Canyonlands

September 16, 2014

Today was a lazy day that we took to recuperate from our climb yesterday. We caught up on our blog in the morning and basically did nothing the rest of the day. I like that once in awhile.

September 17, 2014

Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are "just across the road" from each other but due to the Moab Fault are totally different. The fault split the earth and while Arches was sinking, Canyonlands was rising. The rock layer that has all the wonderful formations and arches in Arches NP has virtually all eroded in Canyonlands. While there are over two thousand arches in one park, there are only three in the other. With the top layers eroded, the Green River and the Colorado River have carved wide valleys from the underlying layers of rock.

When you first look at the terrain of Canyonlands, it reminds you of the Grand Canyon, both carved by the Colorado River. We learned, however, that the valley of Canyonlands is thirty-four miles across and two thousand feet deep while the Grand Canyon is only fourteen miles wide and five thousand feet deep. The river picks up more water from tributaries and more silt from runoff both contributing to more erosion the further the river travels.

The drive into Canyonlands starts almost across the road from our campground and the entrance is twenty-two miles in. The park is divided into three distinct sections by the two rivers that run through it. The section we explored today is called Island in the Sky. We stopped briefly at the visitors center to watch the short film and then crossed The Neck, a rock span not much wider than the road that connects the mesa to the rimlands.

Starting In

Just Missed the Celebration

Our first stop in the park was at the Shafer Canyon Overlook where we watched a four wheel drive vehicle descending probably a thousand feet from the rim down to the valley floor through numerous switchbacks and a steep dirt track. It made us wish we had bought the four wheel drive version of our Ford Escape. Uranium was discovered near Moab back in the 1950s and there are dirt mining roads all over the valleys that are still visible today. 

Many Full Time RVers Tow Jeeps

Murray & Ron Should Be Here

The National Park book that we have recommended that we drive all the way to the end to Grand View Point which we did. We arrived just in time to hear a ranger talk on the geology of the area while sitting on red rock boulders and looking out at the wide open vistas below. We then took the Grand View Point Rim Trail out to the very end of the "island" where we could see where both rivers cut into the earth and would converge further south. 

Ranger Talk

Colors and Layers

We Really Liked the Barriers of Dead Pinion Pine and Juniper

Deposition, Uplift, Displacement, and Erosion or DUDE

Note the White Rim of DeChelley Salt

Vertical Red is Wingate and Kayenta at the Surface

Starting Down the Rim Trail

Cairns

The Steps Were Convenient

Steps Down Through the Boulders

Some of the Flowers in Bloom

View From The End of the Island

We thought the trail was a mile round trip and left our packs and water in the car. It turned out that the hike was a mile one way so we were thirsty when we got back. The trail was fairly flat over slickrock and up and down a few stairs so nowhere near as difficult as the trail we did the other day. Again I could not get over how green the shrubs were and how many types of flowering wildflowers there were. It was a beautiful hike and when we got to the overlook at the end there were plenty of places to sit in the shade and feel the breeze from the valley below.

Green River Side

Glimpse of Green River

Pinion Pine

Cliffs Down to the Valley

The Landscaping Looked Professionally Done

After a brief snack and bathroom break at a nearby picnic area, we stopped at the Buck Canyon Overlook for a photo op and then drove to the Green River Overlook where there was a sign showing what we were seeing in the distance. Obviously we could see the very brown Green River and also several mesas that were in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that shares a boundary with Canyonlands.

Colorado River, I Think

The Start of a Canyon

Hard Not to Take Photos of the Red Rocks

More Flowers

Powell (One Armed) Was the First to Explore and Map these Rivers

Erosion at Its Best

Cactus

We took the five mile drive to Upheaval Dome, an area some geologists believe was struck by a meteor. The parking lot was full and the trail required a climb so we decided we would save it for next time. We did stop at another unnamed overlook and Ted climbed down and walked a quarter mile to the rim again looking down toward the Green River. Hot and tired as sightseeing is hard work, we got in the car and drove the thirty some miles back to the campground.

Ted Liked This

This Deserves to Be Named

The Drive Back Out In Entrada and Navajo Strata