Skip to main content

Day 47 - Canyonlands Island in the Sky

Canyonlands National park has three districts and today I thoroughly experienced the Grand Canyon-like vistas of the highest altitude district, properly called Island in the Sky. After arriving in Canyonlands and securing a campsite, I drove to the Green River overlook for my first "white rim" vista-- like the Grand Canyon there is a flat bench in the middle of the elevation down to the river, and here it is distinctly white-colored rock. See pic. 


Another special feature is the shape of the Island in the Sky is like a V with the Green River to the West and Colorado River to the East, the two rivers meeting in the distance south at another district-- the Needles. I would go see this confluence of rivers later in the week.

A strange geological feature called Upheaval Dime was next on the list. Upheaval Dome looks like a meteor impact crater but with salt rising out of its center.  I hiked to the viewpoint overlooking the crater and then off trail to the highest peak at the mouth of the crater. I found a nice spot with big views to sit down and read for a while. Just as I sat down, two birds buzzed me, three feet from my head, and scared the living daylights out of me. My "reading" perch.


With storm clouds closing in, I headed off trail over some ridges to intersect a loop trail going around the crater and returned safely to the van. Grand View Point at the southern tip of the Mesa was my next stop to explore, again by traveling a combination of easy off trail and easier on trail. The weather was rainy but would clear up long enough for great pictures. 



After taking in these vistas, I did some great short trails like the "white rim overlook"--best views in park, "Aztec butte"--easy climb to ancient granaries and big views, and finally the famous "Mesa arch"--an arch set on the rim famous for sunrise views of the canyon behind. 


With the sun setting quickly, I rushed out a trail nearby in search of the perfect view of the canyon set in shadow by the fading sunlight. I arrived at a comfortable overhang just in time to read more of my book as the sun set and the shadows gently fell over the valley below. 








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss.  Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come.  Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling.  I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good.  I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...

Day 43 - Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef, a national park centered around a 90 mile ancient seabed reef was next on my list. A sensationally scenic three hour drive from Bryce, back through Escalante, and then through a national forest led me to the park.  A stop by the visitor center to get the lay of the land and insider info on local free BLM campsites complete, I set out on Chimney Rock trail up the the top of the first reef to get a view.  Yes sir!! The weather was ideal for hiking and the views completely blissful, but I was frankly tired today. I set out along the scenic road down the west side of the reef and remember wanting to take a nap-- but still having a sense of urgency to complete the desert portion of my trip-- I pushed on and set out to hike down the Capitol Gorge and Grand Wash canyons. The Capitol Gorge had a "Pioneer Wall" with inscriptions from the early 1900s and the Grand Wash had a nice narrow section with towering canyon cliffs all around. I took a photo of the surrounding reef...

Day 54 - Great Sand Dunes

I awoke to clear skies, a dry mattress and pillows, a second hot shower and a waffle-filled motel breakfast. I decided to head east to Great Sand Dunes National Park in order to climb 700 foot sand dunes surrounded by snow-covered alpine mountains--a rare site.  Just about every road in Colorado goes over a pretty high mountain pass eventually, and this three and a half hour journey didn't disappoint.  And Great Sand Dunes didn't disappoint either. After securing a dune-side campsite and waiting out a rainstorm, I set out to climb the dunes for a sunset view. Great Sand Dunes is also famous for its Medano Creek wave-like flow and ankle-deep water, making it popular with young kids. I hiked through it and started climbing the dunes, first to a high dune on the east side and over to the next highest dune and then the next highest et until I got to the highest one-/ properly called High Dune. I sat down, setup my phone to capture a time-lapse of the beautiful sunset my eyes were ...