What better time to visit Canyonlands National Park than in the middle of Summer? Well, lots of times. But attending a conference in Utah in the summer meant that I either missed out on visiting, or I braved the heat.
Canyonlands National Park is huge at 527 square miles. Since this was part of our Arches-and-Canyonlands-in-a-day-driving-from-SLC whirlwind adventure, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore much of the park at all. The park itself is divided into three areas: Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles. We drove down to the Buck Canyon Overlook before needing to turn back.
The Entrance
Coming in from the north, the natural architecture resembles nothing like a canyon. Still beautiful though. We stopped by a turnout, and thank goodness the car we rented had 4-wheel drive, because there are some areas that really needed it. On our right, we saw this beautifully symmetric structure. One of the positives about it being bright is the ability to easily shoot handheld.
Island in the Sky Visitor Center
The Island in the Sky Visitor Center was pretty packed. I didn’t think many people would be out in 100°F+ heat to come out to Canyonlands!
Looking to our left really gave us an idea of why this place is called Canyonlands. The pictures don’t do it justice. For the following shot, I saw a dirt road below us. I waited for a truck to come into view before taking the shot, just for scale. The canyons run wide and very deep.
Minhan was taking in the view when I took the next shot. This is one of my favorite shots from the set. The texture in the sky from the clouds, coupled with the canyons below really add depth to the image. Plus, Minhan’s backpack color matched the sky and her hat kind of matched the rocks. Standing there, looking out at the canyons, I couldn’t help but feel so small in the world. It was really quite humbling.
Mesa Arch
Mesa Arch is a very popular destination here. It’s a good thing that we got our arch fix at Arches National Park, because it was very frustrating trying to experience this arch. Not just getting a photo, but also walking up to the arch and looking out from that vantage point. So many people weren’t courteous enough to wait their turn, and yet were quick to shoo other people away. /endrant
Anyway, here’s the best shot I could get while we were there. It’s not the best, but after waiting 30min, it’s good enough. In hindsight, I really should have tried to get a shot off center, with the arch framing the canyons. Oh well, next time!
Candlestick Tower Overlook
Although we wanted to make it all the way to Grand View Point Overlook, we ran out of time. On our way, we stopped by two overlook spots: Candlestick Tower and Buck Canyon. When framing up the shot for Candlestick Tower, I wanted to capture both the vastness of the canyons and the solidarity of Candlestick Tower. So I put Candlestick Tower on the right third of the frame and gave it a lot of room to breathe into the canyon. It was a little hazy at the time, and I wish that I got a clearer shot, but I like how it turned out.
Buck Canyon Overlook
Our final destination on this too short of a trip was Buck Canyon Overlook. Truly a majestic view. I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Canyonlands National Park. When we went, there weren’t too many people. There’s a protected ledge where you can look out. Alternatively, you can do what we did and walk to the side a bit to find a rock ledge to sit on while having a late lunch. The view is one I’ll never forget. Vast canyons extending for miles. It was just Minhan and I sitting there, eating, taking in the view. Such a perfect place to relax. Of course, we packed out everything we brought!
In an attempt to capture the vastness of the view, I took a panoramic shot. On the one hand, I don’t like how it constricts the canyon. But on the other hand, it creates the illusion that the canyons stretch out forever away from the viewer. After I saw this shot, I was reminded of the iconic shots that people capture at Yosemite National Park at Tunnel View. Instead of waterfalls and forests, here we have rocks and canyons.
A Bit of History of Canyonlands National Park
I miss writing these sections! It seems like so long ago since I last had to do historical research.
There’s evidence of hunter-gatherers in the area dating back to 8,000 BCE. Although these nomads didn’t build a lot of structures and didn’t stay in one place for long, they left behind a lot of rock art, which can be viewed at Horseshoe Canyon.
About 2000 years ago, Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont people settled the area. In fact, some of their villages are preserved in the Mesa Verde National Park. Before the Puebloans left, other groups migrated to the area, including the Utes, Navajos, and Paiutes, who still live around the area today.
Fast forward to the 1700s when European settlers arrived. They viewed the area more as a geographical obstacle between New Mexico and California than anything else. Official exploration of the area didn’t occur until 1869, when Major John Wesley Powell arrived and mapped the rivers and cultural history of the area. From 1880-1975, ranchers used the area as a winter pasture and miners mined the area for uranium during the growth of America’s nuclear arms program. For the first time, Canyonlands was accessible by car.
On September 12th, 1964, President Johnson signed Public Law 88-590, establishing Canyonlands as a national park. On November 12th, 1971, Public Law 92-154 was signed, which expanded the acreage of Canyonlands National Park to the size it is today. Interestingly, I haven’t been able to find the record that it was President Nixon who signed it, even though he was president at the time. Hm.
As always, comments, feedback, and questions are welcome in the box below!