Canyonlands — What We Saw, What We Read

To be honest, by the time we reached Canyonlands National Park, we were a little bit arched/canyoned-out. We love us some good rocks but after four days of the dry desert scenery, we felt ready for a change. It seems silly to think about it now. How could we get tired of the overwhelming beauty and wonder of vast canyons cut through by the Colorado River? I guess sometimes you just don't appreciate what you have until you've packed up your car and driven 5 hours away.

We spent our day at Island in the Sky, the northern portion of Canyonlands. We arrived just in time to beat the sunrise crowd at Mesa Arch, one of the parks most notable features. We still managed to catch a spectacular view before the afternoon sun cast a warm haze over the canyons. We spent the rest of our day exploring a few hikes in the area, including Aztec Butte which took us to ancient Puebloan granaries tucked into the mountains and camouflaged by the sandstone. Standing at the granaries we looked across the landscape and tried to imagine the trek that ancient communities had to make in order to store water and food among those hills.

Our final hike was spent traversing along the canyon rim overlooking Upheaval Dome. Theories for the dome's existence include a violent meteorite strike which made the view particularly intriguing. As we walked along the rim, a powerful wind swept up Pat's hat which was swiftly carried away and consumed by, what I assume is a hat eating canyon. So much for leaving no trace.... another reason to donate a little extra to the National Parks this year! (Though, as an aside, we will certainly be submitting our comments about the proposed rate increases).

Ancient Puebloan granaries tucked into the cliffs.