Canyonlands National Park Overlooks

Canyonlands National Park is broken up into three areas or districts: Island in the Sky, Maze, and Needles. If you are also visiting Moab, you are going to want to stay in the Island in the Sky district. While this district is small, it is also the most family friendly and is the easiest district to do. Two of our favorite things to do were an easy sunrise hike at Mesa Arch and a fun hike up Whale Rock.

Even though the Island in the Sky district is pretty easy, we were still pretty tired by the afternoon after doing about 3 hikes. We still wanted to see more of Canyonlands but didn't want to do more hikes. So we stopped at a few of the outlooks in the Island in the Sky district and were not disappointed by the views.

How to Get There: 

We went to two outlook points on our trip to Canyonlands National Park. The first we went to was the Green River Overlook. From the Visitor's Center head southwest. Once you get to the fork in the road turn right. Follow the signs a short while later and take the first left. Follow that road to a nice parking lot. 

We tried going to Grand View Point Overlook, but with limited parking it wasn't going to happen. From what we have heard, it is the best overlook in the Island in the Sky district. So if you want to go there make sure that you're early. To get there just take the south fork where the three main roads converge. It is the farthest point South. 

After not being able to go to Grand View Point, we went to another overlook on the way called Orange Cliffs Overlook. This one had way less people but still offered a beautiful view.

What You Will See: 

The Green River Overlook was where I really saw why this National Park is called Canyonlands. For miles all you see is beautiful canyons. There is a nice paved path from the parking lot to the overlook. At the overlook there is a fence to keep you away from the edge of a cliff face and there are also large boulders that are fun to climb on and offer a slightly different view. There are also signs that give you different information about the canyons that are before you.

The Orange Cliffs overlook is very small but gives another beautiful view of the canyons. There is not a paved path;  you just walk out onto large rocks. We went off the main path a little bit and Ben was able to climb up a small mountain pretty easily and quickly.

Sum Up:  

Overlooks at Canyonlands are a great break from hiking the beautiful trails of the park. They offer incredible views that really show you why this place is called Canyonlands National Park. 

Chimani Arches and Canyonlands National Parks Apps Review

As you have probably noticed we had a fantastic time down in Moab visiting both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The area is absolutely amazing and full of beautiful places and natural wonders. There is so much to do though that it can be a little overwhelming, so for both parks I used the respective Chimani apps to help plan and carry out our adventures. I used the apps on a iPhone running iOS 9, but they are also available for Android.

These apps function very similarly to the Chimani Grand Canyon app that I reviewed a while ago, but it was my first time using the new interface that they updated too. And I have to say that it worked ok, but not as well as I was hoping. The new interface looks nice, but finding what I wanted wasn't always simple, more on that in a minute.

The Arches app and Canyonlands app are almost identical in form and function, only the specific information is different, so I will treat them as one thing for the sake of this review.

App Organization 

When you open the app you will be presented with a menu screen like the one shown below.

 There are a bunch of different categories to help you out so it is suppose to be easy to find what you want to do. Unfortunately I was not always sure where different activities would show up, for example the line between auto touring and hiking is very blurred with some of the same locations showing up in both places. That confused me for a bit, but I guess it makes sense if it is an attraction that can both be hiked to and seen from a pullout or parking lot. If you are not sure what category a particular attraction or activity might be found under chances are that it is under multiple.You can also use the search feature if you want to find something specific.

The menu grid is easy to navigate, although all the topics can also be found in list form under the side menu. One thing I wish though is that you could arrange the sections in the order that you most use them. For example the tab trip planning was not something I used, so if I could have replaced it with the hiking tab that would have been more useful to have at the top of the screen. 

Planning Your Trip

These apps are very useful in planning your trip to the parks because they will tell you how difficult the hikes are and about how long to expect on each. There is a section of the app called "Trip Planning" but I did not find this to be useful at all. It doesn't really help you to figure out what you want, so I would avoid it.

The best thing to do is just go look at the sections of things you like to do, in the case of these apps mostly hiking. When you find an activity that you want to do on your trip, or might want to do, just bookmark it by tapping the bookmark in the upper right hand corner of the details screen.

Now I'll do you a favor and tell you where to find those bookmarks later, since it is not apparent from the app itself, in fact I did not figure it out until after we had already come home from Moab. From the Home screen tap the banner at the very top, the one that says the name of the park and shows your rank (normally scout). This will take you the "My Chimani" section of the app where one of the sections is "bookmarks." This will make your trip much easier. Simply bookmark the activities that you want to do and then you will be able to easily find them while you are in the parks. This will prove useful when using the maps as well. 

