Mesa Arch/Canyonlands N.P. - wow

[frankmcr]

Photo of the Park through the Arch turned up as my screensaver this morning. Beautiful. Didn't even know the place existed.

Anybody been?

[Kerbie]

I've hiked Canyonlands and can attest to its spectacular beauty! Absolutely gorgeous. Mesa Arch is stunning and not a difficult hike at all. Canyonlands is easily accessible from Moab, Utah, and if you're there, you're also a stone's throw from Arches National Park, the home of over 2,000 sandstone arches.

Canyonlands is pretty large compared to the other parks of southern Utah. And it isn't quite as heavily traveled as some of the others, like Arches, Zion and Bryce. Canyonlands may have been the most beautiful, hidden jewel of them all. Lots of hiking, breathtaking beauty and quite a wide variety of landscapes. You could go out on a hike and not see another human being for hours.

It's a much younger national park and not nearly as damaged by human traffic, by car or foot. I would probably rather go to Canyonlands than the Grand Canyon. Mile after mile of seemingly-endless, jaw-dropping beauty. I highly recommend it... probably one of the 2 or 3 most beautiful places I've ever been.

My brother and I hiked and mountain biked the Canyonlands area every spring from 1991 to 2004. We found new things to discover every single year. The Needles, Dead Horse Point, Arches, the Maze, San Rafael Swell -- all have a seemingly unlimited supply of wonder, magic, and unfettered beauty. The best part is when you ditch the guidebooks, grab the topo map, and head out into the great beyond, Edward Abbey-style. It's a desert rat's heaven, if ever there was one!

[Kerbie]

A few pics...

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[Kerbie]

And a few more... the last two are actually at Dead Horse Point State Park up at the top end of Canyonlands.

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[Kerbie]

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[Kerbie]

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[The Bard Rocks]

I've hiked, I think, every trail at Arches, quite a few but certainly not all at Canyonlands. A special memory was an early morning winter hike in Arches when each snowflake was the size of a small feather and they tinkled audibly as you walked. They were gone after 2 hours.

[M Hayden]

Pretty place. Years ago I did some work with the local first responders (installing gear to help with search and rescue comms) and got to see a lot of the more remote areas. It’s gorgeous but some of it is so desolate that it’s disquieting - multiple days’ walk from *anything.*

[Cypress Knee]

I was just there in early June. It is absolutely spectacular. Moab is kind of the HQ for things to do. Campgrounds along the Colorado River fill up relative to their proximity to Moab. The entrance to Arches is a couple of miles north of the river, and the entrance to the Islands in the Sky drive in Canyonlands is just a bit further up the road. The Needles area is an hour or two south, depending on the route you take. The Maze is on the other side of the Green/Colorado rivers and takes some traveling time to get to. NOTE: This is not a place to go without plenty of water and a real map - your phone apps will not have service off the the main highway. Bears Ears is further south, as is Monument Valley. You can spend a lot of time in this area.

Some 2019 pix





Obligatory Guitar Pic

My wife freaked out when she saw Kokopelli shadowing her

CK

[Mr. Paul]

A friend took me to the Maze District of Canyonlands in his truck and camper. It was an amazing experience, two weeks later I had my own camper rig and have been back many times. I do love Arches, Moab, Needles District, Dead Horse Point ... but I find the real magic in the relatively inaccessible Maze District.

Needles District

Canyonlands Sunset by Paul Leach, on Flickr

Fisher Towers is always a stop on the way in or out, just east of Moab.

brian in utah by Paul Leach, on Flickr

Fisher Towers is on Utah 128 that follows the Colorado River

Colorado River by Paul Leach, on Flickr



Dead Horse Point (this is a Utah state park)

Brian at Dead Horse Point by Paul Leach, on Flickr

Horse Canyon, Maze District, high clearance 4WD only

Horse Canyon Panorama- by Paul Leach, on Flickr

Maze Overlook

Chocolate Drops by Paul Leach, on Flickr

A great intro to what the area is about is Ed Abbey's Desert Solitaire. It's the only book I've read 4 times.

[stevemc]

It is beautiful. We were there in May on a month long RV trip through the southwest. A month is not nearly enough time!