Established in 1964 during the Lyndon Johnson Administration, Canyonlands National Park protects over 337,000 acres of the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah. It is adjacent to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to the west, Deadhorse Point State Park tothe northeast, and Bears Ears National Monument to the south/southeast. At the heart of Canyonlands National Park is the confluence of two of the West’s most famous rivers, the Colorado and the Green. These rivers are foundational to the Park’s wildly eroded landscape, filled with sheer cliffs, towering buttes and hoodoos, sinuous canyons, and expansive flats. The Park is divided into three main districts, dictated by geology. To the southeast is The Needles, defined by the rock formations and hoodoos for which it’s named. To the southwest is The Maze, remote and rugged canyon country. To the north is the Island in the Sky, a great peninsula jutting south some 2,200 feet above the confluence of the rivers.
On the afternoon of Sunday, February 12, 2023, Sean and I took in some big views from the Island in the Sky.
There is a lot to see in this most-accessible district of Canyonlands, but we decided to start by driving all the way to the end of the road, where the mesa peters out in a long finger pointed south, called Grand View Point.
Even from the sidewalk adjacent to the parking area the views were huge.
Over one thousand feet below us was a broad ledge, the White Rim, halfway between the Island in the Sky and the rivers.
For the first time during the trip, but not the last, Ravens took notice of Sean Santos.
They were obviously hanging out in the parking area because they were hoping for a handout.
Beyond the accessible viewing area, a 0.9-mile trail led out to the very tip of the mesa, the actual Grand View Point.
Beyond Grand View Point loomed Junction Butte, clearly not too long separated—on a geologic timeline—from the Island in the Sky.
We set out along the trail.
Shortly we got some westerly views from the other side of the long finger.
Out at the end, Junction Butte was an imposing presence.
We could just glimpse the Green River to the southwest.
Other visitors gave me heart palpitations, particularly this couple posing on the edge of the sheer cliff.
Far to the south we could see the tell-tale formations of The Needles.
Closer at hand was a great eroded gash in the White Rim called Monument Basin.
And due east were the gorgeous La Sal Mountains, rising over 12,000 feet, some 6,000 higher than the plateau. Their snow-clad slopes would be a visual touchstone throughout the trip.
Back at the parking area, we ate our lunch of ham sandwiches and hummus in the back of the Jeep. The Ravens were very interested in our dining experience.
After lunch we drove the short distance back up the road to White Rim Overlook. This point, not as narrow as Grand View, faces east toward the Colorado River and the La Sal Mountains.
Close to the parking area the cliffs dropped away into Buck Canyon to the northeast.
The trail, particularly right at the start, was wet and muddy. A couple women of a certain age asked how far we were going to go. We said, “To the end or as far as we can get.” After having a look into Buck Canyon and Meander Canyon, carved by the Colorado River, beyond, I shouted back, “It’s worth it!” They seemed trepidatious.
Off Sean and I went on the 0.8-mile trail to White Rim Overlook.
As the finger narrowed, views to the south of Monument Basin opened up.
The actual end of the finger was very narrow. Much narrower than Grand View Point. We waited for a multi-generational Indian family, grandma in a sari, to finish taking in the view before we approached.
Over one thousand feet down, we noticed the White Rim Road tracing its way across the red rock.
The road helped provide a sense of scale to the gigantic views.
On this side, we could see the Colorado. Here it runs properly red since it’s still above Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam. Beyond the dam, stripped of its sediment, it runs Green through Marble Canyon on its way to the Grand Canyon.
The route back to the parking lot was gently uphill, but I was still a little winded from the elevation.
Although there were patches of snow everywhere, the afternoon was warm enough that we kept the windows of the Jeep open as we drove to our next destination, Upheaval Dome.