After not visiting or exploring southern Utah for the first 40+ years of my life, Bri and I have made five trips to various parts of the area over the last couple years. We first visited Arches and Canyonlands on the way to a Jeep adventure with my aunt and uncle in Ouray, CO back in August of 2022, then went to Zion NP and Bryce NP with Chad and Shannon in the Spring of 2023, followed by a Grand Canyon trip that ended with a hike in Zion with my sister Larissa in May of 2023, and finally a East Zion/Cedar City trip in late 2023. The most recent and fifth trip was with two of Bri and my favorite travelling companions, Chad and Shannon. When we get together we pack as much as we can into every day of the trip and usually start early and get home late. Our trip to Moab was no exception, and Bri has been working on blogging the hikes and sites we saw around the area.
One of the scenic roads that caught my eye back in 2022 was Shafer Canyon Road. It's an unpaved BLM road that connects the Moab area to Canyonlands NP. In terms of difficulty, it's a rough gravel-like road that many vehicles could travel with some care to avoid sharp rocks and ruts. Personally, I wouldn't drive it without all terrain tires, but I bet some people do. If the road were slippery from rain or snow, I wouldn't take it in any vehicle. The most exciting part of the road is the portion closest to Canyonlands NP where you ascend or descend very steep switchbacks (see below for photos). So when we planned our trip to Moab with Chad and Shannon, I definitely wanted to drive Shafer Canyon Road.
To make the most of our day, Chad suggested we get an early start and visit Mesa Arch at sunrise. It's an experience worth the effort if you visit the Moab area, and a good way to start your day in Canyonlands. After the sunrise, we visited some of the Canyonlands vistas and overlooks, and took a short hike.
What did I learn?
Moab averages about 10" of rain per year, but had received more rain than normal prior to our arrival. The desert was alive with color and life! If you've never visited the southwest in the spring time, doing so will give you a whole different level of appreciation for its unique beauty.
Mesa Arch at sunrise. The arches in Arches National Park and around the Moab area like this one started taking shape around 65 million years ago, but the entire sequence of events leading up to the arches took around 300 million years.
As the sun crept over the mountains to the east, the glow started to overtake the cliff face beneath the arch.
Chad taking it all in. Personally, I enjoy the views around Canyonlands National Park more than the Grand Canyon.
We took a short hike at Upheaval Dome, which was good exercise and much more impressive in person.
Chad demonstrating the proper way to walk up something that's actually steep, but looks like nothing more than a walk in the park in a photo.
The view from Canyonlands National Park near the Island In The Sky Visitor Center looking east. We had dry conditions and smooth sailing. I bet traveling this road is much more intimidating when it's wet or slippery.
We stopped a couple of times and took in the views of road while it was still way down below us.
The white spot is a full-sized truck with a slide-in camper making its way up the canyon.
This was actually a Land Cruiser outing for us since Bri and I drove from Nevada and we wanted to be more comfortable with 4 people on board.
Looking back up the canyon.
"The road goes on forever and the party never ends." - Robert Earl Keen, Jr
As we worked our way east we started to get peeks of the Colorado River. These views are a ways off the road, but getting out and walking around is a must in this area. We only saw one snake.
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