Ben has seeing the Milky Way on his bucket list. We had heard Canyonlands was great for star gazing, so we headed there right before sunset.
The colors over the canyons were amazing while the sun was setting. There was a full bright moon though, so while we saw some great stars, we didn’t really see the Milky Way. There is a faint shadow in some of the pictures that might (maybe…hopefully…) hint at the Milky Way, but I think we will have to try again when the moon isn’t as bright.
After Canyonlands, we drove to Arches to try our luck there. Still no Milky Way, but gorgeous nighttime landscapes.
The pullout area we were at for Canyonlands did not have a bathroom. I got to use my camping funnel* for the first time. It was…different, but when you got to go…It worked though, so funnel for the win!
We had not heard of Canyonlands National Park until getting ready for this trip. It’s not too far from Arches, maybe 30 minutes, so we left early in the morning to go see it.
It was crazy to see these deep canyons. It must have been shocking for people coming through to have mountains, then flat land, and then bam! suddenly huge holes in the ground. Apparently they also tried to mine for uranium in Canyonlands during the 1950’s.
Our first hike in the park was to the Mesa Arch. The trail is pretty easy and is only about a mile. It was a warm day, but we had a nice breeze for most of it. It made hiking much easier.
We then drove on to Upheaval Dome. The dome overlook was quite the hike with several areas close to the edge. I think it was about 1.5 miles. The beginning of the trail is marked pretty well, but then you get onto solid rock surfaces and the trail is only marked by cairns. The views were amazing. Upheaval Dome was pretty neat, with all kinds of colors and jagged edges.
We saw a few small lizards and a couple of chipmunks. As Will was sitting on a rock, a small lizard came right up to him and almost climbed on his boot!
After Upheaval Dome, we took a few minutes to chill at the picnic area at the trailhead. We all enjoyed cold waters from the cooler and a few snacks. We drove along the road and stopped at several pull-outs and overlooks. Several areas were hazy, so we didn’t get as clear of a view as I would have liked. As we were reading about the dryness of the area and how it only gets about 10” of rain a year, it started raining on us!
Top picture, right side: Rain in the dessert
NOTE: I would use bathrooms along trails in the park, not at the visitor center. The visitor center had squat toilets!
