Canyonlands National Park

One of my favorite places ever is Moab, Utah. Moab has so many places to go and things to see, it’s endless! The two places that stand out for me are Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. (While this post will be about Canyonlands, I will be including some photos of BLM land surrounding the park such as the Potash Trail.)

Canyonlands is very extensive and there are endless places to explore! One of my favorites is the White Rim Trail, which is an off-road adventure that I would only recommend to more experienced off-roaders. Driving right along the Rim and looking down into the canyon as you avoid obstacles and maneuver up and down steep inclines and declines of mesas and switchbacks is very thrilling and offers sights and views you won’t see anywhere else (photos below!) There are options for off-roading here; you don’t have to drive the whole way. You can make a day trip out of it and only explore one area of the White Rim. If you do decide to drive the whole way, there are wonderful campsites which you can stay at (check online first as you will have to reserve in advance.) I would recommend camping two nights and breaking up the journey that way, as driving halfway through, camping, then driving the other half is definitely exhausting and allows less time to explore since you will be in the car for a lot of the day. Always reserve campsites in advance, check in at the ranger’s station, make sure you have maps, plenty of water and all the right camping gear as the White Rim Trail is not for the faint of heart. As long as you are safe and experienced (or with an experienced off-roader) the White Rim is an amazing adventure with unparalleled views and unique landforms that will leave you breathless.

Another amazing experience is Dead Horse Point and the Potash Trail. The Potash Trail takes you out of the park and into BLM land and is also filled with amazing natural wonders and unique landforms such as the ones below. The rock really is that bright red color and the Potash Trail is also very popular for mountain bikers as you can see from one of the photos below.

BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) is fun to explore and offers a little more seclusion as most people flock to the National Parks. Don’t be surprised if you see a cow or two, as they are free to roam here! Camping in BLM land is also a fun experience; make sure you get maps and check to see if you need to reserve a campsite, but usually these are first come, first served. The desert has always been a favorite of mine to explore and I love exploring new areas every time! Below are a couple of photos from off-roading on BLM land.

Dead Horse Point is an area that I would love to explore more in depth in the future; like the White Rim Trail, it offers amazing views of plunging canyons and unique landforms as you can see from my panorama shot below. The Potash Trail is right by Dead Horse Point so it is definitely doable to explore little bits of both areas in a day.

Canyonlands and the surrounding area is one of the most unique and amazing places to visit! If you have never been, I highly recommend planning a trip out to Moab! There is so much to see from arches and canyons to petroglyphs and amazing landforms that make you feel as though you are on another planet! (Keep an eye out as I will be posting another blog about Arches National Park soon!) Here’s one last shot of Canyonlands. 🙂