Canyonlands National Park

Never have I ever felt so happy penning down a trip as I have with this one. This one calls out for an experience like no other. Less vistas yet more content. More road to cover yet less fatigue and downtime!

Did you know the city Moab acquired its name with the Old Spanish trail via trade and explorations. It provided a place where Colorado river was shallow enough to pass and that’s how the town was formed 1854. For 30 years the Uth tribe travelled and travelled. Many were abandoned. As Moab grew, ranching became popular, cowboys were hired to take take of steak, Cowboy western culture grew...

One of the greatest analogy that I can provide reading about Moab is that, during olden days, everyone carried a gun. Why? Ofcourse for hunting, but primary reason was sending signals! They used it as a device to send signals. Cowboys would travel far along in Canyons for wild animals. Huh! Old western style to message friends (carrying a gun). It was a primitive way to take care of things :)

Moab's landscape is vast. ~337,545 acres of land, major arches, spires, buttes, plateau, bridges....and mineral ores.

When you are in Moab Utah, your adrenaline gushes out all the time. You really don't get to sit back chalking schedule in your hotel room. You want to be aboard with the plan and the hikes you planned. Having done Arches a day before, we headed to our next coupled destination Canyonlands, the paired National Park with Arches. The highlight of this visit was the complementary snowfall!

For us Texans, every weather is welcome and every weather is enjoyable. With so less time in our hands, we focussed this year solely on the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. Let me start with the basics so you can enjoy what I am reveling in.

A few landscape terms used in this post are the following:

Canyons: Deep valleys carved into the landscape by the Colorado and Green Rivers
Mesas: High plateaus that overlook the canyons and rivers below
Buttes: Small mountains with flat tops and steep sides
Rock spires: A feature of the park's rugged landscape
Natural arches: A feature of the park's rugged landscape
Rock alcoves: A feature of the park's rugged landscape

Wilderness Of Rock

To begin with, you might have heard about wilderness of Rock! A rock is as wild as you can think of. Isnt it? Not really!

Canyonlands National Park, also known for its Wilderness of Rock, reserves outstanding natural beauty and human history throughout its four districts. Island in the Sky, The Maze, The Needles and The Rivers. Divided by the green and the Colorado rivers, Island in the Sky is closest to Moab and is the most visited district. The Needles is a far drive and is great for a day trip, our backcountry, hiking and backpacking. The Maze is the most remote and rugged district requiring a four-wheel-drive, high clearance vehicle and more time. The Maze horseshoe Canyon contains sacred sides from indigenous cultures. The River separates the other three districts and offers world class sporting opportunities.

I highly recommend one to kick start the Canyonlands journey with the Island in the Sky Visitor Center. It beautifully displays the wilderness of the rock at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. It showcases how water and gravity cut flat layers of sedimentary rock into hundreds of Canyons, Mesas, Buttes, Fins, Arches and Spires.

Setting up a context in everyone's mind sure makes the desert long drive meaningful and valuable.

Merrimack and Monitor

We kicked off with the first geological formation, the Colorado plateau itself! With a bakcdrop like this, who would not want to know the history. So here it is. The picture above captures the popular beautiful pair of Buttes. It's Monitor and Merrimac!

Monitor and Merrimac Buttes were named after the Civil War ironclad ships of the same names. If you look at a likeness of the old ships, their shapes bear a striking resemblance to these two buttes. The Merrimac (the large rock on your left) was the Confederate ship, called the "Virginia" by the southern forces. The Monitor (on the right) was the Union ship sent to destroy the Merrimac. The resulting sea battle changed maritime warfare forever. Long after both ships lie on the sea bottom, their rock counterparts remain locked in perpetual battle.

The Monitor and Merrimac Buttes are composed of Entrada sandstone. (This is the same rock layer that forms many of the arches in Arches National Park.) This Entrada sandstone is composed of three "members", or components -- Dewey Bridge, Slickrock and Moab Tongue. The different "members" of the Entrada layer erode at varying rates. Wow! isnt it like different members of the family that eat at different times in the day!

Mormon tea, buckweed and snake weed are found here in this landscape. The cryptic biotic crust on Colorado Plateau is a living crust with high desert plant life. I go by the saying 'Don’t bust the crust!' Preserve every life form.

Dropping into the Canyons

Another name for Canyon Downpour! The vista here gave us the a cloudy and ghostly view of the walls of Shafer Canyon as it drops 1,400 feet (427 meters). With the holidaying weather, we bearly got to see much of the view due to clouds. Nonetheless, we felt we were riding the clouds to the deep down Canyons. Uranium ore was in its boom in 1950s that changed the face of these canyons and they say, you can actually see the narrow scras across the desert floor of the abandoned mining roads here.

The Neck

The Neck is located within the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands, about 10 miles from the park’s entrance. It’s an easily accessible and must-see feature for visitors. The Neck in Canyonlands National Park, is a narrow land bridge that connects the Island in the Sky mesa to the surrounding plateau. It is an iconic geographical feature of the park, it is only about 40 feet wide at its narrowest point and it provides a natural gateway to the Island in the Sky district, which sits atop a 1,000-foot mesa. The surrounding cliffs drop off dramatically on both sides, offering stunning views of the canyons below.

The picture above show you the spread of the buckweed along the trail.

