On our little adventure out west last summer we couldn’t decide if we wanted to go to Canyonlands or not.  We didn’t.  This time around we decided we needed to go.  We couldn’t be in Moab again and not go.  That’s just ridiculous.

Knowing nothing about the park before we got there, we went to the only part we did know.  Island in the Sky.  With the sun already starting to set, we didn’t have a ton of time, but it was enough.

Our first stop, and the only one I really knew about and wanted to do, was Mesa Arch.  We set out on the short walk and soon enough were greeted by a small horde of people trying to take a picture all in the same spot.  The idyllic picture of the mountains under the arch.  I know it’s surprising, but they couldn’t all take it at once so there was a bit of a shuffle between who got to go next.  There weren’t tons of people, but enough.

I will say, though, the view is awesome.  It’s definitely worth a stop.  After this we kept going down the road making stops at different lookouts and eventually found something to climb.  I tossed a few rocks off before continuing to the end of the road.  We ended up spending a couple of hours in the park before heading back into Moab.

I would love to explore more of Canyonlands, especially the Maze and Needles areas, but I need a better vehicle for that.

Have you been to Canyonlands?  Which part?  What did you think of it?  Do you want to go?