Moab: Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

April 20, 2022 Leave a Comment

Moab and the surrounding area displays some of the most iconic and breathtaking desert scenery in the United States. Even with dedicating two full days to the region, I feel as though I was just passing through and there was so much more to explore. I fully intend to spend a week or more in the area, hike a couple of longer trails, and get the full experience that Moab has to offer. Even with an extended visit, I imagine that a visit in each passing season or after a rain would provide a completely different set of vistas.

Canyonlands is at least double the size of Arches, and I barely left the paved road, leaving most of the park completely unexplored. Most of my views were reminiscent of the Grand Canyon on a smaller scale. Wildfires to the west had left a blanket of pinkish haze over the tops of the hills and valleys, layered on top of a clearer layer just beneath. This odd stratified haze filtered the sunlight and softened the contrast and colors of distant canyons, making for a unique but challenging photo opportunity. I decided to not spend as much time here, as the individual destinations in the park are separated by such distance and terrain, that I felt I would get limited return on my investment of time on a day when the deep river valleys were muted and softened by the haze.

I decided to spend the majority of my two days in Arches N.P. because so many of the views include geologic features like arches, spires, narrow canyons, and hoodoos in relatively close proximity to trails or roads. These sorts of of features are quite dramatic in the golden light of sunrise and sunset, and there was an opportunity to capture some images that were less impacted by the hazy skies. I did most of my hiking and photography during these warm and dramatically illuminated hours, and by sunrise of the second day, much of the smoky haze had cleared out.

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Canyonlands National Park