We had so much ground to cover today. The day began with a short hike right from camp to the canyon edge. The view was magnificent.
As soon as we returned to our base camp here at Dead Horse Point SP we loaded up our hiking gear in the truck and then took off for Canyonlands National Park . . . picking up our fresh yummy sandwiches on the way.
Canyonlands National Park is number four on our list of the Mighty Five National Parks in Utah. This NP is just down the road from Dead Horse Point and is divided into four different districts by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Island in the Sky, The Maze, The Needles and the rivers themselves. A side note for this park - THE BEST EVER CLEANEST REFRESHED VAULT TOILETS THAT EXIST! I give them a 10 out of 10 on that note. Good job Canyonlands!!!
Tim and I stuck to the Island in the Sky district. There we started at the Visitors Center to get a map and more information from a Ranger. Once headed in the right direction we began with the Grand View Point Overlook. Here we took the easy two mile roundtrip hike out to the point. It has just stunning views along the canyon edge. At this point you have the Colorado River on one side and the Green River on the other.
Then we drove to the other end of the park to hike one of the more popular trails here . . . Upheaval Dome! This area is still a mystery. At two miles across its a spectacular view. Was it caused by a meteorite? Or was it a salt dome bubble eruption? This is still under debate by geologists.
On our way back to Dead Horse Point we made two more quick stops. One at the Green River Overlook. The second stop was a short one mile hike out to the Mesa Arch. This is a cliff-edge arch that has stunning views towards the La Sal Mountains.
The other districts here are not directly connected by any roads in this section of the park. Down below out of our view both the Colorado and Green Rivers merge together. There are also some 4-wheel drive off road trails below. We would have loved to go on them however at 100 miles in length and a necessary 2-3 days to complete we just didn't have the time.
Tomorrow morning will bring us another day that we will need to move our base camp. Looks like we might just be able to make all 5 of the MIGHTY FIVE!!!
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