We were ready to explore our 4th of the “Mighty 5” Utah National Parks, Canyonlands. Canyonlands only has one very small campground and it is first come first serve, so we reserved two campsites at the nearby Dead Horse Point State Park. As with most national parks, dogs aren’t allowed on the trails, but they are allowed on the trails in Dead Horse Point State Park. Score 1 for Murphy! On our first day, Greg & Helen had an errand to run, so Dave, Murphy and I headed out to the Dead Horse Point for a hike around the rim. Although overcast, the views were stunning. I was a little nervous starting the hike around the rim of the canyon, but when the trail was close to the edge, there was a short stone wall. It is hard to capture the expansiveness of the views. If you zoom in on the pictures, you can see the contours a bit better.
The naming of the point is quite sad. As stated in the park’s brochure, “According to one legend, the point was once used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa. Cowboys rounded up these horses and herded them across the narrow neck of land on to the point. The neck, which is only 30 yards wide, was then fenced off with branches and brush, creating a natural corral surrounded by precipitous cliffs. The cowboys then chose the horses they wanted and for reasons unknown, left the other horses corralled on the waterless point, where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado river 2,000 feet below.” I sure hope this legend is wrong!
After the previous day of rain (which included one quite nasty hail storm), Dave, Murphy, and I drove along the scenic drive in Canyonlands Islands in the Sky district and stopped at several overlooks. For most of the stops, you needed to hike between ½ and 2 miles to get to the overlook, so the miles added up. Dave hiked the shorter ones with me (while Murphy stayed in the car) and I hiked a few of the longer ones. It was a fun day exploring the varied topography of the park. We went to the most popular spot when we first arrived at the park – the Mesa Arch. We were able to park in the parking lot, but later, we saw cars lines up & down the road. The arch is 27 feet long and is a popular location to see a sunrise. If you wonder why Dave is squatting in front of the arch, his head blended in when I took the picture!
A fun stop along the drive was Whale Rock. A hiker named the rock formation as the long curving spine of the butte resembles the profile of a whale. Dave & Murphy stayed in the car while I hiked up to the top. I waved at them while I was up on top and took a picture of the truck down below. Dave took a picture of me on top, but its hard to see me. All my hiking with Greg & Helen has really given me more confidence in hiking on slickrock and higher climbs. I have learned not to look down!
Below are pictures from a few other stops, including Green River Overlook and Upheaval Canyon.
That same day, Greg & Helen did one of their adventurous hikes, called the Gooseberry Trail. This is the steepest trail in Canyonlands and most definitely not one for the faint of heart (i.e. I did not join them!). They descended a 1000’ cliff on tight narrow, steep rough switchbacks and then had to hike back up. Greg said it was “crazy cool.” I will give him the crazy part! In the first picture, Helen is in the top right beginning the descent. Greg noted it was the most exposed trail he and Helen have hiked. Many places were less than 24” wide with sheer 500’+ drop offs. Dizzying.
After the storm passed through the day before, the nearby La Sal Mountains had snow covering their tops. The highest one, Mount Peale stands at 12,721 feet. It was a very surreal look, with the snow-capped mountains, a line of clouds below them, and the canyon walls below that. From Dead Horse Point, the mountain range, which is on the Colorado border, was only 35 miles away but it looked much farther.
Our campground was near the west rim of the canyon and we were able to catch a great sunset.
And on our way back to the campground from watching the sunset, Murphy found a stick and then got the zoomies.
The day we took Murphy to the vet, I had spied a donut shop which touted homemade donuts. How is a girl to resist? I had reached out to my partner in all things sweet (Greg) and he was in for a few as well. See, now, I really needed to go.
Early the morning of our last full day in Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point State Park, Dave, Murphy, and I drove into Moab (about a 40-minute drive) for the donuts. So many to choose from. How’s a girl to choose? The shop also makes Nashville Hot Chicken sandwiches (after 11 a.m.). Pretty neat to use the space for two unique offerings.
When we returned to our campsite, Dave and I decided to stay in the state park and hike with Murphy rather than drive into Canyonlands. Our later afternoon hike was scrubbed due to more rain; but we did see a beautiful rainbow.
For their last day in Canyonlands, Greg and Helen drove back into the park and similar to what Dave and I did the day before, they stopped and hiked at many of the scenic overlooks. Stunning vistas. Greg captured a great photo of the Mesa Arch plus one of Helen after she climbed up one of the whale’s spines.
We have now arrived at Arches National Park, our 5th of the “Mighty 5” Utah national parks. Not only is this our 5th Utah national park, it is where we sadly part ways with Greg & Helen to go back to our respective states. Look for our next blog as we go arch hunting in Arches. (Supposedly there are 2,000 catalogued arches.)
We saw lots and lots of canyons (from the top) Brenda, “Wow” was said a lot Dave, and Lovin’ me some state park desert hiking Murphy.
Simply… WOW!