Canyonlands National Park

There simply aren’t enough words to describe the beauty of Canyonlands National Park. Divided into three sections with separate entrances, it’s a marvel of canyons, buttes, arches, spires, etc., etc., etc.

The closest park entrance to Moab is about 30 miles away and provides access to the Islands in the Sky section, which is the most accessible part of the park. The Needles section and the Maze are more primitive and require mostly 4-wheel drive vehicles.

We stopped at the Visitor Center first to get a better feel for the park and what we should see.

A few miles from the Visitor Center, our first stop was Mesa Arch. Even though we saw a number of arches the day before, this one was special. Mesa Arch is located at the edge of a cliff, and the view of the canyons behind it is spectacular. The trail to Mesa Arch is only ¼ mile.

We followed the main road to its end at Grand View Point, where on a clear day, you can see more than 130 miles. There’s an overlook or an option to do a 1-mile trail along the rim.

Close to Grand View Point is a picnic area with covered picnic tables. We made that our next stop to refuel.

We then made the drive to Whale Rock. The trail is 1/3 of a mile and is fairly steep at places as you climb to the top of an enormous rock. Generally, it’s a fairly easy hike, and kids are encouraged to climb all over the rock. We made it to the top in about 20 minutes, and it was well worth it.

At the top of the rock, you are afforded an unbelievable 360-degree view of the amazing landscape.

We spent a little more than 4 hours in Canyonlands National Park. Like Arches, the entrance fee is $10 and is valid for seven days.

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