Tick It Before You Kick It

Driving Through Canyonlands National Park - Island of the Sky

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 34

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Standing at the edge of Island in the Sky, you'll understand why Canyonlands deserves to step out from Arches' shadow. 

Full Canyonlands Guide for Adventurers 👉 https://thebucketlistmermaid.com/canyonlands-guide-for-adventurers/

The 34-mile Island in the Sky scenic drive offers the perfect introduction to this often-overlooked national park. 

What makes this district special is how it balances accessibility with raw wilderness. 

You can experience jaw-dropping vistas like Schaefer Canyon Overlook, where a dirt road zigzags impossibly down steep cliffs, and Mesa Arch, which frames distant mountains in what becomes a photographer's dream at sunrise. The mysterious Upheaval Dome presents a geological puzzle scientists still debate, while the Grand Viewpoint delivers a finale worthy of its name.

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Speaker 0:

Welcome to Canyonlands National Park, where the world stretches beneath your feet in one of the most jaw-dropping landscapes in the United States. Today, I'm going to be taking you on a scenic drive through the Island in the Sky district, which is the most accessible and arguably the most stunning section of the park, Whether you have a few hours or a full day, I'm going to be breaking down everything you need to know, including must-stop viewpoints, best short hikes, how much to spend here and a little hack that'll make your visit even better. Now, the Island in the Sky Scenic Drive is a 34-mile round trip from the entrance at the very end of the Grand Viewpoint. Without stops, it takes about an hour to two hours, but trust me, you will want to stop a lot. What I really liked about this is it felt big, but it didn't feel so big that you were overwhelmed, and I just love national parks where you have a road that starts at one end and ends at the other. It just feels nice. I also have to give a shout out to Canyonlands, because Moab and Arches just seem to get all of the attention in this area, but I was so shocked and surprised at how cool Canyonlands actually was. Give it a chance. Let it be the star of your show. You will not be disappointed, Trust me. Plus, it's literally right there. It is so accessible Well, kind of so in order to get here. It is near Moab and Arches National Park. Now, it is a little bit of a drive to get there, and you do pass Dead Horse State Park, which is another thing that I would suggest if you do have time. Although the road is a little long to get into the park, it is absolutely stunning, so you will not be lacking on views here at any point in time.

Speaker 0:

Now some must-stop viewpoints that let's talk about. The first one is the Schaefer Canyon. Overlook this. Is only about a five-minute walk, and this is your first holy wow moment. You'll get an epic view of the famous Schaefer Trail, which is a dirt road zigzagging down into the canyon, and if you ever want to feel tiny compared to nature, this is the spot.

Speaker 0:

Now, if you don't know me, I run an adventure and photography blog and I do this all as a mermaid and funny story. I actually got in a little bit of trouble with my family here because I thought it would be a great idea to put my mermaid tail on here and it drew a crowd. I'm on the side of a cliff and people were like taking pictures and my whole family. I sent it to them and they were like what were you thinking? And I was like I don't think in these situations. So please be careful. Here. There aren't a lot of guardrails, so just use your common sense. Unlike this mermaid, Do as I say, not as I do.

Speaker 0:

Next one you will definitely want to hit is the Mesa Arch. This is a short hike. It's about 0.7 miles round trip and it's only about 30 minutes. If you've seen a photo of Canyonlands, it was probably taken here. It's a super short hike that leads to a picture-perfect arch framing the canyons. Now, pro tip, this is absolutely unreal at sunrise. In fact, when I did my sunrise guide at Arches National Park on the best spots to see in Moab and Arches, I actually put this one because, although it's a little bit of a drive, the sunrises here are absolutely insane and it's not as crowded as the Moab and Arches area.

Speaker 0:

Now the next one is the Green River. Overlook. Now, this is a quick stop. It's only about five minutes and you get an insane view of the Green River just carving its way through the canyon. This one just looks straight out of a Wild West movie. I could not believe it was real.

Speaker 0:

Now, the next stop that you are going to want to hit is the Upheaval Dome. Now, it is a short hike it's about a mile round trip and 45 minutes if you're just going to the first part of the hike, which is what I did. This one is just a mystery. Scientists aren't sure if it was caused by some meteor impact or a collapsed salt dome, but either way, it's really worth it just to see this weird colorful crater. And last but not least, you are going to want to go to the Grand Viewpoint. Now, you can just kind of stop and see the view, or you can go on a short hike, which is about two miles round trip and it takes about an hour. This is the Grand Finale. It's the furthest point on the scenic drive and you can hike along the rim rim and it's literally nothing short of legendary. If you only do one hike and you only have time for one, make it this one.

