Sunday, August 12, 2018

Cross Country Adventure - Day 11 (Part 2) - Canyonlands, Utah


Having spent the afternoon recuperating from the morning’s exertions in Arches National Park, we decided on the spur of the moment to visit nearby Canyonlands and try and catch the sunset.
Canyonlands is at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, the canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers.
To our surprise, the park was almost empty. We must have come across no more than about 20 people in total during our visit. Perhaps that made it even more special as we could enjoy the grandeur without the crowds.




Canyonlands covers 527 square miles of desert landscape and the canyons are up to 2,200 ft deep. A paved road through the park links scenic overlooks, but much of the park can only be reached by 4-wheel drive vehicles on dirt roads. Given our limited time we stuck to the paved route, but the views were so extensive from the look-out points that we got a good feel for how large the canyons are. 

It’s difficult to describe how magnificent Canyonlands is so I’ll just post the photos: 

Schafer Canyon Overlook

Green River Overlook

Buck Canyon Overlook

Buck Canyon



We didn't get a spectacular sunset, but it was pretty enough:

Orange Cliffs Overlook 




The Utah Juniper tree, one of the most common trees found in Canyonlands, can survive in the most inhospitable landscapes. While it looks as if it is growing out of the rock, it actually has roots which can spread between 25 and 100 feet in search of water. The trees grow very slowly but live a long time (anywhere between 350 and 700 years) so even small ones like this could be decades old:


As the sun faded out of sight, the landscape turned red. We were sad to leave, but we didn't want to have to drive through the park in the dark.

The gnarled wood makes for interesting fencing!



Both my daughter and I were awe-struck by Canyonland’s sheer size and scale. I'm so pleased we made the last minute decision to visit - it will go down as one of the highlights of the trip for both of us.  

Mel writes contemporary fiction with a twist of mystery and suspense. For more information about her books visit her website, or sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/melparishnews  




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