Canyonlands Continued and Arches

I have always had a fascination with rocks. Don’t quite know why. There are just so many variations in color, texture, and of course, size. That’s why we thought it was appropriate for me to write this post, being the amateur geologist that it am. What can I say about these two amazing parks? I guess it seems that these red rock structures defy gravity. You think, “How is that possibly still standing”? Another thing that is just incredible about this area is the number of attractions. Each monolith or arch is so unique that it is impossible to see it all in a day, but we did not too bad!

In the morning we drove from our campsite into Canyonlands. This national park seemed almost deserted. This was welcome surprise from our previous national park visits! We were told that it was due to the extreme temperatures. “Even the locals don’t come out in this heat”. Eleven mile hike in 38 C anyone?? Fortunately it was still early in the day so we were able to do a little hiking around. We got to take in Pothole Point, Big Spring Canyon, and of course, get a good look at the Needles (sandstone spires). There are also some really cool 4×4 roads in this park, actually the most challenging in the state. No 4×4 adventures for us though. 🙁

With no time to spare, we were off to Arches. We dropped the trailer at a really nice KOA in Moab and made haste for the park. When we entered the park, we were offered the usual maps and guides. As I was flipping though it listed with how much time you have, what you can see. If you spend just 10 minutes at each attraction you can see the park in 4.5 hours. What?! We need more time! We did get to see most of the attractions with the time we had but I can see how you could spend many days here. As usual, the pictures just cannot do justice, but enjoy!!