[Canyonlands National Park, Apr 30, 2023]

Canyonlands became a national park in 1964. It protects the countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the Colorado River and its tributaries. They divide the park into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves. The Island in the Sky district is the most accessible and popular one, featuring a flat-top mesa with dramatic views of the canyon below. It’s also the closest to Moab, and that’s where we spent one amazing day hiking 4 of the best trails in the park for a total of 10 miles.

That day was our earliest start of the trip, as we wanted to catch the sunrise light at the famous Mesa Arch. I wasn’t sure what time exactly we’d need to be at the arch for the best light, but we made it to the park entrance right around sunrise. At the park sign, the National Park Service had installed a little iron pilon to serve as a tripod!

Given the early hour, nobody else was around so we made use of it for our group photo.

Between the drive to the Mesa Arch trailhead and the short hike up to the arch itself, we made it there about an hour after sunrise. And it turned out to be the perfect timing, as the sun was situated right behind the arch and made for fantastic photos. I am not sure if this timing holds for other seasons, but we lucked out without too much planning! As a bonus, most people had come for the actual sunrise and were on their way out as we approached, making for a far less crowded experience.

Afterwards, we stopped at the visitor center to grab passport stamps and ask a ranger for a good moderate trail recommendation. He pointed us in the direction of Lathrop trail. This 11.5-mile trail descends deep into the canyon, but we had the option to go as far down into it as we wanted, which we liked.

The first mile or so is flat and a little monotonous through the grasslands.

But as you get closer to the rim, the terrain becomes rocky and a series of cairns guide the descent. The views were amazing and we loved how they opened up ever so gradually.

After a little over 2 miles, we were a good bit below the rim and were wondering when to turn around. That’s when we saw a snake cross our path and decided it was a sign. We made that our turn-around point and our scenic snack stop.

We only saw one other party on our way back to the car. If you’re looking for solitude in this fairly popular national park, this is the trail.

Our next stop was the 2-mile Grand View Point trail. This was an easy trail with very little elevation gain, but the views were fantastic. We were on a slab of rock the whole time and had 180-degree views. They were similar to the views from Lathrop Trail but we were definitely at higher elevation. We also caught a geology ranger talk at the trailhead.

At the end, we had another marvelous viewpoint towards the other side of the canyon.

Upheaval Dome was another short one, just under 2 miles. Alas, at this point it was after noon. With the temps rising and 7-ish miles already hiked, we were getting tired. But we wanted to see this more than two miles wide circular depression. Scientists propose two potential causes: a salt dome that cracked and tilted the rock, or a meteorite impact.

Our lunch at Fiesta Mexicana back in Moab was well deserved.

In the evening, we finally had time to just stroll through Moab, which is super cute and deserves some time of its own. The Back of Beyond bookstore was well-stocked with titles a desert adventurer is sure to appreciate.

The “Greetings from Moab” mural on the side of the Bowen Motel made for great photos. For us, though, it was more of a farewell, as it was our last night in Moab. May and Olivia were departing early in the morning to drive to LA, and I had an afternoon flight out of Salt Lake City. The timing was such that I would have a few spare hours in the morning. Could I sneak in some hikes in Arches the morning before I head to the airport, I wondered?