Canyonlands National Park

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Hi all, Dianne here.  This blog entry will be about the morning hikes Roger and I took while exploring Canyonlands National Park.  Had the forecast not been for triple-digit heat, we would have done another trail or two after lunch.  As it was, we set our alarm for 6:00 and entered the park around 7:45 a.m., intending to see as much as we could before the heat set in.  Our three hikes together totaled just under 5 miles.


Neither of us had ever been to this park, so we weren’t sure what to expect. 

Hazy Formations Looked Surreal

As we’ve discovered during these past two months in Utah, each and every park has a distinct personality all its own.  Canyonlands is no different.  

Mesa Arch

We decided to do three of the shorter trails and hit the highlights recommended by a park ranger.  Our first trail of the day took us to Mesa Arch. 

View Looking Through Mesa Arch

The lower canyon was hazy, which made for a surreal-looking photo session through the arch.


Next, we did the short hike to Grand Viewpoint.  As we walked along with our early-morning shadows, I decided Roger and I looked like Ma and Pa Kettle in our frumpy hiking hats!


The scenery, as usual, was stunning…



A little uphill climbing meant calories burned…




















Here is a sampling of the scenery:

Clouds Cast Strange Shadows

This balanced rock formation looks like a flying saucer has landed…


















More beautiful scenery…


Finally, we took the Upheaval Dome Trail.  Here’s a view into the crater:


More beautiful scenery…if you look closely, you can glimpse the Green River flowing through this canyon:


This rock formation reminded us of Half Dome at Yosemite:









Every afternoon, during the hottest time of the day, we hole up inside the RV instead of sitting outside, like we normally prefer to do.  Our RV vents are plugged with pillows, and our sunny-side windows are lined with Reflectix foil insulation.  It really helps us stay nice and cool (we even have to adjust our AC to keep from being too cold), but the visual effect is like living in a tin can.   We're ready to leave the desert!  


The pet photo of the day shows Tequila taking her afternoon siesta on my captain's chair.  

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