June 26, 2018 - Canyonlands/Dead Horse Point

Today, we were checking out Canyonlands National Park, and also Dead Horse Point State Park which is on the northeast corner of Canyonlands.  I had flown over Canyonlands NP twice but never seen it from the ground.  It is a huge park so I wasn't sure what we would actually be able to see.

The Visitor Center is at the northern edge of the Park.
   
Canyonlands NP has three sections:  Island in the Sky in the northarea between the Green and Colorado rivers, The Needles in the southeast, and The Maze in the southwest.  The Needles has its own entrance and Visitor's Center; unfortunately we wouldn't have time to check it out.  Another vacation, perhaps.
 
On this contour map, the northern part of the Park is in the upper right-hand corner.
   
A National Park Ranger gave a short presentation on local area plants which was interesting.
   
We head south from the Visitors Center into the Island in the Sky which is a large inverted triangle that juts south into the Canyonlands.
   
This is the famous Mesa Arch that looks out to the east.  It's a famous source of photographs, especially at sunrise.
   
 
   
Looking through Mesa Arch at the Canyonlands below.  The Colorado River is in the distance, somewhere.
   
 
   
Overlook on the east side.
   
 
   
Still in the Mesa Arch area.
   
 
   
 
   
There was a short hike to the Grand View Point Overlook, which was at the southern tip of the Island in the Sky.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
The trail runs along the eastern side.
   
No guard rails, but thankfully no narrow ledges either.
   
 
   
 
   
This is the view from the Grand View Point Overlook, facing due south.
   
Looking slightly southwest.
   
This was the best we could do, shade-wise, in which to enjoy our Red Cliffs Lodge bag lunch.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
That's the Green River coming in from the north northwest.   The Colorado River comes in from the north northeast.  The confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers is not visible from the Island in the Sky but is just south of the Grand View Point Overlook.
   
 
   
An unpaved four-wheel drive road called White Rim Road runs around the base of the Island in the Sky.  It takes two days to drive.  You can see part of it below.  Yes, it's now on the bucket list!
   
The Shafter Trail unpaved road runs from the White Rim Road up to the Island in the Sky Visitors Center.
   
A better look.  Talk about switchbacks!
   
We left Canyonlands National Park and entered Dead Horse Point State Park.  This Bighorn Sheep greeted us in the Visitors Center.
   
Dead Horse Point State Park faces east so we get a look at our old friend the Colorado River.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
That is Potash Road down there, which heads south to White Rim road.
   
In the distance is the Potash Plant where the bright light blue evaporation ponds really stand out amongst the red rock.
   
   
 
   
 
   
OK, I'm sure you are wondering about the name Dead Horse Point.  You can't really see it from this picture, but on each side is a serious cliff.  There really is a Point with only a narrow, bottleneck access.  Legend has it that the native Americans would capture horses by driving them onto the point where they were trapped.  But the legend is that after taking the best horses, they left the unwanted ones trapped on the point, where of course they eventually died.  Hence, Dead Horse Point.
   
A better look at the Potash ponds.  Potash is potassium chloride and is used for plant fertilizer.  Yes, I had to look that up.
   
The drive back to Moab.  You see sights like these outside of the National Parks.
   
Here are a few shots of the drive from Moab to Castle Valley, on Highway 128, alongside the Colorado River.
   
 
   
Returning to our B&B.
   
 
   
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