CANYONLANDS
A quick hop, skip, and a jump down the road from Arches is another beauty of the National Parks System, Canyonlands National Park. If Arches seems very manageable for a visit, Canyonlands is quite the opposite as it is incredibly vast and consists of four separate sections: Islands in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and Rivers. While we were feeling very overwhelmed about the prospect of our visit, our insightful Airbnb host steered us in the right direction. With just a day to see this park, she recommended starting with the Islands in the Sky section because it was the closest and most doable in our timeframe.
Like Arches, Canyonlands sits atop a mesa, so getting to the park meant driving up. Once we were inside the park we took the time to stop at some of the various overlooks that dot the park road. Our first major stop was Mesa Arch, which sits at the edge of cliff and gives a wonderful view onto the vastness of the park, capturing the name Islands in the Sky perfectly. After Mesa Arch we trekked around Upheaval Dome on the Syncline Loop. This longer hike gave us a chance to see a little more of the park on our feet. Our final hike up Whale Rock gave us all the feel of the Devil’s Garden trail in Arches, just without all the distance. Here again, we were able to see the park from a different, higher vantage, allowing for yet another glimpse into this expansive world.
Canyonlands National Park is on the traditional and stolen land of the Ute people.
Listen while you look! These buttons will link you to the podcast episode(s) for this park and gallery.
