The dirt road between the Hans Flat Ranger Station and the top of the Flint Trail is unique in the Maze District in that it’s on top of the Orange Cliffs. Most of the area commonly called the Maze District…
Viewpoints in Island in the Sky
There are quite a number of viewpoints in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. Most are right along the road (or nearly so!) and take you to sweeping vistas of the canyons below. In this post,…
Mesa Arch Just After Sunrise
I’ve been to Mesa Arch a few times, and each one carries a special memory with it. On our first visit, we helped a couple of rangers perfectly place a sign at a trail junction. I’m still wondering why a…
Driving the Hans Flat Road to the Maze District
There are two roads that access the area generally called the Maze District of Canyonlands: The Hans Flat Road, from UT-24 to the Hans Flat Ranger Station, and the Waterhole Flat Road, from US-95 near Hite to… well, to the…
Monument Basin Overlook via the Gooseberry Trail
Last week, I posted about hiking the Gooseberry Trail, better known as the fastest route between the rim of Island in the Sky to the White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park. This week, I’d like to take you along…
Fantastic Views on the Gooseberry Trail
Every once in a while, a hike that you thought would be nice turns out to be fantastic. That’s how you want it to be, and such was our hike on the Gooseberry Trail and then off-trail to an overlook…
Sneak Peek: Maze District of Canyonlands National Park!
Earlier this fall, a group member and I were discussing adventure ideas – because, that’s just what we do. We’ve ended up in all kinds of crazy places out of conversations about real and imagined adventures. This time, we were…
Joint Road Chesler Park West: Finish the Chesler Park Loop!
After you’ve enjoyed the spectacular views near Elephant Canyon, wandered among the spires of Chesler Park, and explored the further reaches of The Joint, it seems the Chesler Park Loop wouldn’t have much more to offer. However, at The Joint…
The Joint Trail
Part of why I like hiking to Chesler Park is to enjoy the spectacular rock formations. But the other reason – and I’ve actually hiked out of my way to do it – is to play around in The Joint. …
The Wonders of Chesler Park
A few weeks ago, I posted about the Elephant Canyon Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It’s such a great hike with fantastic scenery. But for even better scenery – and to experience the Needles close up…