Canyonlands National Park, Utah
June 18-19, 2010
Canyonlands National Park is made up of three distinct areas and each one is more startling and alluring than the next. There are wave after wave of deep canyons here formed by the currents of Utah's Green and Colorado Rivers. The landscape is dotted and divided with towering mesas, pinnacles, cliffs and spires spread out over thousands of acres. It includes some of the world's most breathtaking red rock country which is why we were so devestated that we couldn't stay. The weather at this point had turned extremely hot (36-38 degrees!) and the "no-see-ums" (biting gnats) were in full force and became so relentless, we had leave and move onward to other destinations. We would love to return oneday and fully explore the area and discover its treasures.
Our Accommodations - Willow Flat Campground
There are several camping options within the park and just outside the park boundaries. We stayed at the Willow Flat Campground in the Needles District. It was quite nice and situated against large boulders for shade.
Canyonlands National Park
There is a north and south entrance into the park and we opted to explore the south entrance called
The Needles Section, named for its mountains which have been eroded away leaving thin spiky spires. We did two short hikes named Pothole Point which provided views of "the needles" themselves and the other named Cave Spring Trail which took you through an old rugged cowboy outpost. There is of course, so much more to see and do here but with our limited time, we unfortunately, did not experience very much.