Day 17 - Moab, Utah - Canyonlands National Park
Highways today were US 191 north to State 313, south to Dead Horse Point State Park and back to Grand View Point Road junction, south to Grand View Point and back to the junction with County Road 142 (also known as the Shafer Basin Road, Shafer Canyon Road, South Fork Road, and Potash Road). The road reaches a T-intersection with County Road 279/Potash Road where we turned north winding alongside the Colorado River before finally reaching US 191, then east on US 191 to Moab. Google Map
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park preserves 337,598 acres of the natural beauty and human history. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964. Canyonlands National Park is divided into four districts by the massive canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers. The districts are Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and The Rivers.
Though they appear close on a map, there are no roads that directly link the four districts as there are few places to cross the rivers. Canyonlands Visitors Guide
International Dark Sky Park
Canyonlands National Park was recognized as an International Dark Sky Park on August 31, 2015 and Dead Horse Point State Park was recognized on June 1, 2016. The high plateau location, mountains far in the distance, and cities out of sight yield a nearly full view of the celestial sphere.
Utah State Route 313 - Dead Horse Point Mesa Scenic Byway
State Route 313 is in San Juan and Grand Counties and is a Utah Scenic Byway designated the Dead Horse Mesa Scenic Byway. The highway serves as an access road for both the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. The road was first built in 1975 but due to damage caused by the construction of the road to Canyonlands National Park, it was completely rebuilt in 1988. Dead Horse Mesa Scenic Byway
At the highest viewpoint on a clear day, the La Sal Mountains can be viewed to the east, the Abajo Mountains to the South, The Henry Mountains to the west and the Bookcliffs to the north.
Moab Giants
Our first stop of the day was the Moab Giants. There are eight attractions at Moab Giants, including the dinosaur museum, virtual aquarium, 3D theater and the Dinosaur Trail loop. We began our tour in the museum and watched a 3D film about prehistoric life.
Dinosaur Trail Loop
We then headed outside to walk the half-mile pathway featuring more than 100 reconstructions of life-size dinosaurs that roamed Moab during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, collective time periods which span over 165 million years.
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| Moab Giants |
The Moab area provides a fascinating glimpse into the past, as rocks from the Mesozoic Era are exceptionally well-preserved and easily accessible.
This era, spanning approximately 252 million to 66 million years ago, can be divided into three distinct periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. It is towards the end of the Triassic period that dinosaurs make their appearance in the area.
Before leaving the park, we stopped at the gift shop and purchased some souvenirs.
Dinosaur Diamond
Moab Giants is situated along the Dinosaur Diamond which is a 486 mile scenic and historic byway loop through the dinosaur fossil laden Uinta Basin of the states of Utah and Colorado. The byway is comprised of Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway in Utah and the Dinosaur Diamond National Scenic Byway Colorado. Dinosaur Diamond, Wikipedia
Intestine Man Petroglyphs - State Route 313 (2.7 Miles)
This cultural site is commonly referred to as "Intestine Man and TV Sheep". The collection of styles and types of rock images found throughout Seven mile Canyon indicate that as early as 7,000 years ago, multiple groups of people used these canyons and thrived on this landscape. These sites hold significance to modern indigenous peoples. Cultural Connections - Historical Marker Database
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| Intestine Man Petroglyphs |
The Intestine Man is not intestines but instead a snake drawn inside of a man's body.
A trail runs from the highway toward the cliff. The petroglyphs are a short distance to the right of this trail and the Intestine Man pictographs are to the left.
Monitor and Merrimack Viewpoint - State Route 313 (4.5 Miles)
From here, you have an excellent view of the Monitor and Merrimack Buttes to the northeast. These prominent land forms tower 600 feet above their Navajo sandstone base. They can be seen from many points as you travel along the highway.
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| Monitor & Merrimack Buttes (Wikipedia) |
The Monitor and Merrimack Buttes were named after the Civil War ironclad ships of the same names. If you look at a likeness of the old ships, their shapes bear a striking resemblance to these two buttes.
The Merrimack (the large rock on the left) was the Confederate ship, called the "Virginia" by the southern forces. The Monitor (on the right) was the Union ship sent to destroy the Merrimack. The resulting sea battle changed maritime warfare forever. Long after both ships lie on the sea bottom, their rock counterparts remain locked in perpetual battle. Monitor and Merrimack - Historical Marker Data Base
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| Dead Horse Point Overlook (Wikipedia) |
Dead Horse Point State Park - State Route 313 (14.6 Miles)
Dead Horse Point State Park features dramatic overlooks of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. The park covers 5,362 acres of high desert at an altitude of 5,900 feet above a gooseneck bend of the Colorado River.
