Going to Utah
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Going to Utah
Canyonlands National Park
Andrei 7/99
I am going to Canyonlands National Park (Utah), and seek advice tours
offered in the park by private companies. It seems that most of the roads
in the park are suitable only for 4-wheel drives, and one cannot see much
from the paved road. However, there is an option to buy a jeep or a boat
tour. Does anyone has any experience with half-day jeep tours, jet boat
trips, and combo packages in the park?
David 7/99
I've been to Canyonlands many times, and it is simply not true that you
can't see much from the road. Almost all of the Island in the Sky section
(1/3 of the park) is accessible on paved roads or easy (for passenger cars
with 2WD) dirt roads. You can drive to Mineral Bottom north of the park on a
scary but passable dirt road - I've taken a Honda Civic down there. You can
drive to the Needles Cpgd on a paved road and have days of dayhikes from
there (I've done that too). You can drive downriver from Moab on either side
of the river for miles before the road turns to dirt. In addition, you can
go to Arches National Park a few miles away and see dozens of arches without
even getting out of your car and without your car leaving pavement. I
strongly urge you to go, go for walks, and have a good time.
If you're going with kids, Fiery Furnace in Arches is a tremendous
place to go. The rangers lead tours. It's dramatic, safe with little ones
(you're in the bottom of narrow canyons, not on cliff rims, so there's
little to fall of of) yet a very short walk from the road (perhaps under 1
mile round-trip, certainly under 2).
If you're camping, the Green River Overlook in the Island in the Sky
section is a great place and accessible for any car. The official campground
in Arches is great too, but fills up early in the day.
this page was last updated: Jun 13, 2011
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