Canyonlands National Park

It isn’t that Canyonlands isn’t beautiful and awe-inspiring, it is just that it couldn't compare to the other parks we visited. Maybe if we spent more time there we would be able to experience it more. However, it was too much “seeing” and not enough “doing” for our family. We again used our trusty friend Bob and the Canyonlands Gypsy Guide to take us through the portion of the park closest to Moab. He didn’t fail us!

Hotel & Dining

Since Arches and Canyonlands are so close, we stayed the night before in Moab at the Adventure Inn. I won’t repeat the review from the Arches trip, but the location worked well for us. We stocked the cooler with food from the grocery store for the day and for snacks for the week.

After leaving Canyonlands we spent the night in Blanding at the Abajo Haven Cabins. This unexpectedly became one of our favorite nights and places to stay on the trip. Bill runs the cabins with the help of his son. He may be one of the nicest people I have ever met. We arrived early enough that we got to enjoy the grounds. They have a few trails that lead down to the creek and we found some lingering snow. What set this place over the top was (1) the dinner served to us and (2) the night sky. Bill told us they hadn’t had a clear sky in a month. When I woke at 2am to go to the bathroom I saw more stars than I had ever seen in my life. The Milky Way was shining bright. It was magical. When we left, Bill let the kids pick a piece of petrified wood to take home that he had collected on the site. He also educated us on deer and elk.

Dead Horse Point

We decided to take the detour to visit Dead Horse Point on the way into Canyonlands NP. It is a separate state park and requires separate fee. To be perfectly honest, I would have skipped it for the cost. If we were going to spend more days and dedicate a day to the park, then it would be worth it.

Island in the Sky Scenic Drive

It is a 34 mile loop that we used the Gypsy Guide for. I promise we aren’t sponsored by them. I was very disappointed to learn that the Zion and Bryce Canyon guide came out JUST after we visited. We missed Bob for those days. We followed the guide directions and stopped at the overlooks. Without some sort of reference we would have been pretty lost to know what we were looking at. There were several hikes we would have done if we stayed longer.

Mesa Arch

The beautiful part about Mesa Arch isn’t the arch itself, but rather the view it frames. After getting so lucky at Arches, we weren’t prepared for the massive amounts of people that would be joining. Getting photos without others in them were nearly impossible, but made us be a little more creative in shots. Regardless of that we enjoyed the views. There was a little bit of anxiety with being so close to the edge around other people. We did of our best of staying away from others. I had horrible visions of someone stumbling and knocking into us.

Grand View Point Overlook

This was probably my favorite part of Canyonlands. At the far end of the scenic road is Grand View Point Overlook and a trail leading down to a walk winding along the edge of the canyon. We were almost completely alone for the walk along the canyon and you felt so small. There were tons of places (away from the edge) for the kids to stop and play or explore. If you are looking for something more peaceful than Mesa Arch, this is it.