After Capitol Reef and Arches, the final stop on the “Mighty 3 of 5” tour for RC, TC, and I was Canyonlands National Park southwest of Moab. Canyonlands is a huge area – the biggest of the Mighty 5 – and bigger
than Capitol Reef and Arches combined. I suspect it could take months, if not years, to explore everything here but we had just one morning.

We targeted the Island In The Sky district as it’s the most accessible for tourists. The Maze and Needles districts would be great to see as well but would require more time.

We headed straight for Grand View Point and it certainly lived up to its name, with a view that suggests that on a clear day you can see forever over the canyon encompassing the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers. We weren’t there on a clear day, however, and instead had a thunderstorm in the southwest moving our way. Like a bunch of newbies we made a mad dash 1 mile to the end of the Grand View Point Trail without our backpacks, water, or even raincoats. We did get a bit wet on the way back but it could have been worse.

Some sunny-day photos would be nice but I think the weather added a bit of dramatic lighting in some cases.

We headed to the Green River Overlook and waited a bit for the rain to end. There are some great views from here as well. I had a sensation that I remember from the first time I saw the Grand Canyon – as if what I was looking at wasn’t even real. It was just too vast for my brain to accept as real.

Upheaval Dome was next up. The leading hypotheses is that it is a meteorite crater. We just hiked to the first overlook area, but the 8-mile Syncline Trail circumscribes the crater if you’re up for a challenge. NPS literature warns “most park rescues occur on this trail”.

We headed back into Moab for a great lunch at the Love Muffin Cafe and then headed for home, another great trip completed.