June 2020 - meemish

Canyonlands National Park contains three districts; Island in the Sky, The Needles and The Maze. The Maze district is more rugged and contains multi-day excursions. Each district has separate entrances, so for day hiking, plan your trip for either Island in the Sky or The Needles.

Island In The Sky

1. Whale Rock: 1 mile

If you like to scramble up slick rock, then this is the hike for you. Whale rock somewhat looks a whale, but what it lacks in resemblance it makes up for in unique hiking and grand views.

2. Mesa Arch: .5 miles

This is a hike for all ages. It is a short hike to a beautiful arch, framing spectacular views.

3. Upheaval Dome: 1st overlook .8 miles, second overlook 1.8 miles

A short but steep hike to view the mysterious crater lined with jagged spires.

4. Aztec Butte: 2 miles

Meander through a sandy wash until you come to a fork in the trail. The eastern fork leads to spectacular views, the western fork leads to 800 year old Puebloan granaries. Both forks contain scrambling over slickrock and ledges.

5. Grandview Point: 2 miles

Plan to start this hike an hour before sunset and enjoy the last light of the day saying goodnight to the spectacular panoramic view of the land. Make sure you have a flashlight for the hike back.

6. Murphy Point: 3.6 miles

This longer hike leads to unforgettable views of Candlestick Tower, Green River and White Rim Road.

Needles

1. Roadside Ruins: .3 miles

A short trail educating about how the Indians used the native plants. The trail ends with an ancient Puebloan granary, where their bounty was stored.

2. Cave Spring: .6 miles

This short loop includes a historic cowboy camp, prehistoric rock paintings, a rare year-round spring, and two ladders to climb.

3. Pothole Point Trail: .6 miles

Potholes along this slickrock trail, fill with rainwater and creates a perfect environment for microlife such as horsehair worms, snails, tadpoles and fairy shrimp. Who doesn’t want to see fairy shrimp?

4. Slickrock Trail: 2.4 miles

360 degree views of the park, need I say more?

Now, Go. See. Do.

~meemish

We are heading in to my favorite seasons, spring and summer. I love the sun as much as I love books. Give me both and I’m in heaven. My perfect reading spot is on the beach, but give me a book, a hammock and sunshine anywhere and I’m one happy lizard.

Read All Day: May

1. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins ????????

Someone once told me that the only good advice for grief is to stay hydrated. Because everything else is just chingaderas.

2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver ????????

I found the old me, still in here, and the new me sitting right alongside her. We made friends.

3. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren ????????

That’s the whole point of luck, isn’t it? You have to trust that it’s not fleeting.

4. The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth ????????

I worked hard for everything I ever cared about, and nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.

5. The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James, Rachel McCarthy James ????

This book is almost entirely about people who lived in small towns a hundred years ago. As much about how they died as about how they lived. But the flash of death illuminated the lifes the victims have lived.

6. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare ????????

It is the hate that is the enemy. Not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love.

7. The Breakdown by B.A. Paris ??????

I never really remember doing any of it, which should worry me more than it does…

8. Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center ??????

It’s amazing how brave you can be when you feel safe.

9. The Library Book by Susan Orlean ??????????

All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library’s simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen.

10. Restart by Gordon Korman ????????

What was so wrong about the old me that now I have to be somebody else?

11. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston ????

He’s not afraid of anything he feels. He’s not afraid of saying it. He’s only afraid of what will happen when he does.

12. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett ????????

Thinking about the past impeded my efforts to be decent in the present.

13. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid ??????

I don’t need you to be mad that it happened. I need you to be mad that it just like… happens.