Utah - Canyonlands Series

Day 3

Canyonlands National Park — Island in the Sky

Stereotypical western country roads

On our February trip, it was supposed to rain hard this day, so we tried to avoid the rain by driving out to Canyonlands National Park, a 40 minute drive from Moab. On the way there via Utah 313, we winded through Sevenmile Canyon, before twisting to the top. There’s a viewpoint for Merrimac and Monitor Buttes and a small board explaining the layers of rocks the road cut through. It’s a neat stop for a photo opportunity - mind the cows though.

The two buttes. They are named after Civil War steamships. Entrada sandstone is really something, wow.

Continuing on, there is a turn off for Dead Horse State Park. We decided to pass due to its proximity to Canyonlands and time reasons, but I’ve only heard good things about it. Dead Horse SP is named after how cowboys back in the 19th century would use the cliffs as a natural corral to keep wild mustangs in.

The portion of Canyonlands National Park that we visited is the Island in the Sky district. It is the most popular due to the convenience of accessing it, as well as having many accessible and breathtaking viewpoints. Canyonlands’ districts are naturally divided by the Colorado and Green Rivers; the other two are the Needles district (also relatively easily accessed by going south from Moab, albeit with a longer drive) and the Maze district (which is also some of the most remote and inaccessible areas within the United States). By this time, the fog was just getting worse, so the ranger recommended a few, shorter trails and viewpoints to explore while crossing fingers for the Utahn version of Karl to drift somewhere else.

MOABMAN

We first drove to Grand View Point to get a beautiful photo of…white. We turned back to first check out Upheaval Dome. We made a quick stop at the Alcove Spring trailhead to walk the trail, and was immediately awed by the view.

Looking down the Alcove Spring Trail. It’s…long so we only walked 4 minutes or so to see the view

A few minutes further down Upheaval Dome Road took us past Whale Rock, which, surprise, looks like a whale. There is a popular trail that allows you to climb up the back of the whale to the blowhole, but we decided to pass on it for the actual dome. Upheaval Dome trail has a loop (that doesn’t allow you to actually view the crater) as well as a relatively easy spur that goes up to two viewpoints. No one really knows how Upheaval Dome’s crater was created, but the two theories are either

  1. It was a salt dome that was experienced upheaval from the weight of the rocks surrounding it
  2. A meteorite struck the area, boom.

A 2008 study seems to confirm the second theory with the discovery of shocked quartz, which is only formed from nuclear explosion-level impacts, but there are still questions about the details around it. In any case, its an interesting view.

Or Saitama punched it, who knows.

Upheaval Dome @ Canyonlands National Park
Review A relatively easy walk up to a viewpoint by the cliffs where you can look at whatever it is that decided to impact the Earth like that.
Verdict: 4/5 — Good views and good photo ops with the Green River in the background.

Now that the weather is a bit more agreeable, we backtrekked toward Grand View Point. We made a quick stop at the Green River Viewpoint, and, wow. Just, wow.

There was no barrier at the cliff edge, and it’s at least a thousand feet down from there so……be careful and use your best judgment.

Green River Overlook @ Canyonlands National Park
Review It’s like a painting, but r e a l
Verdict: 5/5 — Spectacular

We swing up to Mesa Arch nearby - one of the most famous arches in Canyonlands. The best time to view it is during sunrise, and while it’s still neat during other times, it doesn’t have the same kind of feel to it, I guess. It’s still cool to see rock formations through the arch though.

an arch, right in your face

Mesa Arch @ Canyonlands National Park
Review Look into the canyons through an arch! However, since you’re already at the top of the mesa, the arch itself doesn’t seem particularly high. It’s also a long way down from there though, so keep a safe distance from the edge.
Verdict: 4/5 — Probably would be more breathtaking during the sunrise. However, we got here around noon so it’s cool but, compared to Arches National Park, pretty…okay. But, the arch is right there.

Finally, we drove back to where we first tried to start: Grand View Point. It’s a totally different experience now that the fog cleared up, and, Grand View does live up to its name. (Which, isn’t quite true honestly, as the viewpoint was named before this section of the Colorado River was named the Colorado River. It was named the Grand River before Colorado’s representative got mad that the Colorado River doesn’t start in his state Colorado.) Still, the trail that follows the rim is very good. There is also a 305 feet tall sandstone tower called “Totem Pole” that is currently the highest free-standing structure in the park.

