimey sticking out of the rock in the upper right, that's because there is a FIREPLACE inside this house! Along with a full kitchen, 14 rooms, a full bathtub, and many amazing artifacts of their life.
We paid $6 each to tour the home, and I'm glad we did! They didn't allow interior photos, but the website shows a few shots so you can get an idea what it's like. The home was built and lived in by a couple named Gladys and Albert Christenson. For a period of time they ran a cafe, so the kitchen is quite large. The tour showed interesting details like cabinets built to fit around the rock (I imagine carving rock makes it difficult to get straight lines and square corners.) The home had a lot of natural light, and also had the original electricity still in place. Gladys was quite the rock collector, and her cactus gardens still decorate the outdoors.
Albert's occupation was a miner, but he was also an accomplished artist and rock carver, as well as other talents. On the rockface is a carving of Franklin D. Roosevelt he made.
On the same property are a petting zoo, souvenir shop, general store, and trading post. I think it was early in the season yet, so the general store wasn't very stocked up, but the trading post was well worth a visit.
It had snowed the day before, so the unusual "yard art" around the place was made even more beautiful by the newly fallen snow.
Definitely a unique way to end the trip.
That's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of Utah's National Parks. Until next time, safe travels!
Lamar your travelogues are a wonderful blend of history, geography, geology and stunning natural beauty. Thank you for sharing all this!