Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are easy parks to visit

Southeastern Utah is where the red rock wonderlands of the desert southwest begin, or end, depending on your perspective. Canyonlands and Arches National Park are on the eastern side of a chain of spectacular parks heading southwest towards Arizona. Some of the other parks in the area like Capital Reef and Grand Staircase-Escalante are not as well known as their sister parks of Bryce, Zion, Glen Canyon and the Grand Canyon. However, their areas incorporate millions of acres of protected spaces. As for Canyonlands we thought it was just as beautiful and it felt in many ways just as immense as the Grand Canyon without all of the crowds.
   Arches National Park was a arm chair tourists' dream. Most of the scenery is easily reachable by car and in fact, you barely have to leave the car for pictures. The majority of scenic turnouts had under 300 yard walking to get to the vantage points. We went on a longer 2 mile hike but afterward we said the scenery was not much different on the longer hike then the shorter ones. For us, it was more about getting out and walking off some excess energy then seeing something unique. As for Canyonlands and Arches N.P. they are truly easy parks to see from the air conditioned comfort of your car.
   Moab is the closest town to these parks and has every accommodation possible for the weary traveler. The prices in Moab are higher than elsewhere but that is to be expected in such a touristy area. We found the town of Moab to be in a delightful setting with the Colorado river making everything lush and green in the valley.

People standing under one of the arches in Canyonlands N.P.

The erosion and weathering in the park is amazing.

A couple of climber girls.

It is possible to take a 4x4 down to the canyon floor in this park.

The windy roads kept traffic speeds in check.

Incredible that plants can grow in such an inhospitable environment. 

Erosion is still spreading through the park.

Picturesque views were found throughout the park.

Arches N.P. had huge formations like this one. I took a picture with my truck to show the size.

Some of these spires were 60 feet tall.

The colors of the rocks were captivating.

An example of how easy it was to get good pictures in this park.

Thousands of stunning arches are found all throughout the park.

Nature uses the world as her canvas.

Our two mile death march.

This is the reason for our two mile trek.

Taking a break in the shade.

Like books stacked in a shelf.

People are sort of visible in the lower right side but they are small in comparison to the arch.