Editor Pick
One of the Great Holes in the Earth
- February 21, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
Canyonlands is one of Utah’s five National Parks set on the Colorado Plateau.
The Green and Colorado Rivers merge in the middle of desolate Canyonlands National
Park to form the river that created the Grand Canyon. Although called "Colorado", the
Green contributes most of the water. The Colorado was discovered first, so the name
stuck. The Green River is nature’s greatest carving tool, cutting its way through the
Gates of Lahore in Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge, Desolation Canyon,
Canyonlands, Glenn Canyon (now flooded as Lake Powell National Recreation Area),
and the Grand Canyon. This immense canyon system, up to 21 miles wide, runs the
entire length of Utah and across most of Arizona. From the Wyoming-Utah border to
Laughlin, AZ, a road trip of over 600 miles, there are only seven places where paved
roads reach river level.
Canyonlands starts just north of Moab, only 12 miles across US Rt 191 from Arches National
Park. Canyonlands is immense,-- 527 sq. miles– a rough rectangle about 20 miles
east to west and 30 miles north to south. Three paved roads penetrate the park
bounders: 1] Island in the Sky, via US 91 and UT Rt 313, is 30 miles north of Moab; 2]
the Needles Overlook road turns off US 191 is about 30 miles south of Moab, the first
paved road on the left after La Sal Jct., then 22 miles to the overlook; 3] UT Rt 211, 42
miles south of Moab, then 20 miles to the end of the road.
ISLAND IN THE SKY is the most popular spot with visitors because of its proximity to
Moab and Arches National Park. Here the canyon rim reaches the highest point in the
park. From the viewpoints, we could see five mountain ranges, as far as 72 miles away,
and the seemingly endless expanse of Canyonlands reaching to the far horizon. If you
look south from Grand View Point and locate the brightest spot of green below, you see
the Colorado River, 2,200 ft. below. The Green River is easily seen from Green River
Viewpoint.
Mesa Arch is our favorite place on Island in the Sky. The view through the arch, about
10 minutes from the parking lot is incredible– cliffs, canyons, pillars, pinnacles, and
behind all, the snow capped La Sal Mountains. Just beyond Mesa Arch, the road splits,
with the left branch ending at Grand View Overlook and the right going to Whale
Rock, and odd shaped rock, and Upheaval Dome. There are pullovers and overlooks
along both roads.
The first view of Upheaval Dome tells you it does not belong here. Whatever it is, it is
out of place. Upheaval Dome is out place anywhere on this planet. To begin, it is
neither an upheaval or a dome, it is a pit, almost circular, four miles across, and 1,000
ft. deep. Upheaval Dome puzzles geologists, who aren’t sure what it is. The original
theory, which accounts for the name, is that an underground salt dome was uplifted as
an anticline and then dissolved and was carried away by ground water, causing the
surface to collapse into the hole left behind when the salt was removed. However,
recent research suggests Upheaval Dome is a meteor impact crater, like the craters on
the Moon. Also like the craters on the Moon, there is a small mountain in the bottom of
Upheaval Dome. Unlike the Moon, Upheaval Dome comes in Technicolor. There aren’t
many places in the USA where meteor craters are so easily and clearly seen, so plan to
make the short walk to Upheaval Dome. The 0.3 mile one way trial climbs about 120
ft. from the parking lot road to the rim of the crater and continues along the rim for
further views. Looking down into the crater, we saw, unlike the orderly stacking of
rocks of different colors in the surrounding canyon walls, a crazy jumble of colored
rocks, jumbled by some vast and mysterious force. Truly an otherworldly view,
probably a gift from a visitor from space and a scene not to be missed.
The White Rim Trail, the relatively flat step at the bottom of the first of a series of cliffs
dropping down to the rivers is a popular mountain biking and 4-wheeler trail.
At one point, the road crossing the ridge connecting Island in the Sky to the "mainland"
is only about 15 ft. wider than the road, with shear cliffs dropping off 1,000 ft. on each
side.
