A Utah vacation and Canyonlands experience aren’t complete without visiting Mesa Arch or driving the White Rim Road in the Islands in the Sky district. Before you go, here is a great Canyonlands National Park Travel Guide.
“Ex Travel Junkie Blog owner Denise and her husband visited Lake of the Ozarks and this is their first hand experience of the park.“
Ever been to a place and just KNOW you need to go back? That is what our Utah vacation to Canyonlands was for the Travel Junkie team. We spent several downright chilly December days experiencing Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park in 2013. We thought (very mistakenly) that we had explored the park after getting great photos at Mesa Arch.
Man, were we wrong. Those pictures of Mesa Arch don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the magnificences that are Canyonlands. When we got the opportunity to return in 2018, Papa Joe and I jumped at the chance. Mesa Arch, White Rim Road, and Islands in the Sky were waiting for us!
And why not go back? I mean, Utah is beautiful, and Canyonlands National Park is often overlooked. Some of the most incredible natural rock formations in North America are located in these 2 parks, both located a few miles from Moab Utah.
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The 4 Districts of Canyonlands.
Canyonlands is divided into four districts: the Islands in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado—which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau.
Our trip in 2018 allowed us to skim the White Rim Road in the Islands of the Sky district, and skim the park belly beside the Colorado River in the Island in the Sky section. We got up close and personal in our 4×4 exploring the White Rim Road in the Islands of the Sky and Needles Districts thanks to Navtec Expeditions.
Are you ready to jump into the Canyonlands experience?
Anybody like geology in action?
Well, this is the place for you! But, before we get into the geology, to better understand the region, it helps to investigate the petroglyphs and learn more about the Moab region. So here we go.
Moab Petroglyphs are like Ancient American Blogs.
Well, kind of. Thank you Discover Moab and Climb Utah for sharing detailed information about petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are motifs that are pecked, ground, incised, abraded, or scratched on the rock surface. On closer examination, you might be able to see a painted design accompanying the pecked image, remnants of the pictograph style.
The Petroglyphs we are sharing here are from the Potash Road Petroglyph site, located a few short miles from Moab on Highway 279.
The Potash Road Petroglyphs are not a hike but a roadside attraction. This rock art can be viewed from your car, which makes this adventure accessible to everyone. The Potash Dinosaur tracks require a 200-yard stroll across a rocky hillside – the total time required for this adventure starting in Moab is around 1 to 2 hours.
Archaeologists believe that most of the petroglyphs were done by Indians of the Southern San Rafael Fremont culture, which flourished between 600 A.D. and 1300 A.D. The Fremont art includes older portrayals of animals, lines of hand-holding men, and triangular figures with horns, spears, and shields. Storytelling 101.
The more modern petroglyphs, including the horsemen and many of the hunting motifs, appear to be the work of Ute Indians in relatively recent times. They show less weathering and less attention to detail than Fremont rock art.
This region is famous for dinosaur relics, with trails nearby for the youngsters to hunt their own fossils. Anybody with kids who are fascinated by dinosaurs? This region makes a Utah vacation a no-brainer for family vacations with an archeologist-in-the-making.
Really. A Utah vacation may be calling you!
Why is Moab special?
Ever heard of uranium? In the 1950s Moab became the so-called “Uranium Capital of the World”. No lie. If you want to know more about the Moab area, I included a lot of information in my Arches National Park story. Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands are so inter-connected, it is hard to talk about one and not include the others.
Dinosaurs really existed. Just ask anyone from Moab. “Jurassic Park” movie star Velociraptor was modeled after a Utahraptor skeleton discovered just north of Moab. Look up the Moab Giants Dinosaur Parks and Tracks Museum (yep, really). This place was an absolute breeding ground, and apparently, these giant’s death was under the perfect condition for us to dig up relics millennia later here. In Moab.
I bet you have been to a movie or watched a television series lately? The movies “Cityslickers”, “Con Air”, “Nurse Betty”, and the 2013 version of “Lone Ranger” all include scenes from Moab. Same with television shows – Westworld and Man vs Wild being just two of the most recent shows filmed here. Because of the unique landscape, this region has been featured in filmography since the early John Wayne days.
Are you ready for your Utah vacation yet?
Time to experience Canyonlands.
Imagine an ancient sea. The fertile years of plant growth, then more sea, with the crushing weight of all that water. Repeat – Repeat – Repeat. Over millions of years, you get the unique geology of Canyonlands. Here are a few excerpts from a description of Canyonlands formation:
Subsiding basin and nearby uplifting mountain range existed in the area……..seawater trapped in the subsiding basin created thick evaporite deposits
A warm shallow sea again flooded the region……… a period of erosion then ensued…… Coastal lowlands later returned to the area…..
