Canyonlands
The travel to Canyonlands was absolutely beautiful. We drove through Capitol Reef and gorgeous mountains, as we made out way to Canyonlands.
About 25 miles off the main road, we found Canyonlands, or at least one part of it- Island in the Sky. This is the most popular part because it's easily accessed from Moab.
Our first stop was at Mesa Arch, which really set the tone for what was to come. Mesa Arch isn't a difficult hike; it's relatively flat, 1/2 mile hike from the parking lot. You must visit the arch while visiting Canyonlands. This iconic view gives a gorgeous view of the park. We have the above picture (on the left) framed in our living room.
Unfortunately, I ended up with really bad blisters from the previous hike so I wore my teva sandals for the first two hikes of this park. I seriously can't recommend these sandals enough. They are so comfy and easy to hike in. I wear them all the time now!
Next we went to Upheaval Dome, which they believe was formed by a crater. This trail was relatively easy in my sandals, even though it had a little bit more incline/decline closer to the dome.
If you haven't figured it out already, Canyonlands is super unique and like nothing I've ever seen before. This park ranks easily at the top of our favorites- so many gorgeous things to see.
We are some snacks before heading to Aztec Bute. I forced myself into my hiking boots for a steep 250 foot climb. I'm glad I did, because I definitely would not have made it in my sandals for this hike.
We drove to the Green River Overlook. From here you can see the Green River and Colorado River. It's hard to imagine how they formed the canyon into such a unique way/shape.
We also stopped at Grand View Trail. You can do an easy hike around the canyon rim, but we decided not to as we had already seen much of the canyon and needed to limit our time in the sun.
However, we did drive around the park and stop at various overlooks. Along the way, we saw snow-covered mountains.
Our final stop was at the Shafer Canyon Overlook. From here you can see where 4 wheel drive vehicles can drive into the canyon on a road that leads to Moab.
We found our hotel amidst construction before heading to Moab Brewing Company. Jason ordered an IPA and I ordered a Hefeweizen. He ordered some sort of burrito dish and I got the nachos with chicken. They came with a beer cheese sauce, which was the best I've ever had, plus vegetarian chili, homemade salsa, and sour cream. They also had homemade gelato so I got a small cup of the sweet cream which was topped with a raspberry sauce and chocolate.
After dinner we explored the downtown area, which consisted of local and souvenir shops. I really liked Tumbleweed, which had local handmade items.