There is a visitors center before the end of the road.
NEEDLES OVERLOOK is our favorite view point, an immense panorama of canyons
spreading as far as the eye can see and almost beyond comprehension. Not that any
place in Canyonlands is crowded, but Needles Overlook is the least visited of the park’s
easily accessible areas. About half the space of the overlook is occupied by an odd pile
of rocks, an easy and fun spot to climb around on.
On our first visit, we stayed 90 minutes and had the place to ourselves for all but 15
minutes when two other people showed up, took their pictures, and left. Don’t do that.
Hang for awhile. It grows on you.
RT. 211. Canyonlands descends from the surface of Colorado Plateau to river level in
series of steps– shear cliffs, then a broad flat spot. Rt 211 goes down to the first flat
area. The road ends about 20 miles away from where 1,100 ft. the drop starts. There is
a visitor’s center. Summers here are very hot, well over 100°, and dry, with humidity
as low as 2%. Carrying water with you is a must, and if you buy a cowboy hat, you will
understand why they have wide brims-- shade on your face and neck all the time.
There are several scenic trails of varying length, some are signed nature trails
explaining the geology and plant life of the park. All are about equally interesting, with
more variety than you would first think. There is a trail to the confluence of the Green and
Colorado Rivers.
The view down here looks like the setting for any classic Hollywood western you ever saw.
Be sure to stop at Newspaper Rock State Park on the way down. Newspaper Rock is a shallow
cave in the side of the cliff whose walls are covered with a fine collection of prehistoric
Indian petroglyphs.
Accessible only by 4-wheel drive vehicles from UT Rt 95 or Rt-24, the Maze District lies
west of the Green River. This is one of the most remote spots in the country, a
bewilderment of weird rock shapes. You can rent 4-wheelers or take guided tours from
nearby towns, nearby being a very relative term because there is nowhere that is
nearby.
In addition to visiting everything reachable by car and taking all the shorter hikes in the
park, we also enjoyed the jet boat trip into Canyonlands on the Colorado River which
starts just outside Moab where US 191 crosses the Colorado, and a small plane sighting
trip over Canyonlands from the Monticello, UT airport. There are also helicopter sight
seeing flights from the airport(?) north of Moab on US 191.
There are both day and night jet boat rides. During the summer, the Moab Music
Festival features dinner and concerts set in a natural amphitheater on the banks of the
Colorado with transportation by jet boat.
Other amusements popular with those who like such things are, back country hiking,
mountain biking, and 4-wheeler adventures. Dedicated 4-wheelers know Canyonlands
as home of the Elephant Hill Climb.
One of the remarkable features of the canyons carved by the Green River is that each is so
different from the others that if you have seen one of them, you haven’t seen them all, or even the
next one in line. We can’t explain it, but we like Canyonlands better than the very different
Grand Canyon.
It is tough to visit Canyonlands without a car (or 4-wheel drive vehicle). There are fairly regular
bus tours that visit Canyonlands as part of a trip from Denver to Las Vegas, but these tours spend
most of their time around Moab at Arches National Park. Some skip Canyonlands altogether,
others only visit the Island in the Sky. An easy quick visit to Canyonlands, using only the paved
roads, will take 2-3 days because of the distances involved, and there is more to do in the
neighborhood. Arches National Park is just across the street. Ut Rt 126 running along the banks
of the Colorado River at the foot of great red stone cliffs is a very scenic drive, as is the La Sal
Mountain Loop road. Monument Valley is 2-3 hours south on scenic US 191, and Mesa
Verde National Park about 2 hours away.
The $25 per car entrance fee includes both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. There is a
separate $10 fee for Dead horse Point State Park.
