On Saturday, September 16, 2017, we drove over to Canyonlands National Park. This was our first time here and we were impressed with the grand scale of the park. Canyonlands is a showcase of geology. We heard more than one reference to the Grand Canyon as we hiked with our fellow tourists. In fact, Canyonlands is actually two grand canyons -- one made by the Colorado River and the other made by the Green River. The rivers divide the park into three different regions. Today we visited the area knows as Island in the Sky, a high plateau between the canyons formed by the two rivers. While we did do a little hiking, today's adventure was more of a scenic drive. After watching the park video, we made our first stop at the Candlestick Tower Overlook.
Here we got our first look at the Green River. The Green River is 730 miles long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing through Wyoming and Utah for most of its course, except for 40 miles in western Colorado. Much of the route is through the Colorado Plateau and through some of the most spectacular canyons in the United States.
Here, Kathy is taking in the view toward the Green River:
Our next stop was Orange Cliffs. These rocks contain hematite (better known as rust). The presence of hematite indicates the climate was hot and dry when these rocks formed.
At the southernmost point of the Island in the Sky lies Grand View Point. From the overlook, we followed the Grand View Trail. Here Dave stops to see if he can spot the Colorado River.
At the end of the trail, we found this juniper holding court over the junction of the two rivers.
Junction Butte stands guard over Monument Basin. To get a feel for the grand scope of the two canyons, click this link to watch a 360 view from Grand View Point in Canyonlands.
On our hike back to the trailhead, we realized that this three-toed canyon looked a lot like those dinosaur footprints we had seen at Red Fleet State Park near Vernal:
We made a quick stop at Buck Canyon to take another look at the Colorado River. The humidity from the past two days of thunderstorms made it difficult to see very far. The river was hidden from view and we could just make out the La Sal Mountains in the distance, with a bank of clouds hovering over the peaks:
On our way out to Upheaval Dome, we found this unnamed butte. The gap between the butte and the rest of the large sandstone promontory was dramatic.
At Upheaval Dome, we hiked a short trail to the overlook. Dubbed "the most peculiar structural feature that has yet been found in Utah," the dome - which is actually a hole in the ground - has baffled scientists. Some believe that salt pushed up the rock layers and then dissolved, leaving the rock floor to collapse. Still others believe it is the site of a meteor strike.
In the 1990s, a team of geologists and seismologists from NASA and the University of Nevada at Reno performed a detailed study that included seismic refraction and rock mapping. The results of this study support the meteorite theory. In 2008, it was announced that shocked quartz was discovered. This confirmed the meteor impact theory because the rocks were subjected to high pressures only possible in an impact or a nuclear explosion.
On our way back out of the park from Upheaval Dome, we stopped to admire Aztec Butte, which is a real beauty:
Finally, we made one last stop at the Visitor Center for a last view of the Colorado River's huge canyons:
We have more adventures ahead of us in both Arches and Canyonlands, so stay tuned.
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