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Utah Canyonlands

From the avian cacophony of the Bear River Migratory Bird Sanctuary on the shores of Great Salt Lake right to the murky depths of the Subway in Zion National Park this state has an unparalleled array of extraordinary destinations. 

While northern Utah has world famous ski resorts and other worthy places to go its the the canyons of southern Utah which draw most hikers.  There are five National Parks in canyon country  and each has a distinct look, in fact one of the wonders of this landscape is that there is always something new and completely different a just a few miles farther down the road.


Left: Temple of the Moon

Capitol Reef National Park

The prize of this park is Cathedral Valley, a desert that features a series of mammoth sandstone monoliths, most celebrated are the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon. 

Access to this valley is via a high clearance 2WD road that can be impassable in wet weather.

Right: Bentonite Hills in Cathedral Valley

We haven't done any hikes here yet but have investigated both the Navajo Knobs and Muley Twist Canyon, the later of which explores the Waterpocket Fold.

Goblin Valley
State Park

This park features a neat little valley filled with mushroom shaped hoodooos that are perfect for a long aimless stroll.  It is part of the great San Rafael swell, a large BLM wilderness area with plenty of opportunities for more goal oriented hikers.  

"To the photographers out there the morning light was harsh; go later in the day if you can."

Canyonlands
National Park

This huge park is divided into three separate sections by the Colorado and Green Rivers.  The remote western third is known as the Maze and has the least hiking potential.

The best hiking is in the south end of the park in the Needles District, an ironic moniker since the needles themselves right are in fact massive towering hoodoos.

"I had no idea that the needles were actually hundreds of feet high.  A really cool place and one I wish we had spent more time exploring, definitely worth a return trip."

 

The hiking options are too numerous to mention and the spectacular scenery starts right from the trailhead making the experience more about the journey than any specific destination.

The best known group of hoodoos are in Chesler Park.  From the main trailhead it's only six miles return.  Elephant Canyon left is just one of the many awesome sights along this short stretch of trail.
Farther north, near Moab is the Island in the Sky District which is a bit of a one trick pony, a  vast chasm with a variety of overlooks.  The signature vista of the White Rim left is best enjoyed at sunset.
Nearby is Dead Horse Point State Park which has its own classic vista.

The Moab area has a vast amount of worthwhile hiking opportunities, many of which are outside the parks system however we have yet to try them out.  

Arches National Park

From our first trip to Arches: 

"The arches themselves were fascinating but quickly became monotonous."

It's best to focus on the really spectacular ones:  Double Arch, the Windows, Landscape Arch and of the course the iconic Delicate Arch left.   It will likely it will take you longer to find parking than it will to hike to these arches, only Delicate Arch with a three mile return trip requires some effort.  

The Devil's Garden  itself has so many arches, including the ultra long Landscape Arch, that all of the short side trails can be added together to make a 7.5 mile loop.