Maps in the App

When using the app on are trip I thought the map portion of the app was virtually useless because it looked like this just a couple big orange circles and numbers.

You have to zoom in for individual places to appear and when you do you are so close that you can't see it in relation to anything else.

For this reason I relied mostly on the park guide that the rangers give you when you come in for navigating.

Since the trip though I have figured out how to make the map portion much more usable, which is good since some National Parks are no longer handing out the park guides to save paper. In the settings section of the app (at the very bottom of the side menu) turn off cluster map pins.

Although this still is not perfect (it would be nice if you could set some filters) it is much more usable. If you have bookmarked any spot it will appear as a tan pin making those easier to find. I hope to see more improvements to Chimani's maps in the future.

Also remember that you can download the maps to the app before you head out so that if you run into dead zones (you will) the map will still be available to you.

Badges and Account

As mentioned above there is a section of the app hidden in the title banner (also appearing on the side menu) called my Chimani. This is the area that stores your bookmarks and also your badges. Because I couldn't find this portion during our trip I never used it. So I don't know a lot about the badges, but it appears that if you hit the plus icon on an activity or place in the app then you will get the badge for that thing. I tried it on a bunch of the things we did down in Arches, but never got close to leveling up my rank, so I think the "verified" visits must be worth more, but I haven't tried since I am not on location currently. The badges are a nice way of keeping track of what you have done though.

Sum Up

The Chimani apps are really useful, despite a few drawbacks they will help make your trip to Arches and/or Canyonlands a lot better. You can't complain too much about something that is free. If you use my tips in this post it should work out even better than it did for us on our trip. Remember that Chimani has apps for most of the National Parks, but they all have different features depending on what the park has available (such as shuttle bus schedules in the Grand Canyon). 

5 Things We Wish We Brought to Arches National Park

Even though I am a huge planner with a pretty detailed packing list, there are always a few little things I forget to pack. Sometimes there are things I didn't even consider packing that I really wish I had brought. Here are our top 5 things we wish we had brought with us.

1. Sunscreen Stick

We did remember to bring sunscreen which was great and we are super glad we did. But, we brought the spray kind which I like more than the lotion kind. The only problem is that I don't like spraying it on my face. We had a sunscreen stick at home that works good for faces but we forgot it. Next time this will definitely be on our packing list.

2. Taller Socks

 

Lots of the trails we hiked were pretty dusty and rocky. We only packed our usual ankle length socks but we wish we had packed taller socks so our ankles and feet didn't get so dirty and itchy.

3. Beanie and Gloves

 

For our early morning sunrise hikes and views, we really wish we had brought a beanie and gloves. The mornings were quite a bit colder than we were expecting and gloves would have been especially nice when we were trying to take early morning pictures.

4. Chapstick

While I did remember to pack chapstick, we forgot to bring it with us on our first hike and boy did we miss it! With the dry desert air and the often harsh winds, my lips hurt so bad after hiking Delicate Arch. After that tragic first hike, we remembered to leave it in our hiking bag for the rest of our trip.

5. Variety of Snacks

I underestimated the amount of food we would eat after and while we were hiking so much. While I did bring enough food, I really wish I had varied what I brought more. I did bring pretzels, granola bars, Cliff bars, peanuts and fruit. But I wish I had brought a few different kinds of crackers, more Cliff Bars, more of a variety of fruit, trail mix and fruit leather. 

Sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park

One of the things I love to do while traveling is catch the sunrise at some awesome place. Depending on the time of year this can make for an early morning, but an awesome experience. I had read in the Chimani Canyonlands app that Mesa Arch was THE place to see the sunrise because of the incredible way the arch lit up during the early golden hour. So of course I had to go.

How to Get There

Canyonlands is far larger and far less busy then Arches, but Mesa Arch is still a place many people want to see, especially at sunrise. Therefore, if you want to get a good view you need to get there early. We got an ok spot, but certainly not one of the prime locations, and we were probably 10 or 15 minutes before sunrise. This means if you are staying in the Moab area you will have to leave at least an hour before the predicted sunrise time.

It takes about half an hour to get to the Canyonlands Island in the Sky entrance and then you have a way to go inside the park. You enter on Island in the Sky Road which turns into Grandview Point Road in the park. You'll reach the Mesa Arch parking lot just before the turn for Upheaval Dome. It will be on your left. It will be dark if you are going for sunrise, so be sure and watch for the signs or you might miss it.

