The final park on our Utah National Parks roadtrip landed us at Islands in the Sky.
Although the weather started out rainy and cool, we waited it out and for the most part, had decent weather throughout the day. It allowed us to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of this park.
The photos below are of Mesa Arch. The arch is right on the edge of a 500-foot cliff, part of a 1,200-foot drop into Buck Canyon. There were a lot of people here, and it is a very short hike from the parking area. I had to be creative to snap the photos and avoid people. Although morning or evening light would have been magical, it was still beautiful in the partial mid-day sun.
Soda Springs Basin, seen from the Green River Overlook:
If you’d like an idea of what it would be like to ride and camp in the canyon, check out Donna’s post here @windkisses. She rode the White Rim Trial a few years back and I found her post fascinating after visiting the canyon myself and seeing the trails below.
Whale Rock was our next hike. Below you can see the rock, and people up at the top:
The view from the top was amazing! The feeling at the top of the round rock was a little unnerving. Make sure to wear good grippy shoes. But it was an easy hike. We did not climb to the top of the little hill on the top. Looked a little steep for us. 😁
Grand View Point (below) was spectacular. Elevation at the view point, 6,080 feet. Located at the southern most point on the scenic drive. The walk along the rim was one mile each way. Looking down into the canyon was breathtaking!
Below are a few photos of our walk:
The sign below explains that in the late 19th century animals used to graze in the canyons. In the 1950s roads were created in search of oil and uranium. Mining and grazing activities ceased with the creation of the national park. The desert plants are very slowly recovering from the disturbances to the land.
It’s hard to see, but there are little people walking along the edge below. This shows the heights of the cliffs along the canyon!
The rains came back at the end of our stay. It looks like snow, but it is the wet rocks shimmering in the sun below. It was very beautiful in person!
Sunset from our hotel room in Moab:
To view my posts from previous parks, click: Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capital Reef National Park, The Needles (Canyonland National Park), Arches National Park.
It’s never too late in life to have a genuine adventure.
~ Robert Kurson
peace of life today 
Wonderful images of this stunning landscape – you really make me want to come back to Utah!
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It was amazing, Sarah! Something out of the norm for us. We also beat the crowds, thank goodness. I can’t imagine enjoying it with huge numbers of other people around. Overall, our Utah trip was about as perfect as you could expect in real life.
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We enjoyed our visit there as well, Lisa. Mesa Arch was where I had to ask people to please let me take a picture. There was a long line of people taking selfies. We didn’t make it to Whale Rock. Great photos of the park and some of its amazing views!
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Thank you! Yes, I managed to get a few photos without people at Mesa Arch. Maybe the weather, and the time of year. We didn’t have to deal with huge crowds. Such a fascinating park.
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Amazing views!
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Thank you VJ! It was so beautiful, even in the overcast weather!
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Hard to dim that scenery.
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Spectacular photos, Lisa. So much beauty.
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Thank you, Jeff! It was amazing, even with the clouds and rain!
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You’re most welcome, Lisa! Always. I bet it was. ☺️
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I’ve heard Canyonlands is a beautiful park and not as crowded as other parks in the area. Thanks for showing me around with your wonderful photos.
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Thank you, Frank! Pretty sure it still gets busy. But I think Arches is more popular.
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Wow – I’ve never been to Utah, but you’ve sparked my interest with those photos. You captured such beauty and depth in the scenery. Yes, Donna has captured some beautiful scenes as well. It’s nice to see travel photos – makes me have hope that life, as we love, will return! xoxo
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Thank you, Shelley! Yes, we need to keep having hope! I am planning!
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You’re welcome. Yes – hope and plans to travel!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You got such amazing photos of this fascinating place.
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Thank you! 😊
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Magnificent landscapes. 😊👏
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Oh it is beautiful! Even in the clouds and rain! Thank you, Pepper!
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Wow!! I’m speechless, what a stunning adventure!
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Thank you LaShelle! It was an adventure for us! …normally we go find a beach somewhere 😊 Visiting these parks was amazing!
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I bet!! Pretty spectacular
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Magnificent landscape! So wonderful to see this amazing place through your photos.
I love the sunset you captured. 🙂
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Thank you Amy! That sunset was through the dusty hotel window. But the dust didn’t destroy the beauty! 😊
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Beautiful, wonderful place of adventures and relaxation. Perfect place of escape and inspiration. Thank you.
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Oh Thank you, it was really quite an amazing trip. I can’t hardly believe we did it!
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I thought I responded to this. I love your journey and the words you gave it to come to life. It is hard to do out there. Such a fantastic adventure. Thank you for taking ME along. Donna
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Thank you for coming along, Donna! 🤗❤
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Sorry I kind of come and go…life…lol
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Great blog post 👏
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Thank you so much! It was an amazing experience!
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I like the Mesa Arch so much …
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It was so beautiful. I would have loved seeing it at sunrise or sunset!
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Wow, incredible photos! Thanks for sharing your adventure.
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Thank you, Matt, and you are welcome! 😊
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These lanscape photos are stunnig! What a wonderful adventure, Lisa.
Love the last image.
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Thank you, Amy! It was quite amazing, and I love looking back at the photos. Great memories. 😊
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