I knew very little about Canyonlands National Park before this trip. I only knew that it was home to what is probably Utah’s most famous arch outside of Arches National Park: Mesa Arch
And I assumed it had a canyon. You know, because it was called Canyonlands. I was expecting something similar to the Grand Canyon. Though both are canyons, what I found in Canyonlands looked completely different than it’s National Park neighbor.In the Grand Canyon (at least the part I visited) you are on the rim of the canyon.At Canyonlands, you are nearly a mile from the rim in many places. Instead, it appears to be a sunken plain with a canyon in it. It looks like a huge section of the earth dropped hundreds of feet.
From where we stood it doesn’t look like it has gently sloping walls. It appears to be shear drop offs into the Green or Colorado Rivers below. However, I doubt this is the case as the canyon is significantly wider than the rivers.
Did you catch that? The Colorado River carved this canyon too, just like the Grand Canyon. Part of the park is also home to the Green River, a tributary of the mighty Colorado.
The main attraction in Canyonlands is obviously the canyon. There is a road that runs along the edge called the “White Rim Trail.” You need to have a 4×4 and extra fuel and water to get a permit to descend down to this trail. We didn’t meet the requirements, but it looks to be quite the adventure.
More than just a canyon, Canyonlands is also home to another massive hole in the earth. There’s some speculation about how Upheaval Dome was formed. Was it a meteor? A salt bubble? Regardless, it’s pretty sweet.
It’s also home to a rock that looks like a whale – creatively named Whale Rock.
Aside from all the main attractions, the rock formations here are out of this world. They look like what I expect the surface of another planet to look like.
We only saw a tiny portion of Canyonlands. It’s made up of three areas: The Needles, Island in the Sky, and The Maze. We visited Island in the Sky and it is the most visited. In fact, The Maze isn’t accessible by vehicle – only on foot. Parts of the other regions remain unmapped. And who said exploration is dead? There is part of America that is unmapped.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Canyonlands was to recreate a photo I once saw of the sunrise through Mesa Arch. This would not be an easy feat. Sunrise is early and we weren’t staying very close to the park. But, I was determined. So we got up early, broke camp, said goodbye to Moab and booked it to the park. We weren’t the only ones with this idea – there were already more than a dozen photographers in position. I was still able to get a decent spot, so I set up and waited.
Fifteen minutes later, we heard a busload of tourists coming down the trail towards us. And I thought it was crowded before!
The day was hazy and the sunrise was disappointing.
How sad?! This was one of the top reasons why I booked the trip and now I wouldn’t get my shot. I was disappointed, but took comfort in the fact that I was still getting amazing shots throughout the park, having a great time, and getting to share the experience with my mom.
We decided to hang out at Mesa Arch for a while longer, step back from the crowd, and just enjoy the scenery. A few minutes later one of the bus tourists approached and boldly asked, “Why are you still here?” “Um, what?” was my response. “Why are you still here? The sun is up.” she replied. I said, “Well, there’s still a really nice arch to look at.” She giggled, said “Oh” and scampered back to the crowd. That is perhaps my weirdest National Park interaction to date. My mom and I still laugh about it.
We walked around and took a few more photos when my mom exclaimed, “Valerie!” I turned and saw that the sun was in the position I’d been waiting for – between the horizon and the arch.
I got my shot!! Our patience paid off. That’s why I’m still here nosy lady!
Have you ever had a photograph you really wanted to make, but it made you work for it? What happened? Tell me in the comments below.
Go. Live.
