Bill McRae - Moon Arches & Canyonlands National Parks

HANDBOOKS

W. C. McRAE & JUDY JEWELL

Southeastern Utah is so filled with staggering beauty, drama, and power that it seems like a place of myth. In this corner of Utah, two national parks, several national monuments and recreation areas, and multiple state parks are all within a days drive of each other. The colorful canyons, arches, and mesas found within this high, dry area are surprisingly diverse, and each park has its own characteristic landscape. Nor are the riches here restricted to natural beauty: These rugged landscapes hold the remains of ancient Native American cultures, and the haunting beauty of their rock art is on display at hundreds of locations. The areas modern hub, and one of Utahs most vibrant communities, is Moab, a recreational mecca known for its mountain biking and comfortable, even sophisticated, dining and lodging.

The mystical beauty of Arches National Park, where delicate rock arches provide vast windows into the solid rock, is awe-inspiring and nearly magical. Short trails draw hikers into a dramatic landscape of slickrock promontories and stone bridges.

In Canyonlands National Park, the Colorado River carves through deep red sandstone. From the Island in the Sky unit, expansive vistas take in hundreds of miles of canyon country, while rafting the Colorados Cataract Canyon is the wet and thrilling climax of many a vacation.

Beyond the national park boundaries, much of the land in southeastern Utah is publicly owned, and in many cases it vies with the national parks in terms of beauty and grandeur. No trip to Island in the Sky should neglect a side trip to Dead Horse State Park, with its astonishing views into the Colorado River Canyon. Hikers looking for their own patch of wildlands should check out Fisher Towers, a Bureau of Land Management recreation area upriver from Moab. A bit off the beaten path, Hovenweep National Monument preserves a wondrous series of Anasazi villages perched on the edge of a cliffand best of all, youll often have the entire area to yourself.

Although many people first visit southeastern Utah as part of a grand tour of the Southwest, they often return here to further explore a smaller and distinctive corner of this vast landscape. After a small glimpse of the magnificence and variety, some latch on to one special place and return year after year, growing to know it intimately.

Southeastern Utah encompasses some of the grandest landscapes on earth, including the first trenchings of the Colorado Rivers Grand Canyon, the improbably elegant stone bridges of Arches National Park, a wealth of ancient rock art, and hiking and biking paths renowned around the globeall in an area roughly the size of West Virginia. Nearly all the sites in this guide are just a days drive apart, so come with a weeks vacation and catch an eyeful of astonishing natural beauty, explore ancient Native American culture, and partake of recreational high energy in such youthful hotbeds as Moab.

Arches National Park, with its famous rock bridges, is a great family park: Its not too large, and there are lots of accessible hikes to explore. Unlike other Utah national parks, theres plenty to see even if you cant get out of the car and hike; the drive through the park is astonishing. But if youre up for it, take along comfortable shoes and hike the Windows Section, a series of arches and rock fins at the center of the park, and to Delicate Arch, overlooking the Colorado River. Youll need a permit (or better yet, join a ranger-led tour) and to be in good shape for the more challenging hikes into the remote and wonderful Fiery Furnace.

Canyonlands National Park comprises four sections: the River District, containing the canyons of the Colorado and Green Rivers; the Needles District, with hiking trails and backcountry roads through a standing-rock desert; the Maze District, a remote area filled with geologic curiosities and labyrinthine canyons; and the Island in the Sky District, a flat-topped mesa that overlooks all the rest. A separate area, the Horseshoe Canyon Unit, lies to the west and contains a significant cache of prehistoric rock art.

Hovenweep National Monument

A WEEKEND: Stay in Moab and explore Arches National Park, the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point State Park.

FIVE DAYS: Add a trip to the Needles District of Canyonlands and a day of hiking or biking around Moab.

A WEEK: From Moab, head south to Blanding or Bluff (visit Hovenweep National Monument), west across Cedar Mesa, and north to Canyonlands Horseshoe Canyon Unit and Goblin Valley State Park.