Dead Horse Point - The Name
According to the legend, wranglers often drove herds of feral horses across this narrow bottleneck leaving them corralled by the sheer cliffs. On one haunting drive, for reasons still unknown, the cowboys chose the best horses and left the others corralled on the point. With the gate across the neck closed, the remaining horses were trapped with no way out, no water and no hope for survival. Those who found the remains of the unfortunate horses gave this place the name Dead Horse Point. The Origins of a Name - Historical Marker Database
Island in the Sky District
The Island in the Sky (also known as Between the Rivers) is the highest section of the Park at an elevation of 6,100 feet. The mesa rests on sheer sandstone cliffs over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Island in the Sky is the easiest area of Canyonlands to visit in a short period of time, offering many pullouts with spectacular views along the paved scenic drive. Island in the Sky - National Park Service
Island in the Sky Visitors Center - Grand View Point Road (2.3 Miles)
We backtracked to the Grand View Point Road and turned south. First stop on the 34 mile round-trip was the Island in the Sky Visitors Center. The Visitor Center features exhibits, book and map sales, backcountry permits, picnic area, general information, wireless internet, and park rangers on duty. You can also watch a park orientation video. Island in the Sky Map
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| Shafer Canyon Viewpoint (American Southwest) |
Shafer Canyon Viewpoint - Grand View Point Road (2.8 Miles)
Heading south after the Visitor Center, the first viewpoint is over Shafer Canyon. The overlook is just a short distance from the parking area.
It looks down into the Canyon and to the La Sal Mountains in the distance. Another highlight is the view of the Shafer Trail. This trail's switchbacks are visible from the overlook.
The Neck - Grand View Point Road (3.0 Miles)
The road crosses a narrow 40 foot wide strip of land known as "The Neck". This small bridge of stone is the only vehicle access to the Island in the Sky.
On all sides the Island is bounded by yawning canyons, and cliffs that drop hundreds of feet. Water and wind are breaking the sandstone down grain by grain. Given time, the Neck will erode away, cutting off access to the Island in the Sky. The Neck - Historical Marker Data Base
Shafer Trail Viewpoint - Grand View Point Road (3.1 Miles)
The Shafer Trail Viewpoint is on the left. From here you can see the Shafer Trail making its way down its narrow and rough path to the canyon below
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| Shafer Trail Viewpoint (NPS) |
The iconic road descends 1,500 feet through a colorful, massive sandstone cliff. Karen wanted to turn around and jump on the trail right now. Reluctantly, we moved on.
Mesa Arch - Grand View Point Road (8.4 Miles)
The short and mostly easy trail leads to Mesa Arch is probably the most easily accessed arch in the park. Mesa Arch, a graceful span of Navajo sandstone frames distant canyons and arches, is a spectacular arch perched on a cliff edge.
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| Mesa Arch (Wikipedia) |
Mesa Arch is a popular spot for sunrise photographers, but it's an excellent visit any time of day.
Washer Woman Arch - Grand View Point Road (8.4 Miles)
Washer Woman Arch, Monster Tower, and the solitary butte Airport Tower can be viewed through Mesa Arch. Washer Woman Arch, rising 1000 feet above the White Rim plateau, is so named because the feature gives the appearance of a washerwoman bent over a washtub.
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| Washer Woman Arch (Wikipedia) |
This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1986 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Green River Overlook (Upheaval Dome Road)
We took the short detour on the Upheaval Dome Road to the Green River Overlook. The southwest facing viewpoint affords the best view of the mighty Green River deep in its channel 1,300 feet below.
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Green River Overlook (Wikipedia) |
Visitors can also see features of The Maze district and the White Rim Road. The short hike to the viewpoint takes about 4 minutes and is considered an easy route.
Candlestick Tower Overlook - Grand View Point Road
Candlestick tower can be viewed from your vehicle, or along the paved pullout. From this small roadside pullout, you can see sweeping views of Canyonlands, including this prominent feature that resembles a group of candlesticks.
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| Candlestick Tower (Wikipedia) |
Candlestick Tower is a 450 foot tall sandstone butte. Its descriptive name comes from its resemblance to a candlestick.