From journal Canyonlands National Park
Upheaval Dome, Island in the Sky
- May 2, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
The first view of Upheaval Dome tells you it does not belong here. Whatever it is, it is out of place. To begin, it is neither an upheaval or a dome, it is a pit. Almost circular, four miles across and 1,000 ft. deep, Upheaval Dome puzzles the geologists, who aren’t quite sure what it is. The original theory, which accounts for the name, is that an underground salt dome was uplifted as an anticline and then dissolved and was carried away by ground water, causing the surface to collapse into the hole left behind when the salt was removed. However, resent research strongly suggests Upheaval Dome is a meteor impact crater, like the craters on the Moon. Also like the craters on the Moon, there is a small mountain in the bottom of Upheaval Dome. Unlike the Moon, Upheaval Dome comes in Technicolor. There aren’t many places in the USA where meteor craters are so easily seen, so plan to make the short walk to Upheaval Dome.
The short, .3 mile one way, trial climbs about 120 ft. from the parking lot at the end of the road to the rim of the crater and continues along the rim for further views. Looking down into the crater, we saw, unlike the orderly stacking of rocks of different colors in the surrounding canyon walls, a crazy jumble of colored rocks, no longer neatly stacked by the ancient seas. Truly an otherworldly view, a gift from a visitor from space.
Five miles from the main road by paved road turning off near Mesa Arch.
From journal Rocks, in every shape, size, and color
Canyonlands National Park
- April 28, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Wasatch from heber ctity, Utah
The Green and Colorado Rivers merge in the middle of desolate Canyonlands National Park to form the river that created the Grand Canyon. Although called “Colorado”, the Green contributes most of the water. The Colorado was discovered first, so the name stuck. The Green is Nature’s great carving tool, cutting its way through the Gates of Lahore in Dinosaur National Monument, Flaming Gorge, Desolation Canyon, Canyonlands, Glenn Canyon (now flooded as Lake Powell), and the Grand Canyon. This immense canyon system, ranging up to 21 miles wide, runs the entire length of Utah and across most of Arizona. From the Wyoming-Utah border to Laughlin, AZ, there are only five places where roads reach river level.
Canyonlands is immense, 435 miles². Three paved roads penetrate the park bounders. The most popular, Island in the Sky at the park’s north end, reaches the highest point in the park. From the viewpoints, we could see five mountain ranges, as far as 72 miles away, and the seemingly endless expanse of Canyonlands reaching to the far horizon.
At one point, the road crosses the ridge connecting Island in the Sky to the “mainland”, a ridge about 15 feet wider than the road, with sheer cliffs dropping off 1,000 feet on each side.
If you look south from Grand View Point and locate the brightest spot of green below, you can see the Colorado River, 2,200 feet below. The Green River is easily seen from Green River Viewpoint.
Mesa Arch is our favorite place on Island in the Sky. The view through the arch is incredible: cliffs, canyons, pillars, pinnacles, and behind all, the snow capped La Sals.
Traveling 44 miles south of Moab on US 191 and then 22 miles west on a good gravel road brought us to our favorite spot in the park, the Needles Viewpoint. This road is now paved, and may be a bit busier than it was a couple years ago. Not only is this the best rim view, but it offers an easy way to experience the desolation of this vast landscape. In 90 minutes, we had the place to ourselves for all but 15 minutes when two other people showed up, took their pictures, and left. Don’t do that, hang for a while. It grows on you.
Further south off US 191, UT Rt 211 drops 1,100 feet into Canyonlands. The scenery is in every cowboy movie ever made. On the way, Newspaper Rock, a fine collection of prehistoric Indian petroglyphs on the walls of a shallow cave, is a must-see.
Each of the three great canyons of the Southwest—Grand Canyon, Zion, and Canyonlands—is a different example of canyon geography. Zion is pretty much a straight drop of 1,800-3,000 feet. The Grand Canyon’s profile is like a tilted saw blade, a series of staggering steps dropping into the Earth. Canyonlands descends like a stairway. It drops a 1,000 feet down sheer cliffs, then flattens out into a vast terrace, then drops again.
From journal Rocks, in every shape, size, and color