The parking lot is a good size, but you might not get a spot if you are too late during a popular time of year. From the lot you will take a short trail to get to the arch. The trail is a loop so you can go either left or right. We took the right side to the arch and the left side back to the parking lot so that we would see the whole thing.

What You Will See

Mesa Arch is very cool arch because it is breaking away from a cliff, leaving a sheer drop underneath it. The main attraction for coming to see it at sunrise is that it will glow when the rising sun hits it. And it is quite a spectacular site. The best place to take pictures is right in front of the arch looking through it, but you can see the glow best from the right hand side. We were too late to get a center spot so this is where we ended up.

When we were there we saw many other photographers, most of whom packed in around the arch. There were also a number of people there just to catch the sunrise. 

If you go for sunrise this will likely be your first view of Canyonlands, and it is a great one. As the world lightens, spires of rock loom out of the darkness and you see the gashes in the earth materialize. Then the sun breaks above the horizon in one swift moment and Mesa Arch lights up with a spectacular glow.

Sum Up

If you can drag yourself out of bed early, this is one of the prettiest sights in Canyonlands. It provides a unique type of sunrise. Mesa Arch is very easy to get to, which makes it great for families, provided they are early risers. Because you will be coming in early before the ticket booth opens, make sure you go back to the visitor's center when it opens and pay your entrance fee.

Canyonlands: Whale Rock

Whale Rock was my favorite hike when we were in Canyonlands. It is basically climbing up a HUGE slick rock and the view is spectacular.

How to Get There:

From the Island in the Sky Visitor's Center, head South then take a right at the fork in the road right past Mesa Arch. You will head North on the road and as it starts to curve around, there is a small parking lot on the right for Whale Rock. 

As for the hike, you start out on a packed dirt trail hat turns into slick rock. Make sure to watch for the cairns as you climb up the rock. 

What You Will See and Do:

As you hike you will see lots of big slick rock and desert plants and animals. Make sure you watch out for cactus! Some of it grows quite close to the trail. 

As you climb up the slightly steep rock, you will end up at the top of Whale Rock which offers beautiful 360 degree views of the area.

The hike is about 1 mile round trip and you can plan on it taking anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. There are also no restrooms and no water at the trail head. 

Sum Up: 

Whale Rock is a quick, relatively easy hike perfect for families. It offers incredible views and is just really cool.

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks Travel Guide

For Spring Break a few weeks ago, we went down to Moab, Utah to see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We had such a great time and were able to pack in a TON of hikes. Here is a break down of how we spent our trip.

Day 1:

On the first day we drove the quick 3 hours from Provo to Moab. We went straight to Arches National Park as soon as we arrived around 11:00 am. Because it was close to the middle of the day, there was a slight line to get into the park. We waited in line for about 20 minutes. When we drove by later in the week closer to the weekend, the line was even longer and looked to be quite a wait. 

We started off our trip at the Visitor's Center. We looked around the exhibits and watched the video. We also stopped for a few minutes to use the free internet, eat lunch that we brought and plan out our day. 

After lunch, we packed up our bags and drove the 20-ish minutes to Delicate Arch. It was as good as everyone says it is. Totally worth it! The day we went it was SUPER windy. So windy, in fact, that I lost my hat :( The hike took us about 2-2 1/2 hours round trip. This included a nice rest at the actual arch. 

After Delicate Arch, we decided it was time to find our campsite. We stayed at Archview RV Resort and Campground that we booked through Hotels.com. There are a lot of campsites in and around Moab that are owned by the same company. And luckily the other places were able to give us directions to our campsite because our GPSes didn't know where our campsite was. It thought it was in the Colorado River...but once we found our campsite, we set up our tent (still in the crazy wind) and then went to have dinner with my aunt and her family who were also in Moab for Spring Break.

Day 2:

We were up before the crack of dawn on day 2. We drove the 30-40 minutes from our campsite to the Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park and headed to Mesa Arch to see the sunrise. We got there about 20 minutes before sunrise and there were already quite a few people there. It was beautiful to see the first morning light cut across the canyon. 

After sunrise, we headed to the visitor's center to check out some maps, plan our hikes, and use the internet :) 

Our first hike of the day was to Whale Rock. It was a really fun hike up a HUGE slick rock. At the top we got a beautiful view of the area we were in. This was my favorite hike of the day. 

View from Whale Rock

After Whale Rock, we drove up the road and hiked to the two outlook points of Upheaval Dome. This was truly a geological wonder. As we headed up to the second outlook point, we took a harder trail (unintentionally). On our way back we were on the easier trail and I wished that we had taken it to begin with. Make sure you look carefully for the cairns along this trail. 