Large alluvial fans filled the basin where it met the Uncompahgre Mountains, creating the Cutler red beds of iron-rich arkose sandstone………
A second unconformity was created……. Increasingly dry climates dominated the Triassic…… Mudflats returned……. the Laramide orogeny started to uplift the Rocky Mountains 70 million years ago and with it the Canyonlands region
Like… really? This rinse-and-repeat cycle happened over eons. This is a long explanation, but CRUCIAL to the ability to appreciate the rock layers of Canyonlands. The incredible variety of colors. Beauty in the presence of a stark desert landscape. And in a word…
Breathtaking!
What is there to do in Canyonlands?
A vast majority of visitors enter through the main Visitors Center. From there, a scenic drive will take visitors along vistas seen in very few other places on this earth. As a matter of fact, one of the most recognizable views is seen on millions of computer screensavers across the world. The infamous Mesa Arch.
If you have never had the feeling of returning home from vacation, going into your humdrum office job, and seeing the Mesa Arch on a co-worker’s computer screen – knowing you stood under it the day before… When you have experienced that overwhelming emotion, obviously you have visited Mesa Arch. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?
Easy hiking trails are accessible from the main road – many are children and handicap-friendly. We took one of the handicap-friendly paths in 2013, and we knew there was more to experience in Canyonlands.
What if you are more adventurous?
I highly recommend you follow our experience from 2018 and take a half or full-day guided excursion into the park. Several companies in Moab will be happy to share the park with you, but we had a great experience with Navtec and our guide Phil. With him, we were able to see petroglyphs, arches, hoodoos, buttes, plateaus, and land bridges – all in one trip.
Our readers know we collaborate with affiliates and occasionally make some money through those affiliates. That is not the case with Navtec. We mention them here because booking was easy, they did an incredible job, ensured our safety, and made sure we were entertained throughout the trip. This is a strong recommendation for this company and our guide Phil.
Phil won’t show up in a leisure suit, but he will keep you entertained the entire time.
Here are some of the great things you will see.
What did we see in our Canyonlands experience?
While driving through the canyon, we were also privileged to see Bighorn Sheep up close and personal. Have you ever watched a bighorn ram outrun your 4×4? I think he felt like prey and was not going to be caught – not that we challenged him. But to see his instincts kick in was a gift. Twice…
Check out the YouTube video if you want to see more wildlife. This guy was hard to catch on video but he was stunning to see in action. Now, I feel like I’m repeating myself, but experiences like this don’t happen without being a little adventurous. Seriously, it may be time for your Utah vacation.
Our advice for excursions.
If you choose to book an excursion, the sky is absolutely your limit. Excursions can be personalized, and range from half-day to week-long adventures. Navtec offers excursion options completed in a rugged 4×4 vehicle or rafting down the Colorado River. We selected the full-day 4×4 experience along the White Rim Road, and are more than pleased with our choice.
An extended excursion will absolutely be part of our return trip. I see pictures of Canyonlands and know I have to go back. Again and again.
Activities enjoyed by visitors in Canyonlands include hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, four-wheeling, rafting, and kayaking. Unless you are experienced in these activities and have survivalist training, we would not recommend travelers take off in Canyonlands to do these activities without a local guide.
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty – the real Canyonlands experience.
This is the first national park we have written about that I would not openly recommend for everyone to visit without an experienced guide. While beautiful, this is stark countryside and not for the faint of heart.
And it is the ultimate oxymoron. The landscape is rocky. Harsh. Firm and unyielding. But at the same time, incredibly fragile. Many trails are narrow and poorly marked. This is, of course, a safety concern for us humans, but even more so for the surrounding soil, called cryptobiotic soil.
Cryptobiotic soil is the foundation of desert plant life. This black, knobby crust is made up of many different living organisms and plays a vital role in maintaining the desert ecosystem. However, this sensitive soil is extremely fragile and can take decades to grow. Even a footstep can damage the crust for decades, having lasting impacts on the desert environment.
End of that lecture.
So the down and dirty…
If you love geology – enjoy feeling nature – respect our environment – visit. Take the kiddos to the Moab Giants Dinosaur Parks and Tracks Museum or the Moab Rock Shop – these are absolute visitor “must-do” activities.
If this is your idea of the perfect lunch spot if you know and care about micro-trash…
So you are ok getting down and dirty for real? Schedule your Utah vacation. Visit Mesa Arch. Hire a guide to drive the White Rim Road in the Islands of the Sky. Go exploring! Stay off the arches. Respect the spires and hoodoos.
Help to protect this fragile life by remaining on designated roads, routes, and trails at all times. Where hiking trails are not established, hike in sandy washes or on bare rock. Either way, stay on the trails.
If visiting Canyonlands is not for you, enjoy the amazing photos that come out of this region every year. Hopefully, ours will be on that list.
My Turn
While my husband and I have visited Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Corona Arches, we have not yet visited Canyonlands National Park. However, it’s on our list for our winter 2025 RV travels.
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