Take Me to That Island in the Sky

We awoke before dawn and drove through the darkness, passing Arches National Park on our way to its nearby sister – Canyonlands. We pulled into the parking lot by Mesa Arch (a part of the Island in the Sky portion of the park) just as the first hints of light were touching the sky and hustled by flashlight to the overlook. More than a dozen serious photographers had beaten us there, tripods set up and positions staked. There was still the occasional jockeying when a new photog arrived, shuffling in front of another’s lens to snap “just a few pictures” before being shamed to the back of the pack. Being very far from a serious photographer myself, I snapped the odd pic from between the others’ shoulders and settled in with Josh atop a large boulder nearby. I had heard people talk about Canyonlands as a smaller version of the Grand Canyon, but that doesn’t give it enough credit. It was possibly the most beautiful sunrise I have ever witnessed.

After the sun had assumed its position, we returned to the car and drove though the gorgeous park. 

At last, we reached Grand View, which is a perfect place to crawl to the edge and swing your legs over to marvel at the cracks in the earth below. Then, of course, you must do the rim walk to see all the strange columns and formations below from every imaginable angle. It’s hard to believe that water has shaped the earth in so many different ways – in this case, trickles of water freezing and cracking apart long lines of stone. You can see the white rim of sandstone at the edges of the canyons below, Monument Basin where the valley has fallen down, and vertical spires of eroded sandstone in clusters or alone (as in the case of Totem Pole) dotting the basin. There were so many layers of earth that had risen or fallen away.

Our final stop in Canyonlands was at Upheaval Dome. On the hike up, Josh and I guessed at its origins. I favored the salt dome theory that we had learned at Arches, while Josh hypothesized a meteor strike. It turns out these are the two leading theories of the scientific community, as well, although the meteor theory has recently come into greater favor. The hike out to the First Overlook was rather routine, but the hike to the Second Overlook required a good bit more rock scrambling in large wind gusts than either of us had anticipated – and for a rather underwhelming view (everything’s relative, of course).

For the afternoon, we drove back to Arches National Park, since we had secured a pass to the Fiery Furnace.

This cluster of rims and columns for a long time had no official path and required a guide, as it was quite easy to become lost. They have since done away with guided tours and created a minimally marked 2-mile loop through the Furnace, though they still warn you to be able to navigate your way out independently. Josh and I were also asked if we were bringing in rope, to which we responded, “Should we?” Apparently much hardier adventurers sometimes rappel down the sheer cliff faces to explore otherwise unreachable crevices. We were fully aware of our beginner status and were fine taking only brief side jaunts off of the counterclockwise path. To obtain our pass, we had to watch a 20-minute video that essentially told us to pack out our waste (including human waste, and the visitor center store conveniently sells bags designed for this purpose) and not disturb the sacred biological crust, home of all microbial activity and birthplace of all Furnace life (all kidding aside, it's very important).

A picture of the biological crust in action.

On arrival to the Furnace, we learned that when they said the path was minimally marked, they took their minimalism seriously. A three-inch white arrow encountered every 20 minutes or so was meant to suffice. This left many a turn unmarked, something that didn’t become a serious problem until about two-thirds of the way through the loop. We encountered two other groups who had paused at a flat area, one to lunch and one out of confusion. The path forward was indicated by one arrow, but after passing it there was no clear way forward. Working with our new supergroup, Josh and I scrambled down each direction, only to meet 50-foot drops that ruled the potential pathways out. I scrambled around a corner of bare rockface, much to Josh’s horror, and he quickly called me back. In the end, it was the father from one of the other groups who discovered the path and the next arrow almost by accident. It did include rounding that corner of bare rockface and then passing into the darkest rock crevice encountered thereafter. Perhaps one more arrow would have helped.

Josh and I hiked onward, relieved we wouldn’t have to retrace our steps to get out of the park alive and now in the company of an older and very adventurous couple. It was fun to have hiking companions, and we passed the remaining time in the Furnace in happy chatter. We also encountered an experienced Furnace hiker who told us of a secret path, a place where you passed the “Dead End Ahead” sign and continued on to a secret arch. We followed his instructions and, just like he said, a new path emerged, tidily bordered with small stones. We saw the shadow of the arch before the arch itself, as it was round yet another corner. But there it was, a hidden gem of the Furnace.

The remaining hike out of the Furnace was the now-standard mix of hiking, hewn steps, and precarious rock scrambling. The path gave itself up without much fuss and the high walls of rock remained absolutely unimpressed by our presence.

A few reflections on Arches and Canyonlands National Parks as this leg of our trip comes to a close:

- Arches: a driving-based park that is extremely impressive with varied hikes. The arches are beautiful; visit all the named ones, but particularly Delicate Arch. Fiery Furnace offers a different kind of adventure, but a welcome one (if you don’t mind scrambling up rocks and a more strenuous adventure). Tickets sell out daily, even in October, so plan to purchase them the day before, preferably in the morning.

- Canyonlands: also a driving-based park. The sunrise at Mesa Arch can’t be beat, and the rim walk by Grand View is wonderful (although with a few tall steps that could be difficult for younger kids). The hike by Upheaval Dome out to the two Viewpoints was a bit underwhelming. Additionally, there was a fair amount of scrambling up smooth rocks in some serious wind gusts, which is not for the fear-of-heights-prone. The longer hike around the other side of the rim sounded daunting, and I can’t imagine the views from there would be worth it given the low-hanging riches to be had elsewhere in the park. Josh and I both felt that a morning at Island in the Sky (the third of the park we visited; each third has to be accessed completely separately and the other two are more ATV-exploration-based) was the perfect taste.

Spotted: Utah highway signs have the highway number inside of a beehive. Apparently, early Mormon settlers felt the beehive represented hard work and industriousness and felt that the cooperation of the bees in constructing something much bigger than themselves was a model for a properly run society.

And my usual extra picture: