Located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, Buck Canyon Overlook is a…read morescenic vista point overlooking CNP worthy of a quick stop. We spent about five minutes here and got some nice views of CNP's natural beauty. Very minimal parking here. If you can find a spot, then I'd stop and take a look. But I wouldn't stress if you can't find parking - Grand View Point Overlook is right down the road, has much more parking, and has (in my opinion) better views.

Stunning! Absolutely stunning!…read moreI've traveled on four continents and this is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Park Avenue was my favorite, then the Delicate Arch, but holy heavens, around literally every turn there was another absolute stunner of a view. I took easily 100 pictures during my relatively short time in the park. Then, when you drive back out, you see all the same stunning views, but at different angles, and you experience those things in a brand new way. This was easily the highlight of my 3,600 mile, 12-day, 9-state road trip. You have to come here, it is nearly unbelievable how beautiful it is. You have to experience it for yourself. Absolutely one of the most beautiful places in the US, without question!

Arches NP actually was a pleasant surprise to me. I'd heard it's small and underwhelming compared…read moreto other parks (e.g. Zion) which I do believe is true re: the size comparison, but honestly I don't think you should compare this park to ones like Zion/Glacier because the expectation is just different. This park's hikes follow one long main road that ends around a campsite area that goes to several arches including Broken Arch. I drove out their first and did this hike which is really more of a long trail. The arch was MUCH bigger than I'd expected, and it was cool to see! The weather wasn't the best -- scattered light showers creeping in but thankfully it never rained too heavily, and despite the trails being all sand/sandy dirt, my shoes stayed fairly dry and it didn't get too muddy. Along this trail are some other arches e.g. tapestry arch (there's three of them connected together). The trail is pretty flat and manageable for almost anyone, just a few areas that are a little more uphill than most but no scrambling or anything. Other cool hikes are the delicate arch trail (even if you just do the short viewpoint one, which I did), the sand dune arch, and the double arch/north window arch (more of a long walk than a hike). The skyline arch is also a nice easy pull off pic (or short walk to get closer), and the Park avenue and Garden of Eden viewpoints (+- other early viewpoints in the park) are absolutely stunning. If you're in the area, I would absolutely rec a trip to Arches NP! If you only have time to do one park in the area my personal pref would be Canyonlands rather than arches, but you can certainly see near all of arches within a day (or even a few hours if you just want to hit some of the major spots) whereas Canyonlands is MASSIVE and some areas require AWD/high clearance so Arches is much more accessible. If you really just want to hit the highlights in both, you can do it in one day (that's what I did -- left around 7a to go to mesa arch and grand overlook viewpoints @Canyonlands, then drove to arches and hit all those short trails/viewpoints mentioned above. Was done by about 6p the same day).

This is ... well really there are several words, yet no accurate words to describe this place…read more Beautiful Breathtaking Awesome Spectacular Amazing Dazzling Stunning. It's a must see in person. Moab is our favorite place. It's fun and challenging. Every time we've been here it's better and better. Pictures don't do it justice.

So glad we came out here in our rental Jeep! It's about a quarter mile hike, following the green…read morelines, till you get to the top of the 2 arches. Seriously beautiful but seriously dangerous, so don't take your kids! If you haven't been out here, it is so worth the drive. If you don't have a Jeep, you'd probably want to come in from 313, not 191. It's about 5 miles along the dirt road. Not sure I'd do it in anything but a 4WD! But maybe that's just me. I would thoroughly recommend checking this place out.

This is a great hike. Longbow Arch is impressive! Not only the arch. This hike includes very big…read morepetroglyph panel! Also dinosaur track can be seen. Short hike with not much elevation gain. Much less crowded compared to Corona Arch in the same area. Recommended.

This hike is a hidden gem within the Moab area. The hike begins as rocky and incoproates steep…read moreinclines (but no equipment required). Then, the hike becomes desert-like; flat and sandy. Then, the hike becomes jungle-like; humid and full of trees until you reach the arch. We saw no one on the way up and only a few people on the way back (in mid-afternoon). If you want to avoid the massive crowds at other hikes, check out this trail!

We planned our full day at Canyonlands NP around a bunch of shorter hikes because of the heat, and…read morethis one was perfect for that list. At approx 1.2 miles roundtrip to hit both the first and second overlooks at Upheaval Dome, it took us about 1 hour to complete including time spent at the overlooks. Located in Island in the Sky district, the access point to this hike is on paved road and easily accessible without an offroad vehicle. There is a parking lot nearby, but it gets full easily so just plan ahead. Beautiful views of the geographical wonder that is Upheaval Dome with surprisingly different views at each overlook. More of a moderate hike, it's more difficult between the first and second overlook than at the beginning. But I found that portion to be a more enjoyable hike than the first second. Go figure. There is next to zero shade cover on this trail (especially when hiking from the first to second overlook), so make sure to bring your hat and wear sunscreen. And it gets so incredibly hot, so bring lots of water. The hike is shorter, but with that sun glaring down, you will get hot, thirsty, and tired quickly. Overall, a good hiking choice to introduce yourself to Canyonlands National Park.