Grand View Point Overlook - Grand View Point Road (14.4 Miles)
Grand View Point is the southernmost point along the Island in the Sky scenic drive. From the viewpoint, an outdoor exhibit points out features like The Needles, Monument Basin, the La Sal Mountains, the Abajo Mountains, and the White Rim Road. Grand View Point Overlook - National Park Service
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| Grand View Point (Wikipedia) |
The access to the first viewpoint is a short paved 100 yard trail. Beyond that is another viewpoint a mile down stairs and along uneven surfaces and cliff edges. We were just fine with the 100 yard hike.
Shafer Trail Road 142
(Shafer Basin Road/Shafer Canyon Road/Potash Road)
Now for the main event! We have been looking at pictures of the Shafer Trail for a while. Now it's time to drive it. We headed north back to the junction of the Grand View Road and Shafer Trail Road 142. The 19 mile road is mostly unpaved and runs from Island in the Sky Road to UT-279. Although the road has been greatly improved by the National Park Service, it is still extremely steep and it travels along the tops of sheer cliffs with no guardrails - just what Karen loves!
The Shafer Trail descends 1,500 feet through a colorful, massive sandstone cliff. Its function has changed through the years; from a route made by Native Americans to access resources on the mesa top, to a trail for sheep herders moving flocks to better foraging in winter time, and then a road for trucks moving loads of uranium from the backcountry to market. Today, the Shafer Trail is a challenging, unpaved backcountry road for recreational users seeking the experience of a lifetime. Shafer Trail - National Park Service.
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| Shafer Trail Switchbacks (Wikipedia) |
The Shafer Trail is named after the Shafer family, who were Mormon pioneer settlers. Starting in 1916, John "Sog" Shafer, used this trail to move cattle from summer pastures on the mesa top to winter ground down in the canyon.
Expanding upon the work of Sog Shafer, the Atomic Energy Commission widened Shafer Trail and extended it to the White Rim Road to accommodate trucks moving loads of uranium-bearing rock from the backcountry and down to Moab for processing.
After Canyonlands was established in 1964, ranchers were granted a ten-year extension of ranching in the park.
Overtime, the use of Shafer transitioned from ranching to recreation. Today, hundred of visitors every year experience the thrill of a lifetime driving down the sandstone cliff to the basin below.
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| Gooseneck Overlook (Wikipedia) |
Gooseneck Overlook - Safer Trail Road 142
The first river view is at the Gooseneck Overlook which offers a glimpse into the Colorado River canyon at the end of a 0.6-mile round-trip hike. There is no access to the river from the cliff at the overlook.
Thelma and Louise Point - Shafer Trail Road 142
The film's poster features Monument Valley and key scenes were filmed in the La Sal Mountain, Arches National Park and Canyonlands.
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| Thelma & Louise - Final Scene |
Thelma and Louise Point, where they filmed the famous final scene in "Thelma & Louise" when they jumped their car off the edge and into the canyon, is actually not in the Grand Canyon as depicted in the movie. It takes place at Dead Horse Point State Park.
To shoot the scene, the film producers needed to send a real car flying off the cliff — their budget didn't allow for special effects. It took months to put everything perfectly into place, including stripping everything out of three identical Ford Thunderbirds to make them light enough to slingshot into the air. They constructed dummies to sit in the actresses' seats, with plaster casts of their heads for a more realistic effect. On shoot day, the first car they flung into the air sank like a rock. But after a few adjustments, they set the second sacrificial car into the air, and it soared in a perfect arc. The movie was concluded. And they never even needed to crash the third stunt car. Utah Film Commission - Thelma & Louise
Potash Ponds - Shafer Trail Road 142
Miners pump water from the Colorado River deep underground to reach the potash ore, which lies about 3,900 feet below the surface.
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| Potash Ponds (Wikipedia) |
The water dissolves the soluble potash into a brine, which is then pumped into underground caverns. Once it is fully dissolved, the potash brine is pumped to one of the evaporation ponds.
The water in the evaporation ponds is dyed bright blue to help it absorb more sunlight and heat. This reduces the time it takes for the potash to crystallize, at which point in can be removed and processed for use as fertilizer. The evaporation process at the Moab ponds takes about 300 days, and the mine produces between 700 and 1,000 tons of potash per day. Potash Evaporation Ponds - Atlas Obscura
State Route 279 - Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway/Potash Road
State Route 279 was constructed in 1962–1963 to service the Cane Creek potash mine and processing plant southwest of Moab. The highway was named one of the most beautiful highways opened to traffic in 1963. The entire length of Route has been designated the Potash – Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway by the Utah State Legislature.
