Canyonlands National Park
A national park I had never heard of turns out to be another version of the Grand Canyon, albeit smaller. For me, it was easier to “grasp” Canyonlands National Park than the Grand Canyon; easier to spot the Colorado River (and the Green River) flowing from below so you can understand the magnitude of the surroundings. There were many wow moments in this national park, especially Mesa Arch at sunrise.
There are three land sections of the park that you can visit, and I only got to explore the “Islands in the Sky,” which you can access from Moab, Utah. You can pair this trip with Arches National Park, Dead Horse State Park, and Moab.
What to Do
Shafer Canyon Overlook
See the picture above? Yea… that’s from the Shafer Canyon Overlook. UNREAL. Worth a quick pit stop before or after your other destinations in Islands in the Sky.
Mesa Arch
I was told by a friend that if there was one thing I should do in Utah it’s to see Mesa Arch at sunrise. I got there about 30 minutes before the sun came up and there was already a line of photographers waiting to get the best shot. I recommend getting there an hour ahead of time so you don’t have to squeeze in to take a pic. This is a short and easy looped hike from the parking lot; 0.6 miles in total. You almost feel like you are at Pride Rock as the view overlooks a lot of the Canyonlands. As the sun comes up, the shadows start to reveal what’s truly there! Also, it’s fun to be amongst a group of people just as excited for sunrise as you are. Don’t forget your headlamp if you end up being an early bird, but we were okay using our phone’s flashlight.
Grand View Point Overlook
This is a must-do 0.9 mile easy-to-moderate there-and-back hike that gives you the scenic route the entire way through. I loved the panoramic bird's eye view from the top after climbing the large rock at the end of the trail. I could’ve stayed here all day with my jaw dropped. There’s not much parking so get there early! We came here right after Mesa Arch’s sunrise and we practically had this beautiful trail to ourselves :)
Dead Horse State Park
An amazing stop on the way to Canyonlands (literally, it is right before you get to the Islands in the Sky). We loved this quick stop! Apparently back in the late 1800s, cowboys would use the mesa now called “Dead Horse Point” as an area to round up wild mustangs. They would keep the horses they wanted and leave the others. One time for some reason, they did not open the fenced-in area, and all of the horses died. Hence the name, “Dead Horse State Park.” Pretty somber, eh? But we loved the history lesson.