Loved this short little hike up to Upheaval Dome! There are so many wonderful little hikes that you…read morecan do while in Canyonlands National Park. Instead of doing one longer hike, I decided to switch it up a bit and do several smaller hikes to really take in the diversity and different scenery of the trails here. Upheaval Dome is just one of many shorter hikes located within the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. It's not too far of a drive from the Island in the Sky visitor's center, and it provides an incredible view of the Upheaval Dome Crater and beautiful geographic landscapes between the Colorado and Green Rivers. The trail is moderate and only about 1.3 miles long in total. Its' rocky terrain, steepish inclines, and hot weather is what pushes this hike rating from easy to moderate. The trail starts off inclining up several steps until you reach the first overlook of the Upheaval Dome Crater. It's so amazing to see this crater up close. Scientists have predicted that it got here from either a meteorite or from a salt dome uplift. Either way, the geologic features of this crater are very unique and really fun to view. From here, you can continue for another .5 miles until you reach the second overlook. The terrain changes a bit from rocky to slick rock here. In fact, there are some pretty gnarly parts of the trail where you'll be doing some light rock climbing up slick rocks. Had to get on my bum to get down some of these slick rocks, but it wasn't too bad. I'd still recommend it with caution of course. After you make it to the second overlook, you'll be rewarded with sweeping views of the many canyons, mesas, and colorful buttes in the distance. The views are truly amazing up there! One thing to note is that although this is a short hike, you shouldn't underestimate the amount of water that you'll need to bring. It gets so HAWT out there, and there are no water stations in the park (with the exception of the visitor's center). Make sure to pack enough water and some food while you're at it as there are no amenities here except for restrooms. And of course, lather up on the sunscreen and bring sunglasses and a hat because you're gonna need it. Hiking shoes with good ankle support would be best and will also work for the majority of the other hikes in this park. If you're planning on hiking Upheaval Dome, I'd also recommend the short hike at Whale Rock as it's located right on the same street right before this stop. Upheaval Dome is also the start of the strenuous 8 mile Syncline Loop Trail. Parking is limited, but since this is a shorter hike, people don't tend to stay here for very long. I'd say this was my favorite mini hike within the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. I'd highly recommend it for the views and quick workout.

This is one of the more underrated hikes in Canyonlands National Park. Mesa Arch and Grand View…read morePoint draw all of the crowds. But I think Whale Rock Trail is just as cool. It is a short hike and there are very few people on the trail. The trail climbs about 100 to 140 feet from its base. I like that you get great panoramic views of the park once you are on top of the dome. It is less than a mile round trip from the parking lot to Whale Rock. They call it Whale Rock because this long sandstone dome resembles the back of a whale from afar. You want to wear shoes with good traction if you want to walk up the side of the dome. It is a steep drop-off if you slip. We came up here before sunset and enjoyed the view of the surrounding canyons and the cool breeze. There is a lot of room to walk around and explore while on top of this mesa. The Upheaval Dome Trail is a short drive from here if you want to check out another part of the park. Whale Rock is part of a large outer ring of sandstone that surrounds the Upheaval Dome formation.

Absolutely stunning views of the valley from the top of Whale Rock! Although this trail is right…read moredown the road from Upheaval Dome, it doesn't seem to get as many visitors. I basically had this entire trail all to myself and literally only passed 2 people (one on my way up and another on my way back). The trail itself is super short at just one mile long roundtrip and features some of the most picturesque views of the Green River Valley and its' incredible geologic landscapes. The trail starts of pretty easy via a flat path through dry terrain and desert foliage. Soon after, the trail switches from a flat paved path to a scramble up slick rocks. The trail actually becomes a little harder to follow at this point, but there are several cairns that will help lead the way. You'll basically scale up the large rock until you reach a dead end. This dead end is what provides the 360 degree views of the most stunning mesas, buttes, and canyons in the park. The views are just simply breathtaking here! What makes it even more enjoyable is that there aren't many people on this trail. Like, at ALL. Mesa Arch and Upheaval Dome are a lot more popular, but this baby deserves some praise as well. Aside from the amazing views of the valley, the view of Whale Rock itself ain't too shabby. It gets its' name because the long curving spine of this rock resembles that of a whale. At first I couldn't really see it, but then it started to grow on me. It is reminiscent of a whale. It's a super short hike, but it gets really hot up there! Make sure to bring water with you as there aren't any water stations in the park aside from the visitor's center. Since this trail is far less trafficked, parking is pretty must a breeze! There isn't a restroom at this trailhead, but if you need to use one, there are some just up the street at Upheaval Dome. If you're planning on hiking Upheaval Dome, this is a great mini hike to add either before or after since it's so close. Definitely worth a stop for the views and solidarity.

Very scenic and fun hike. You can hike through the Jeep Arch. Total 4 miles with 800 feet elevation…read morechange. Trail is easy to follow. It is close to Corona arch but much less crowded. I liked the multiple ways of seeing the Arch. First, the arch view from the distance then massive view at the below then enjoyed again the view from other side. Not only arch, but also the entire hike was quite nice view. Highly recommended.

This is part of Devil's Garden Trail. first you go to tunnel arch, then pine tree arch, then…read morelandscape arch. Landscape Arch is the thin and longest arch in this NP. we found lot of cute creatures here: deer and squirrels. after the landscape arch, the trail to Double O Arch is primitive, it looks like a difficult trail, so we stopped at this arch.

Landscape Arch is within the Devils Garden area of Arches National Park. It's about a 2 mile hike…read moreroundtrip on Devils Garden Trail. The entire Devils Garden Trail is around 8 miles roundtrip if you keep going past Landscape Arch. You can also see the Double O Arch along the way. My buddy and I did this hike to Landscape Arch and found it easy and enjoyable. The only bad thing is that we visited during the winter season and found ourselves slipping on the ice on the trail. Landscape Arch is pretty long at 306 feet and is the longest in North America. It is pretty narrow at the center (only 6 feet) due to large segments of rock breaking off over time. But the arch is still hanging in there. They don't let anyone get near it anymore to try and preserve it. I really enjoyed the beautiful views of this hike and seeing this massive arch in person.