We had already had a very full few days, but our ultimate destination was Moab and the national parks nearby, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We set out on our northward trek from Bluff up US Route 191. That took us through the farming communities of Blanding and Monticello.
Fortunately we had realized from our research at home that Canyonlands is really three different parks separated by the Green and Colorado Rivers: Island in the Sky District, The Needles District, and The Maze District. The three districts are not interconnected and hence access to each is separated by many miles. The three districts also seem very different in character.
Island in the Sky is accessible from north of Moab, so that would be later in the trip. The Maze is mostly serious backcountry exploration, not what we were prepared to do on this trip. The Needles district is accessible via route 211 off of 191 north of Monticello and would logically have been the first portion of the parks to visit. However, it appeared we would not be able to see much unless we were willing to walk fairly long distances once in the park. Given the heat of mid-July, we decided to bypass the Needles District, however we decided to go to the Needles Overlook to at least see some of that part of the park if only from a distance.
The Needles Overlook is not part of the National Park but is on BLM land, in this case part of the Canyon Rims Special Recreation Management Area. The overlook is 22 miles back a paved road from route 191. There is not one point for the overlook but a rough trail around the whole end of the peninsula, allowing views in multiple directions.
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| View to the south from Needles Overlook |
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| The Needles District to the southwest, with maybe the Maze District in the distance. |
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| Some more of the Needles District -- 1600 feet below the overlook |
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| Looking to the west from Needles Overlook. Island in the Sky is on top of the mesa in the distance. The wide ledge one step (1000 feet?) below the mesa is white rim. Somewhere between here and there is the Colorado River. |
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| Zooming in a bit while looking to the west towards Island in the Sky. The Colorado River is the green splotch to the right of center |
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| Needles Overlook looking to the north towards Dead Horse Point |
Needles Overlook is obviously not visited as often as other sites in the region, but it was well worth the stop. Even the long drive back through the deserted area was interesting. Given that it is BLM land, I would love to come back here with Silver and just hang out for several days and explore the region. It was very quiet and peaceful.
After our return to route 191, our next major stop was Wilson Arch. It was exciting because it was our first arch and because it was so accessible, just a pull off along the side of the road.
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| Wilson Arch |
Although we saw lots of families with energetic kids take off up the hill, we decided not to make the climb to the base of the arch. I don't know how far it would have been, but it would have taken some effort to make it all the way to the top.
Back into the car, we were now only 24 miles south of Moab. It was an easy drive into town and lunch.
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