Speaker 0:

Now let's talk really quickly about crowds and parking. Although it is definitely less crowded than Arches National Park, it definitely has its moments where it can be a little hectic. Now I drive a fifth wheel. I live in it full time, so I have a big, massive truck and it was a little stressful trying to get around in this thing. However, it was only stressful and crowded on those really, really big points like I've been talking about, but there's several points where you can just stop off. You can stop on the side of the road. There's like little tiny pull-off points where you can just take some photos, and I would 100% recommend this. Bring a camera, just go at your own pace and enjoy Canyonlands.

Speaker 0:

I do have to recommend stopping into the visitor center and seeing if there are any ranger-led events. For example, we went in there and they were doing a moonlight hike when we were there and we hiked with nothing but the moon. We did have some red flashlights just in case, but I was so shocked that I could actually just hike through this park with nothing but the moonlight. We learned some stories about the constellations, how the park was formed. We got to ask rangers questions. So if you are here for more than one day or a long period of time, I would recommend trying to go and learn about the park as much as you can Now if you are driving on this scenic road and you are passing through, here is my pro tip, and that is get an audio guide.

Speaker 0:

I had no clue that these existed until I got to Moab and I actually ended up doing one for Arches National Park and loved it so much that I bought another one for Canyonlands. Now this park doesn't have a lot of signage explaining what you're seeing. That's where the audio guides come in. They'll give you history, geology, fun facts as you drive. Now the one that I used. I'm going to go ahead and link in the description that you can go ahead and go grab that. I would 100% recommend this. I learned so much about the park and it was way cheaper than going on an organized tour with a guide. Plus, I could do it at my own pace and that's what I loved about this.

Speaker 0:

So how much time do you actually need at Canyonlands National Park to do the Island of the Sky? Now? First off, we do have to mention that Canyonlands is huge. I might've said that this road is really nice and it feels big, but it's really not overwhelming. That is because it's one singular district. There are actually three other districts in addition to Island in the Sky. However, Island in the Sky is the one that is the most touristy and it is the one where the most visitors go, frankly, because the other sections are just pure adventure wilderness. So if you are interested in that, I love you, that's great for you, let's be friends, but it's going to take a lot more effort to get there. If you do want more information about all the districts in Canyonlands, as well as a full, in-depth adventurer's guide, I'm going to link the full Canyonlands guide in the description.

Speaker 0:

Make sure to go check it out, book some tours, learn a lot and really check Canyonlands off of your bucket list. If you're just driving through with some quick stops, plan for three to four hours. However, if you're doing some hikes, give yourself a full day, five to six hours, if you truly want to soak it in. Trust me, you don't want to rush, and if you are coming in peak season or even shoulder season, you might have to wait for parking spots. So make sure to add some extra time in for finding those parking spots and also some time to do some hiking.

Speaker 0:

I really liked this section of Canyonlands because you did have the opportunity to go on these short, little quick bursts of hikes. It was so fun. It was like, instead of one big hike, it was just like a bunch of little ones and I loved it. Now, me, I am a slow adventurer and I also need to stop and nerd out on photography, so I spent about eight hours here and then I drove back to my RV spot and then I drove back for the Moonlight hike.

Speaker 0:

Now, some things to know before you go. There is no gas in the park, so make sure you fill up in Moab, and there's also not really a lot of food options, so make sure to bring a snack, maybe a nice picnic. And if you are looking for that best time to visit, I would avoid summer like the plague because it's so hot. I went in early September, so it's just the start of the shoulder season. It was still a little crowded and hot. However, I can't even imagine it during the summer. So Canyonlands it's big, it's breathtaking and it is totally worth the drive if you are in the Moab area. If this helped you plan your adventure, definitely hit that like button and the subscribe for more epic road trip guides. As I said, I live full-time in an RV and I adventure full-time as a mermaid, if you do want any of those guides, or you do any more adventure or photography guides, make sure to check out thebucketlistmermaidcom. I will see you there. Until next time, keep chasing those bucket list adventures.