Bill Schneider - Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches National Parks

Best Easy Day Hikes

Canyonlands and Arches National Parks

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Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes
Canyonlands and
Arches National Parks

Fourth Edition

Bill Schneider

Published in Partnership with the National
Park Service and the Canyonlands
Natural History Association

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and Make Adventure Your Story is a trademark of Rowman & Littlefield.

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2017 Rowman & Littlefield

Maps: Rowman & Littlefield

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-1-4930-2737-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-4930-2740-8 (e-book)

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Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Introduction

The area encompassed by Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, two scenic gems tucked away in the corner of southeastern Utah, is a big place. And for the hiker, including the beginner, both parks have a lot to offer.

While researching and writing a much larger book about this area called Hiking Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, I had frequent discussions with rangers on what kind of information hikers most requested. I had the same discussions with many hikers out on the trails.

It seems that there are at least two general types of visitorsthose who want to spend several days experiencing the depth of the Canyonlands backcountry and those who only have a day or two and would like a choice sampling of the special features of the Canyonlands. This book is for the second group.

The more comprehensive book, Hiking Canyonlands and Arches, covers every trail and backcountry road in both parks, including those that are neither best nor easy. Best Easy Day Hikes includes only shorter, less strenuous hikes that are my recommendations for the nicest day hikes in these parks.

These hikes vary in length, but most are short. With the exception of the hike to the Great Gallery, none have seriously big hills. (The Great Gallery is such a great hike that I decided to include it even though it has one steep climb.) All hikes are on easy-to-follow trails with no off-trail sections. In some cases, however, it isnt easy to get to the trailhead. You need a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle with low-range gearing and the skill and experience to use it to reach the trailheads for hikes to the Joint Trail, Chesler Park Loop, Devils Pocket Loop, Moses, and the Granary.

Some of the hikes in this book might not seem easy to some but will be easy to others. To help you decide, Ive ranked the hikes from easiest to hardest. Please keep in mind that short does not always equal easy. Other factors such as elevation gain and trail conditions have to be considered. Also, in Canyon Country, the midsummer heat can make any hike difficult.

Enjoy the best easy hiking in wonderful Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.

Types of Hikes

The suggested hikes in this book have been split into the following categories:

LoopStarts and finishes at the trailhead, with no (or very little) retracing of your steps, including lollipop loops with part of the route out-and-back on the same trail.

ShuttleA point-to-point trip that requires two vehicles (one left at the other end of the trail) or a prearranged pickup at a designated time and place.

Out-and-backTraveling to a specific destination, then retracing your steps back to the trailhead.

Ranking the Hikes

The following list ranks the hikes in this book from easiest to most challenging:

Trail Finder