Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Today’s destination (Mesa Arch) isn’t much of a hike, but is still a cool destination that you should stop by if you have just limited time in Canyonlands National Park!
Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
Distance: 0.5 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 62 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 30 minutes
Trailhead Address: 38.38915, -109.8681 (38° 23′ 20.9″N 109° 52′ 05.2″W)
Parking: Available at trailhead!
This hike is also located in the Island in the Sky district! (As it turns out, after ~1.5 months of driving across the country when you never really liked driving to begin with, you don’t feel like trekking an extra several hours sometimes! I never ended up making it to the Needles district, but maybe someday I’ll be able to go back to check it out!)
Thankfully, the Island in the Sky district is perfect if you have limited time. There are lots of pullouts along the road for a paved scenic drive and you can go on a number of short or long hikes. You can also get access to backcountry areas for day/overnight trips if you so choose!
But anyway, Mesa Arch is a super short and easy walk out to an arch that’s perched on the edge of a 500-foot cliff. (Please refrain from venturing out too far!)
It’s classified as a “pothole arch” because it was formed by water that pooled on the sandstone, eroding the rock until it formed this arch. We got here around late morning so there were a lot of people (we had to wait in line to get photos). I bet it’d be especially pretty to see this during a sunrise or sunset though!
- What’s the last place you traveled to?
- Should I have just sucked it up and driven to the Needles district too? :P
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We did not make it to the Needles District either when we visited two summers ago. We were at Mesa Arch on Global Running Day so got a picture of me running in front of Mesa Arch for Instagram. You can see the picture in the blog post that’s attached to this comment!
I really want to return to the desert this summer, but we have no plans to go anywhere other than to the beach and to see my mom.
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Celebrating Global Running Day Over the Years
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t thattt far but at the time, it just felt like way too much driving. :( That’s awesome that you went there on Global Running Day!
I really miss traveling too! Was hoping to go to Colorado for a wilderness medicine conference this summer but it’s been made virtual–hopefully we’ll get to do some traveling again somewhere in the future!!
P.S. There were people sitting way too close to the edge of the cliff for my comfort!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Six Steps to a Perfect Plank
Oh, absolutely agreed. The things some people will do for a cool photo for social media! :\
Farrah recently posted…Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
It’s incredible how these arches form and are works of art present day! I haven’t had the chance to visit but it’s definitely going on my list!
Agreed! I hope you get to go visit sometime! :]