Just a short drive from Arches National Park is the much-less visited Canyonlands National Park. Still lots of slick rock and arches to climb around and explore!
This park has the famed Mesa Arch, which people seemed to love walking on top of for a photo op.
No, thank you, we'll just sit under it. Does it look like it's going to have us for a snack?
Then further up the road are the canyons themselves. Sure, with it's name we should have expected this, but the size still surprised us. Beautiful! The off road jeep tours drive down through this area, so we weren't sure it was the best area for hiking. (Would you call them Jeepers?)
At the far end of the park we hiked to the upheaval dome. There's some debate as to if this was formed by a meteor or a natural protrusion, but either way we thought it looked rather funky.
Driving home that evening we saw the most beautiful harvest moon, and drove into a thunderstorm. The weather drama was a great counterpart to the dramatic scenery.
I still can't take a good picture of the moon, but that doesn't stop me from trying!
If you're seeking solitude, this is a great park to visit. (We saw maybe a dozen people and a couple of dogs in motorcycle sidecars.) There aren't a lot of services here, so be sure to stock up with supplies before you come in, and fill up your water bottle near the park entrance. The sunset alone was worth the drive from Moab.
Nice pics! We were there in July, so didn't do too much hiking (way too hot - 105 degrees!), but we did do some "Jeeping" into the canyon. My boys had a blast - it's still one of the highlights of last year!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marci and Tom! At 105 we would have just sat down and given up. =)
ReplyDeleteThe moon can be a tough subject. I've had my best successes with a 200mm lens and a set of neutral density filters to even out the light and bring out the detail in the craters. And of course, a tripod is a must.
ReplyDeleteSince I just found your blog about three days ago I'm catching up on your journey and enjoying your stories.