After our hike, we ate lunch at a nice picnic area near the Upheaval Dome trailhead. After lunch we were getting pretty tired so we just did outlook points for the rest of the day. We stopped at Green River Outlook which gave us a beautiful view and showed us why this National Park is called Canyonlands. After, we tried to stop at Grand View Point Outlook but the parking lot was full, so we backtracked a bit to go to Orange Cliffs Outlook and still got a spectacular view. 

Green River Outlook 

By this point we were exhausted, so we left in the middle of the afternoon and headed to our campsite to rest for a bit. After our siesta, we headed into Moab for dinner and to look at some of the funny shops.

Day 3:

Day 3 we had another early start to see the sunrise in Arches National Park. We pulled into Panorama Point to see the sunrise. There was no one there with us and probably because it was not the greatest place to see sunrise, but it was the easiest place. 

After sunrise, we headed to the Devil's Garden area of Arches to hike Landscape Arch. Because we hiked in the morning it was quite chilly for most of the hike mostly because a majority of the hike was in the morning shadows. Along out way we veered off the main trail to see Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. As we hiked to Landscape Arch, we were able to actually get a lot closer than we thought because the trail actually went for a quite a ways after the main plaque. 

Tunnel Arch

Pine Tree Arch

Landscape Arch

As we got back to the car after Landscape Arch, we headed on a quick side-of-the-road hike to Skyline Arch. It was a super easy hike that ended at a wall of rock. At the end of the hike there are also lots of fun boulders that you could climb on. 

After Skyline Arch we headed to the outlooks for Delicate Arch. These outlooks are on the opposite side of the trail for Delicate Arch. The arch seems pretty small, but it is fun to see the landscape that you can't see from the hike. 

We made a stop for lunch at a picnic area across from the Balance Rock before heading to the Tunnel District for the afternoon. First we went to Turret Arch followed by the South and North Window. It was a pretty easy and fun hike where you could go right up under the arches. Then we headed across the parking lot to go to Double Arch, our favorite hike of the day. It was very short and was pretty much a giant playground. You could climb all over the arches and it was so beautiful. It also provided plenty of shade and incredible views. We made a quick stop at the Garden of Eden where we saw some rock climbers going up one of the huge pillars before heading back to the Visitor's Center. 

North and South Window arches view from Turret Arch

Underneath Double Arch  

Garden of Eden

We went into town after leaving Arches and looked around at some of the outdoor adventure stores before having dinner at the Moab Diner. Then we headed back to our campsite after another long day.

Day 4:

After a restful night, we took our time in the morning taking down camp and re-packing our car. After we checked out, we headed towards Moab and went to another arch outside of Arches National Park. We headed to Corona and Bow Tie Arches. This is on BLM land and was a pretty fun hike. It was on the same strenuous level as Delicate Arch, maybe even a tiny bit harder. But it might have just seemed harder because we had hiked for 2 1/2 straight days and it was the hottest day we were there. But it was totally worth the view. Corona Arch is where people used to swing from until someone died and they prohibited such activity. But you can still hike right up to the arch and sit right underneath it.

Bowtie Arch

Corona Arch 

After we hiked back, we had a quick lunch and hit the road to head home.

General Tips:

• Parking is limited at both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Be prepared with a back-up plan in case the hike you want to go on has a full parking lot. 
• Parking seems to get worse after 12:00 but starts to clear up after 3:00 or 4:00. 
• Bring lots of water and sunscreen, regardless of the time of year.
• The visitor's centers offer free wifi. It's a great place to quickly check your social media or throw up a few blog posts :)
• The park rangers are super helpful! Ask them any question about hikes you are considering or recommendations they have based on your family and ability level. 
• If you are planning on going to both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, get the Southeast Utah Group Annual Pass. It is the same price as paying for each park separately but it is good for a whole year and you get into two national monuments as well with the pass!
• The parks are much busier on the weekends, especially during the summer months.

From the Road: Canyonlands and Arches National Parks

We had a great last two days seeing two national parks. Yesterday was dedicated to seeing Canyonlands. We had an early start leaving our campsite at 6:00 am to see the sunrise at Mesa Arch. We spent the rest of the day doing hikes and taking pictures in Canyonlands.

Today we went back to Arches to do some more hiking. We saw most of the major arches today. It was super awesome. But now we are exhausted. 

Look forward to the next few weeks where we will detail our most recent adventures.

Leave us a comment if you have any questions :)