Blogs from Canyonlands National Park, Utah, United States, North America - page 3

Yesterday morning we pulled the drapes of our luxurious room at the Durango Super 8 motel to the sight of steadily falling rain - the first of our trip so far. We were planning to head to a place called Silverton, which was further into the mountains of Colorado, and set off with hopes that the rain might stop soon. It did stop raining as we gained altitude, but only because the rain drops turned into soft white floaty things - more commonly known as snow. Very pretty at first, but when we realised that it was settling on the road rather than melting away, we decided that the sensible thing to do was to abandon our plan to visit Silverton and turn around to head for our next destination - Canyonlands National Park in Utah. ... read more

Our third day in Moab, UT featured a day trip to the Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park. The drive seemed a bit long with same-o-same-o views until after 32 miles we entered the boundary of the Park. One of the joys of old age is the Golden Age Passport that gets us into all of the National Parks without paying a fee. Another joy is our Passport American membership under which we get two nights stay for the price of one, or a one night stay at half price. Nevertheless and eversomore, our jaws dropped and eyes ogled when we arrived at Grand View Point Overlook; majestic canyons etched into the panoramic landscape below. We worked our way back toward the entrance, stopping at view points and making breathtaking photos. I made a ... read more

We left Monument Valley by 7:30 anticipating a trip to Natural Bridges. However, Gary was not game for taking the RV down a very narrow road with a steep grade and a few switch backs. We decided to wait and see if we should take another route there or just go on to Moab, UT. We stopped near Blanding, UT at a museum housing an Anasazi home. It was called Edge of the Cedars. Unfortunately, the museum was closed bu the old Pueblo homesite was not. We took looked around a bit and took pictures. We then decided we would go on to Moab right away. Good thing we did as we secured a great campsite at a nice campground on a couple miles from the sights we want to see. The first place we headed ... read more

Left Blanding, UT and drove to the Needles (South) Visitors Center in Canyonlands NP. The road into the park is really spectacular - - very similar to the bus ride up the Zion NP canyon along the Virgin River. Lots of need stuff to see in the loop within the park. One really unique feature was the Wooden Shoe Arch (Picture included). Every where we looked were amazingly beautiful sights - - the photos don't even come close to doing them justice! Then drove to Moab, UT to get fuel, find a campground, and eat lunch. Good thing we didn't stop to eat lunch as Charlie called 5 places before she found one with two vacancies. They are now all full!!! After some lunch, we piled into Kerry's van and went to The north entrance to ... read more

Thursday, August 26, 2009 In Which the Author Drives to Canyonlands National Park Continuing my long desert drive, having explored Capitol Reef’s northern section, and passing through the Glen Recreation Area and National Bridges National Monument, I headed north through Blanding and Monticello, careful, as always, to follow the 35-mile an hour speed limit through these 2500-person towns, I head west down a nice, paved scenic drive, 211, which leads me into the southeastern portion of Canyonlands National Park. The 30x20 mile park is interesting, and probably often-overlooked, as the traveler with time constraints might easily jump from Bryce Canyon National Park to Arches National Park in less than a day’s drive. The Park is divided into (at least) 3 distinct areas: Th... read more