Monday, April 29-May 2

Canyonlands was one of my favorite parks when we did our last trip in 2017, and I have been looking forward to our return.

80 million years ago, this area was covered by sea, which deposited layers of salt and sand. When the sea receded, the sediment layers were pushed up by tectonic movement and then eroded by water to form a variety of rock formations. What’s left are amazing displays of natural art.

We arrived to find the campgrounds full, which was not a surprise. The great thing about this park is the availability of dispersed camping nearby. The helpful person at the information desk in the visitor center gave us ideas of places to look. The Bureau of Land Management runs several camping locations that provide simple amenities such as pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables. We wanted to camp at Hamburger Rock last time, but it was full. Today, we got lucky!

It’s the best campsite ever!

We set up and had time for a short hike that we did last time and really enjoyed. The Cave Spring trail goes past an old cowboy camp and some cave shelters with pictographs.

The rocks here are amazing.

In the evening, we went to a ranger talk at the campground. Lauren talked about coyotes. They are smart, resilient animals who continue to resist extermination by various private and government agencies. I enjoyed the talk but was distracted by the evening light on the rocks.

My favorite hike in this park is the Slickrock Trail. The path is entirely marked by rock cairns and is a bit of a scramble. The views are 360 degrees and breathtaking.

I felt I was on Holy ground. How could I doubt it? The evidence is undeniable.

Temples

Altars

Baptismal fonts

And the rocks…

and of course, the trees!

It was quite windy while we were hiking and Andy was worried about our tent. I kept saying it would be fine, but sure enough, when we got back to our campsite, it had blown over. We were able to re-stake it, but it got some new rips and the zippers were full of red dust (so were our sleeping bags). We got this tent before we were married and I remember telling Andy it was our first joint real estate investment. It’s been from Maine to California and has served us well, but it looks like it’s time for a new one.

On Friday night the 4 wheelers started to arrive. This sport is a big deal around here, and while the National Parks don’t allow off roading, the BLM property is wide open. They raced up and down the dirt road around our campground stirring up dust and making a lot of noise, and also created long lines at the one pit toilet in the campground. We have been previously spoiled by relative solitude and quiet, so this takes some getting used to.

On Saturday we went back to the park and hiked a few miles of the Big Spring Trail. It has some challenging rock , but we managed ok. Saw some magnificent rock formations.

Our last hike was the Pothole Trail, an area with many holes and pits in the rock. These holes fill with water after a rain and allow plant growth. Many areas looked as if they had been professionally landscaped. This photo is kind of dull because I had something smeared on my camera lens, but it was a lovely little desert garden.

Canyonlands still rates as one of my favorite places to camp and hike. So glad we had some time there. Next stop, Moab, Utah.