Arches NP

Arches National Park
The park lies atop an underground salt bed that is basically responsible for the arches, spires, balance rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths of the sightseers Mecca. Thousands of feet of salt were in place 30 million years ago. Salt, under pressure, is unstable and as rock formed over the salt beds it was no match for the weight of the rock. The salt layers shifted, buckled, liquefied and repositioned itself thrusting the rock layers upward as domes and whole sections fell into the cavities. There are over 2,000 arches in this park alone. To be classified as an arch it has to be at least 3 feet and it does not matter how thin the arch actually is and as long as you can see light through it. Bob hiked on park ranger guided tour through the Fiery Furnace area. There are no trails in this area and some of the canyons, through the fins, were a tight squeeze and you actually had to position yourself up the rock in order to be able to pass through some areas. The hiking trails brought you close to many of the larger, more notable arches and balanced rocks. There were a number of easy trails that make this park accessible for most people.

Canyonlands NP

Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is made up of 3 distinct areas divided by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Island in the Sky is in the northern section with great views of the vast canyons, arches, Green & Colorado Rivers. The southeast area is known as the Needles. The Needles is a startling landscape of sculptured rock spirals, arches, canyons, garbins, and potholes. The dominant landforms are the needles-rock pinnacles banded in red and white. These 2 areas are accessible by 2 wheel drive and do have short, less than 5 mile, hiking trails. The 3rd area called, the Maze, in the southwest corner is one of the most remote areas in the U.S. Canyonlands preserves a wilderness of rock at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. This is, by far, the most wilderness area that we have seen in a National Park in the lower 48. This park is an ideal place for people who want to camp in the back country. Much of the park is only accessible by 4 wheel drive, mountain bikes or hiking. There is always a conflict among park users to keep it remote or to make it more accessible. We hope that they keep this park remote and a true wilderness because enough of it is accessible if you hike a few miles and there is plenty of back country for those who wish to be lost with nature.

Glean Canyon NRA 6/16 - 6/23

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area/Lake Powell
Lake Powell is a lake which was created on the Colorado River for a water supply, reservoir, power generation and recreation. We stayed at Halls Crossing where the daytime temperatures ranged from 102 degrees to 106 degrees. Night time temperatures did get down to the low 70’s. When we were at Glen Canyon Dam we were at the start of the lake and we did, in our travels, reach Hite, Utah which is at the top of Lake Powell. Lake Powell backs up the waters of the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam about 185 miles. The area of Halls Crossing and Bull Frog Bay are isolated areas, about 100 miles from the nearest town with a grocery store. Diesel generators are used to supply power to the 2 campgrounds and 2 mariners. There are mobile homes for rent and are used by the employees. This is houseboat paradise. There must be a thousand houseboats between the mariners, rentals and people bringing them in on trailers. Since the lake depends on the Colorado River for water, the lake’s elevation can vary from year to year as much as 50 feet. With this type of variation it is impossible to have beaches for swimming. The houseboats and boats are ideal in order to go onto the lake and be able to swim from. From our standpoint, there was very little to do here. Bob did kayak though and we did take the ferry ride from Halls Cross to Bull Frog to have lunch at one of the 2 restaurants in this immediate area. If you are not a boater this is not area one would want to visit. We now know what it is to be in the desert on a lake with 100 plus degree temperatures.

Natural Bridge Monument 6/18

Natural Bridges Monument
There are 3 natural bridges in close proximity to each other which is the reason that the area was made a National Monument. The bridges were discovered in 1883 and were given various names over time. When the area became a national monument they were given the Hopi Indian names of Owachomo, Sipapu and Kachina. The area’s annual precipitation averages 13 inches and elevation ranges from 5,500 to 6,500 feet. The area is definitely a true desert. The rock in the park, the sandstone, was first formed by windblown sand. The desert streams would occasionally score its beds with a great head of water and sand creating conditions for forming natural bridges. At 10:00 a.m. it was a cool 80 degrees and by the time we left at 3:00 p.m. it was well into the 90’s which felt cool compared to Lake Powell where we were staying which was ranging at about 105 degrees.

Capitol Reef NP Grand Wash

Capitol Reef NP 6/9 - 6/16

Capitol Reef National Park

A giant wrinkle in the earth’s crust which stretches for 100 miles across South Central Utah is called the Waterpocket Fold. Capitol Reef National Park preserves the fold with its spectacular eroded jumble of colorful cliffs, massive domes, soaring spires, stark monoliths, twisting canyons and graceful arches. We have seen, from the National Parks so far in Utah, the effects of the tremendous forces created by the uplift of the Colorado Plateau. The effects of the forces, from the ice age, uplift, volcanoes, water, and earthquake, make the formations very different from each other. No matter, in which direction you look or what formation you see, they all have a special impression on you as you take in their beauty. This park shows an excellent example of the force of water. As we hiked the Grand Wash Trail it was obvious where the water had cut out the canyon walls. Sue especially liked picnicking in the meadow in an area of the park called Fruita. Mule deer come here to graze and it’s fun watching them while you’re having a picnic. This early settlement was especially attractive to the pioneers who settled here as irrigation was made possible by the flowing of the Fremont River. Indians, who were the first settlers enjoyed this area for the same reason. The Mormon pioneers grew fruit trees such as apricot, pear, apple, cherry and nut trees and to this day some of the original trees are still flourishing This is the only National Park in the country with orchards present on its parcels of land. The Capitol Reef got its name from a massive dome shaped formation which is similar to the Capitol Dome in Washington, DC.

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos from below