Moab, Utah - August 13 through 19, 2004 Part 2 (Re-run)

 The second national park near Moab is Canyonlands, adjacent to Dead Horse Point State Park.  At 338,000 acres, Canyonlands is nearly 4.5 times the size of Arches N P.  However, because it is so rugged and remote, Canyonlands gets far fewer visitors each year.  Annual attendance has grown steadily since its designation in 1964 and is approaching one million.  There are three main units to the park.  Island In The Sky District is closest to Moab and most accessible, therefore gets most of the visitors.  Needles District is well south of Moab and has fewer distinctive features.  The Maze District is west of the others and is least visited, getting 1.5% of Canyonland tourists, mostly hard core off-roaders..  A fourth section, Horseshoe Canyon, contains some of the most magnificent rock art found anywhere, but it is difficult to access.

Both the Green and Colorado Rivers shared in creating the canyons, cliffs, buttes and spires of Canyonlands.  The confluence of the two rivers makes a most picturesque scene from a high overlook.  Below that point, rafters and kayakers experience some of the most challenging whitewater rapids, especially in years with heavy runoff from snow melt.  

Dead Horse Point State Park has views similar to those of Island In The Sky.  You can see the infamous Shafer Trail, a challenging road that drops 1500 feet into the canyons with some sections as much as 16% grade.  The trail was created by the Shafer boys for driving their cattle to market in Moab.  

Even better views of Shafer Trail are available in Canyonlands.  In one photo, you cab see a Jeep descending, which gives a sense of scale.

Views of White Rim Canyon are also pretty spectacular.  There is a 4WD road around that canyon, some 100 miles long.  It usually takes two days to make the trip and a permit is required.

The Needles District is even more rugged than Island In The Sky, but it does have its share of wildlife and plants to enjoy.  I've never actually entered the Maze District.  As the name suggests, the rough trails in that area are easily confused.  People have been known to get lost in there, so extra provisions are suggested in the event that it might take days to find the way out.