So what to do with your one day in Canyonlands National Park when the entire eastern side of Utah is experiencing sandstorms with sustained winds from 30-60mph? You take pictures anyway and enjoy the day! Maybe protection from breathing in the sand is a much better use for face masks. Never mind. Let’s go my friend–just hold onto your hat.
Canyonlands is the largest of the five national parks in Utah with 337,598 acres of land and water. The Colorado and Green Rivers divide the park into three distinct areas: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. Because there are no roads or bridges that cross the rivers, you must travel outside the park to get from one district to another. It takes from two to six hours of driving between districts. This is a park that requires planning to explore.
Today we are exploring Island in the Sky, the area easiest to access and easiest to hike. Aside from the air being full of sand, the views are stunning. Let’s go!
From Green River Overlook, on the park’s west side, the views of the river, canyons, mesas, and mountains are spetacular. Better on a clear day, but not bad even with sand. The Green River is heading south to join the Colorado River. It is the Colorado’s major tributary, flowing 730 miles from the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming carving amazing canyons along the way. Always look for green areas to see where the river flows and feeds the grasses and plants on its edges.
The environment is full of blowing sand making everything look hazy and blotting out the blue sky. Very fine, even sticky sand and it has been blowing now for over 24 hours. Yuck, but onward!
A closer look shows the river making a tight turn, called the Oxbow, around what is left of a mesa. Called Turks Head the White Rim Sandstone cap is delaying the complete erosion of the formation. Do you see what looks like a road in the foreground? It is White Rim Road, a 100-mile, 2-day minimum challenge for high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicles. You can instead mountain bike the road which takes 3-4 days to complete. I encourage you to watch the Park Service’s video on the above link.
What a surprise heading back to the parking lot. A Hopi Chipmunk. One of the smaller chipmunks and the only one with virtually no black stripes giving it an orange red coat.
Driving a short distance to an unnamed pullout, we see the erosion of level after level in Murphy Basin. Here it is obvious that the White Rim Sandstone protects the more easily eroded red sandstone below.
Candlestick Tower.
At the end of the scenic drive we look south to Monument Basin. The Colorado River winds through this area but is hard to see from the overlooks. Further southwest (see map above) is the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers.
Originally the river that formed from the confluence of the Green River from Wyoming and the Grand River from Colorado was called the Colorado River. The Grand River flowed from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park, southwest across Colorado. Crossing into Utah it continues southwest across the Colorado Plateau joining the Green River. There at the confluence it became the Colorado River. It was through the tenacity of U.S. Representative Edward T. Taylor of Colorado that in 1921 Congress renamed the Grand River the Colorado River. Grand Junction, the largest city on the west side of Colorado, was incorporated in 1882 and named after the joining of Gunnison River with Grand River within the city limits.
Returning north let’s enjoy Buck Canyon Overlook, a view east. Oh my the sand is even worse east, looking toward Moab. Where the indistinguishable sky is should be a view of the snowcapped La Sal Mountains. Not today.
Buck Canyon with a glimpse of the Colorado River. You can also see portions of White Rim Road.
OK, let’s look closer at the Colorado River. Only two small sightings of the mighty river from this vantage point.
Our last overlook is the western start of Shafer Trail, a 19-mile unpaved backcountry road to UT-279 and Moab. This is less demanding than White Rim Road but has its challenges. Many people choose to drive east to west, saving these switchbacks as an uphill adventure. You could also avoid the switchbacks by returning the way you came. These switchbacks are steeper than they look, dropping 1,500 feet to the valley below. The real challenge is the road’s width, not quite two cars wide. Hmmmm . . .
See how wide the road is? There are a few pull-out areas where vehicles can pass, but not many. This heights-adverse adventurer prefers avoiding the switchbacks altogether. Pictures are just fine 😉 .
See the roads making an X almost dead center on the picture? Continuing straight you begin the drive along White Rim Road. Remember though, you need a permit and serious planning before that adventure. To stay on Shafer Trail take the left downhill. You will go through canyons, enjoy river overlooks, see arches, drive past Dead Horse Point State Park high above, and onward to Moab.
What great overlooks in Island in the Sky. Now let’s go for a hike!
