SCENIC TREASURES OF THE SOUTHWEST

MONUMENT VALLEY, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK, GOOSENECKS STATE PARK, NAVAJO NATIONAL MONUMENT

All of these Parks are a short day's drive from Flagstaff, so Ron and I chose them for this year's Spring Trip.   Once again, we found plenty to astound and amaze us.  

DAY 1

The drive took us through northeastern AZ and southeastern UT.  Our first encounter with stunning landscape was Monument Valley, shown above. Since 1939, Monument Valley has been a movie and TV setting, and more recently computer games have joined the fan club.  It's a big landscape, with a very long view; we found this to be true for the whole of our trip.  

We had the pleasure of driving through Monument Valley to and fro, and enjoyed it both directions.

Monument Valley is on the Navajo Reservation, and you can see a house toward the bottom of the above photo.  I wondered how differently one would see themselves and the world if this is what one woke to every day.

Moab, UT was our base for this excursion.  We arrived late in the afternoon, knowing local campgrounds would most likely be full.  We drove through a few to confirm that, and chose to make a longer but scenic drive to a campground in the nearby La Sal Mountains.  19 miles into a 40 mile loop, we found this campground:

The fee of $5 was halved for seniors and veterans; Ron qualified on both counts.

So early in the season, our only company was grouse, deer, and turkey.  The camp sites were set in a thick grove of aspen.  Spring was yet to come, but it was beautiful both as it was and for its potential. 

DAY 2

The next morning we got up early and drove the rest of loop through more gorgeous scenery. We wanted to arrive at the campgrounds in Moab early, as we needed to be there as soon as someone else left.  The campgrounds where we wanted to stay were all along the Colorado River.  We ended up here:

Once again Ron was afforded a discount.  The $15 sites were $7.50 for seniors.

Our site was secluded by brush and small trees and afforded us a great view of the cliffs in the background.

The Colorado River was just below our camp, but with no beach, we mostly enjoyed the continuous sound of the rushing water.

Moab has successfully positioned itself as the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park.  There is a stunning array of outdoor activities available:  river running, slick rock bicycle riding, jeep rentals and tours to more remote areas, airplane tours, parasailing...you get the picture.  We chose the tried-and-true passenger vehicle tour.  Ron purchased a Golden Age Pass for $10 when he became eligible at age 62.  Our cost to visit the National Parks:  free. 

It's called Arches for good reason; here are some samples:

Besides all the stunning arch formations, there was plenty of other visual interest:

DAY 3

We visited the northern district of Canyonlands, called Islands in the Sky.  The vistas here were enormous.  You can see the similarities to the Grand Canyon; Canyonlands is described as "half as deep and twice as wide" as the Grand Canyon.  The river responsible for the existence of this northern district of Canyonlands is the Green River. 

The road you see is call the White Rim Road. If you look closely, the small black dot in the left switchback is a vehicle.  The road goes down, down, down

and follows along the rim below.

Canyonlands had its own arch, as if it needed more eye-popping scenery:

DAY 4

There's a sad tale associated with the naming of this Park; I'll let you use your imagination.

Dead Horse State Park had a $5 entrance fee for seniors.  We paid with a smile!  Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands can each be seen from the other; the far view here is Canyonlands. 

At Dead Horse Point, the beauty is provided by the timeless diligence of the Colorado River.

Further south in the Needles District of Canyonlands, the Green and Colorado rivers meet at a  remarkable confluence called Cataract Canyon, itself famous as a white-water rafting destination.  This trip we enjoyed the rivers in their separate identities. 

Dead Horse Point Park provided an excellent 6 mile walking trail around the rim, so we left the van in the parking lot and enjoyed these views as we strolled the trail.

DAY 5

Though the trip was a whirlwind, we felt one day at each Park was a good introduction.  Further exploration would involve longer hikes, jeeps, etc.  This day we drove home, and found two other places to stop and gawk.  Goosenecks State Park was essentially a strip park.  Ron got the senior discount entry fee of $2.  We drove a short way to an informal parking area, and looked over the rim at five meanders of the San Juan River.  I could only capture one at a time with my camera.

 

Our final stop was at Navajo National Monument, which preserves the Betatakin cliff dwellings.  Both the Navajo and Hopi tribes trace their ancestry to this area.

A few hours later, we drove into a late winter storm just north of Flagstaff:

Overnight this turned into 4" of snow.  Our timing couldn't have been better!

Ron and I are both enjoying the opportunities we're taking to enjoy our national riches.  That the money cost is so minimal only points to the generosity with which past generations have gifted us in the present.