The highway is also know as Wall Street for a good reason. For 17 miles the road follows a towering sandstone cliff. On the other side of the road is the Colorado River. This spectacular corridor his home to lush canyons, dinosaur tracks, ancient rock art, arches, and an abundance of climbing routes. The highway follows the north bank of the Colorado River and loosely parallels a spur of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad built at the same time for the same purpose of serving the potash mine.
While in the Colorado River canyon, the highway passes by dinosaur footprints, petroglyphs and three natural arches, Corona Arch, Bow Tie Arch, and Jug Handle Arch.
Long Canyon Trail
Long Canyon Trail is described as dangerous. High-clearance 4WDs are recommended. It offers great views of Long Canyon and the La Sal Mountains. The majority of this trail is a wide gravel road except through Pucker Pass where it is narrow, steep and bumpy. It also passes under a fallen bolder that looks barely wide enough to drive through.
We didn't explore this road. We decided to leave it up to the "Jeepers" for now.
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| Jug Handle Arch (American Southwest) |
Jug Handle Arch - State Route 279
The highway also passes by three named natural arches, Corona Arch, Bow Tie Arch, and Jug Handle Arch. The only arch that can be seen from the highway is the Jug Handle Arch. There is a panel of petroglyphs on the face of the cliff near the arch, however, it requires a hike to see them.
The Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch require a 3 mile round trip hike, climbing a small ladder and scaling moderately steep slopes with the assistance of safety cables. A bit above our skill level!
Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks - State Route 279
The Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks were left in Navajo Sandstone about 190 million years ago. Today the tracks rest in two slabs perched on a rocky hill within a stone's throw of the Colorado River, but when the tracks were made the area was a sandy shore of a lake.
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| Dinosaur Tracks (Wikipedia) |
The dinosaur walked across a muddy sandbar, leaving imprints of its giant feet. Water then buried the tracks with sediment, which hardened into sandstone over millions of years before they were exposed by erosion.
Indian Art Petroglyphs - State Road 279
There are many rock art panels along the road. Petroglyphs can been seen from the pullout at the Indian Art sign. These Native American petroglyphs and pictographs are estimated by Archeologists to date back to between 6,000 B.C. and 1,300 A.D.
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| Petroglyphs (Source Unknown) |
They include scenes of various animals - horses, bears, snakes, and humans. One grouping looks like a string of paper doll cutouts. There is also a birthing scene with a feet-first presentation of the baby.
Wall Street - State Road 279
Wall Street is a one mile stretch of towering 500 foot high sandstone cliff paralleling the highway. There are easy access pullouts leading to over 100 climbing routes.
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| Wall Street (Wikipedia) |
The east facing Wall is coated with desert varnish and cool in the afternoon shade. It is part of the Colorado Riverway Recreation Area managed by the BLM.
Canyonlands by Night - Moab
Back in Moab we had just enough time to change our clothes and head to the Canyonlands by Night evening show. This is the third time we've taken this tour and t is a highlight of our trips.. The show begins with the cowboy-style dinner in the dining room overlooking the Colorado River. After dinner we board a flat-bottomed open air boat for a relaxing cruise up river for a remarkable light show. They say the only thing you need to bring is your imagination. Canyonlands by Night
 Post Note - Day Seventeen:
We got stuck in Moab just before Christmas 2021 and stayed there for about four months. It was hard for me to keep motivated when Covid restrictions started to lift. That, coupled with the fact that I received my new longarm machine, meant that our virtual trip was taking a back seat. Now that May has arrived and we are actually planning a road trip in June, I kicked myself in the butt and started us heading home.
Karen has us navigating the Shafer Trail and I figured the rest of Canyonlands would be easy to figure out. Not so. There seems to be lots of backroads that we might want to take but we will have to check with the NP Visitors Center to get road conditions and maps. For now, the Shafer Trail is the main attraction for us.
I'm sure there must be some sights along the first part of Shafer Trail but all I could imagine were the intestinal looking switchbacks and my knees started to shake. Just looking at the pictures makes me weak. I can hear clearly the sounds that would be coming from the passenger seat. My eyes will be looking forward and nowhere else. Karen can take the pictures when we actually get there.
State Route 128 - The Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway, is the highway we encountered on our very first road trip. It played an important role on our fascination with the red rock area. For years now, we have been retuning to the area to see again and again the magnificent red cliff's. Highway 128's counterpart is the Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway State Route 279. After all the years of travelling in the area, it amazes me that we've never explored State Route 279. If we do ever get to Moab again, I'm sure we are not going to pass it by again. Moab's Scenic Byways
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Day 18 - Moab to Brigham City, Utah
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