We did a bit of hike to the top of the stick Butte or whale rock for a spectacular view of the island in the sky and the neck. The Neck is part of the paved road leading to Island in the Sky’s attractions, like Mesa Arch, Grand View Point, and the Shafer Trail Overlook.

Island in the Sky

I kept singing Dolly Patron and Kenny Rogers's song 'Islands in the Stream" thru out the region, for whatever my eyes were on, it sang that song for me. The Island in the Sky primarily features high mesas that overlook the rivers and canyons. Views from here reach from the depths of the Green and Colorado rivers to the mountaintops and above. Perched at around 6000 ft above sea level

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch with sun rising thru the arch is a bucket list expreince. I may not have check marked the rising sun thru the Arch experience, but I can somehow vouch for it having visited the arch. They say the sun rises like a furry ball framing the canyon views!!!! Incredible imaginary view indeed! It's the Big high Mesa!

Mesa Arch also known as Rotary Arch and Trail Arch is a pathole arch on the easthern edge of the Island in the Sky Mesa in Canyonlands. Its a spectacular natural stone arch perched at the edge of the cliff with vast views of canyons Monster , Washer Woman Arch, Airport Arch and the La Sal Mountians in the east entrance. Access to the arch was via a half mile trail easy peasy and with lovely views. This is one of the most favorite spots for photographers to capture panoramic views of the Islands in the Sky. And it indeed for ours too :)

The Shafer Trail Overlook

The Shafer Trail located in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, is named after the Shafer family, Mormon pioneers who used the trail to move cattle. One has to explore the Shafer Trail when in Islands in the Sky. They say trails around island in the sky are good places to see greens, wildlife and remarkable geological features. Utah juniper (blue berries) and pinyon pines grow here during summer,

Pinyon pines are another characteristic plants that have sweet smell when burnt. Are you thinking of camp fire? Well I am and guess what? This place is also known for crystal clear skies, great for viewing stars in the night. You know where I am headed to. Gather your folks, lit some fire, play the Dolly Patron/Kenny Rogers and execute the dream campfire of your life! Voila

Who says that trips carry bible as the planned itinerary to follow? Well, we mostly have, however, our experiences have evolved our approach to some extend. Our Day 1 of the trip was slated for Canyonlands as the first destination to embark but the weather had differrent plans. It was cloudy and frosty enough for a snowfall. Why didnt we check ealier? We did and 10 days days before our flight, the weather app showed it to a sunny day! The climatic changes did not deter us at all, we hiked thru the clouds and tasted the first snowfall of the season this year. It in fact set our day full of beautiful hikes and romantic serene trip. So, here we did follow the bible yet we made a comeback to the park the next day to view the red rocks and natural colorized cliffs and plateaus.

The Green River Overlook

The Green River Overlook is one of the iconic viewpoints in Utah. It offers a sweeping panorama of the rugged canyons carved by the Green river and Colorado River. The weather wasnt the best companion this time, they say you can actually spot the diatnt Maze District and La Sal Mountains. Well, we absorbed the canyons, mesas and the winding path of the Green River along with the crimson reds of the rock and sandstone formations. The fact that the Green River is a mineral bottom river makes it so special with the color it owns. Definitely worth a click, wait....multiple clicks!

Talking about pictures, selfies were difficlut category to filter on when I started this post. Somehow the one below stands out, the greys in his hair and the lines on my neck do reflect the treasure collected thus far! Truly sexy! Touchwood! Loved the foreground in this one.

The Grand View Point

The Grand view point is at the southernmost end of the Island in the Sky scenic drive. Nearing the end of the trip, it was an awe-inspiring overlook for us. The name calls out, it provides a sweeping panoramic view of the vast mesas , canyons that define this rugged desert landscape.

In the picture above, you can see the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers as well as the Needles District, the Maze district and the distant Abajo Mountains . Nishant did the 2 mile round trip trail that extends from the main viewpoint along the canyon rim. He was much content now to drive back to the hotel.

We covered the sunrise and sunset points, visited Mesa arch at Dawn Green River overlook and grand view point at task for incredible views of sunset over the canyons

City life

One of the major kicks while in Moab was its Kentucky Mule and the Wingate Sandwich. What's that mule about? Well, it left a mark on my taste buds forever and ever. Kentucky Mule ingredients includes Jim Beam Bourbon or even Evan Williams with Gingerrale. Garnish it with the lemon wedge on top. A drink to indulge! The resturant was called the Trailhead Public House and Eatery. Service was excellent, with people pouring in from the red rock climbing or hikes, the service was speedy and agile!

Lions Park Valley

They say never leave a piece in your plate that you can consume. On the way back to the Archway Inn, we took a detour to the Lions Park Valley! Nishant had read about its stunning red rock formations that offered views of the Colorado River as it winds through the canyon. And besides, it was a fall season. think of it as a Cherry on the Top!

Lions Park Valley in Moab, Utah is a scenic area located near the Colorado River at the intersection of Highway 191 and State Route 128. It serves as a hub for several hiking and biking trails, including the Moab Canyon Pathway and the Mill Creek Parkway, which connect to other parts of Moab. We were in our car soaking in the views to the core! This could also be a leisure walk by the river, but we were all hiked up with Kentucy mule, remember!!!!