You can also, unfortunately, see the old tracks created when people were mining the area for uranium. Even though it’s been more than 50 years in the past, they still scar the desert landscape.

Instagram photo opportunities are aplenty here, for sure.

My mother hates heights but somehow I convinced her to get this photo

Grand View Point @ Canyonlands National Park
Review A trail that follows the edge of the cliffs until you get to the end of the Island in the Sky. There’s more people in the beginning, but thin out the further out you walk.
Verdict: 5/5 — Just don’t look down.

At this point, we started our return to Moab to hit our next destination.

Corona Arch

View Larger Map

Outside Arches and Canyonlands is yet another very well known arch - Corona Arch. A scenic drive along Utah 279 next to the Colorado River brings you to the trailhead. Corona Arch, as a result, does not have the same protections in place as its siblings. This means that various stunts of different levels of stupidity has happened here, including flying a plane through the arch. Why? Because we can’t have nice things.

Okay, frustration at people aside, Corona Arch is another partially-freestanding arch, and also much larger than you’d expect. USGS formerly called Corona Arch Little Rainbow Bridge, and some maps still show it as such. It’s accessed via a moderately difficult, 1.5 mile one-way trail.

The trail crosses the railroad that carries potash out from the mines. It cuts through the rocks here before going through a tunnel that shaves six miles off the circuitous route that follows the river

The trail is marked with painted green arrows on the ground or rocks, so it was comparatively easy to find the trail getting to the slickrock before Corona Arch. There is one cabled rock scramble as well as a small ladder next to a gnarly juniper tree that gets you up to the slickrock.

My parents have small concerns about this being an “intermediate” trail

At this point, you can see Corona Arch! The rest of the walk isn’t difficult, but the dropoff to the right is…worrying at best (hooray for good hiking shoes). Going further allows you to see Bowtie Arch (a pothole arch, similar to how Double Arch was formed), before reaching Corona Arch.

Bowtie Arch can look like a bowtie, if viewed from the right angle from below

Corona Arch is better viewed in the morning than the afternoon. When we went at 4PM, shooting from the bright side made the arch blend in with the background, so it just looks like, rock. Alternatively, shooting from the other side of the arch sets it against the blue sky, which makes it even more pronounced. No matter when you go though, it’s a worthwhile walk! We did see people flying their drone around (since, as mentioned above, it’s not protected land), so if that’s your thing, you could do it. (I am not a fan of drones though until they’re made much quieter).

Imagine a plane flying through this

Corona Arch Trail @ Moab, UT
Review The second thing everyone thinks of in Arches National Park is this arch, even though it’s not in Arches National Park. Since it’s not in the park, it tends to be a tad quieter for a stunning arch.
What to Expect This is a trail that winds up along a canyon, follows an old path across the sand, then skirts along slickrock to the arch for a total of a mile and a half one way. There is no protection from the sun, so be prepared with water and sunscreen! You get three arches along this trail - Pinto Arch a short walk away midway through, and Bowtie and Corona Arches next to each other at the end. If you don't like heights, you can view the final two arches from the start of the slickrock to avoid the uneven ground and sharp dropoffs.
Notes Looks better in the morning than the afternoon, but still very cool in teh afternoon. There is no bathroom other than at the parking lot. There is very little protection from shade most of the way there. There is no cell reception on the way to the arch, so have a downloaded map available offline on your phone in case you veer off the trail.
Verdict: 5/5 — Beautiful. Don’t fly your plane through it please.

We then returned to Moab for dinner and to rest.

Food

In the February trip, we went back to Arches Thai. However, when I went with my friend, we went to the (creatively-named) Moab Diner.

Moab Diner @ Moab, UT
189 S Main St, Moab, UT 84532
Review If you can think of a typical classic American diner with diner fare, this is it. They have the standard offerings of burgers and whatnot, but some have a Southwestern twist! It’s not too greasy but still hearty, and their milkshakes are amazing. It tends to be crowded here though, and service can be a little slow sometimes, but it’s overall a decent place for hot food.
Verdict: 4/5 — True American experiences.

Day 4

Day 4 activities continue here!