Photos of Utah
 

I've posted some photos of Southeast (Arches, Canyonlands) and Northeast (Dinosaur, Flaming Gorge) Utah from the beginning of June at:
http://www2.onu.edu/~d-sawyers/UtahWebsite/Utah1.html

Unofficial State Motto of Utah: "Ain't rocks purty?"

Nice!

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. Brings back memories.

Great Pictures!

WOW, you saw a Moose at Flaming Gorge...WHERE exactly? Hwy # etc.

Utahtea

The unofficial motto is "Ain't rocks purty?"? No "secret underwear" photos?!
LOL

Great photos! Yes, those rocks are purty!

Hi Dave,

Great shots of the purty rocks. We do love out red rocks and wildflowers! Just thought I would pass along, the orange wildflowers in your picture are actually called "Globe Mallow". Pentstemons also grow on stalks with multiple blooms, but are more of a trumpet-shaped flower and come in a range of colors from fushia to purple to brillant blue. There is also a smaller, more slender pentstemon in red.

Keep up the good work!

Utahtea,

I saw TWO moose at Flaming Gorge (they were a couple, or at least dating seriously).

They were along Hwy 44 a few miles to the west of the Red Canyon area; I think it was at Deep Creek Road, but I don't have a detailed map at hand. The Bull had just crossed to the north side of the road as I arrived; he ducked into the trees but then came back out and grazed on the verge. The Cow was on the south side in some scrub.

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Dayle,

Thanks for the correction. The GLOBE-MALLOW was incredible in early June: one field near Canyonlands had several acres covered in orange.

Coming from Moab, how long is the drive to the Needles & how long do you spend at this section of the Park?

topping

laurieb_nyny,

I can't remember for sure how long the drive was. I'd say about an hour, but I stopped at Newspaper Rock, and also ate my pop-tart along the way. If you're staying in Moab as I did, you will need to devote most of a day to visit the Needles.

My impression was that this section of Canyonlands NP is geared more towards backpackers than day-visitors. You can't really drive into the Needles section proper, just the fringes of it. There are some nice views of Island in the Sky, and some interesting short hikes, but for me the best part was the drive from Hwy 191 to the park boundary.

If you have to choose, I'd definitely recommend Island in the Sky over The Needles, especially for scenic driving and day-hiking.

Dave

To LaurieB,
From Moab to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is 75 miles and will take close to 2 hours to drive (one way). I agree that this will be an all day adventure from Moab.

As Dave mentioned, plan on stopping at Newspaper Rock. It's amazing and will be a quick stop.

There are a few short hikes that are neat. Cave Springs and the Potholes Point Trail.

The drive in on Hwy 211 is beautiful, but the park is geared towards serious backpacker and SERIOUS 4 wheel drive roads.

To drsawyres,

Moose in UTAH. My two favorite things! Guess where I want to go this summer!!!!

Utahtea

I agree that Needles is more for serious hikers, packers and off roaders. Most of the best hikes are 10 - 15 miles round trip. The two that Utahtea mentions are great and definitely worth doing. Yes, it's about a 2 hour drive from Moab.

There are companies that do customized vehicle tours of the Needles area and start out in the morning from Moab. You might check out web sites for Tag-along Tours, Navtec, and Western River Expeditions (they have an "Adventure Center" in Moab, raft trips, Arches hikes, Hummer tours).

There are so many wonderful hikes just around Moab even out of the Parks, that you could spend a week. Have fun!