Canyonlands National Park

Posted by Sparky on October 12, 2017

Overlook of White Rim Trail

Canyonlands National Park is one of two national parks near Moab UT, the other being Arches National Park. I visited both, but I went to Canyonlands first, yesterday morning, because the day started out cloudy and, since it was farther away – about 30 miles – I figured that it might clear up a bit by the time I got there. I was right.

Canyonlands is not one of the better-known parks. It is a bit difficult to get to. You first have to find your way to the Moab area, which is 30 miles from I-70. Then you have to drive over 20 miles up a dead-end road to even reach the gate. Before you get there signs warn you that there are no restaurants, no gas stations, no water in the park. The only service provided is toilets. Primitive toilets. This is not a hospitable park.

But it is beautiful.

I really liked this park. I think it is arguably as interesting as Grand Canyon National Park. And more varied in its vistas. It has both towering rock monoliths and gaping canyons. And it has something that the Grand Canyon does not have – challenging offroad trails. The White Rim Trail is a 100-mile trail around the rim of the lower canyons. It is flat and is probably not a challenging drive, but the length of the loop and the isolation of the area (the park warns that, should your vehicle become disabled, towing charges could exceed $2,000) would make it an intense driving experience – probably a multi-day experience.

I should note that the park is huge with several distinct “units”. I visited the most popular and most accessible unit, the “Island in the Sky” which offers a 17-mile (one-way, 34-mile roundtrip) scenic drive in the highest sections of the park. At the point it overlooks the White Rim Trail it is probably more than 1,000 feet above the trail.

Anyway, I will let the photos tell you how much I liked the park.