Have a good trip. What are the details on the lens?
It is the sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6. I acquired it to go with the 18-55mm nikor to round out the lower end of the focal lengths. The 10-20 is definitely a lens for when you are right on top of what you are photographing. I figure I will either love this lens or sell it at the end of the summer.
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Rodney
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
Just a few more days to go, turned in grades yesterday and need to spend the day preparing, however, its a steady rain out there this morning. Usally, the camper doesnt leak much but today there are plenty .
So much to do in the last days, I'm still going back and forth on getting an unbrella shade and folding picknick table. Maybe a box of large format film, extra battery for the camera......
Can anyone tell me about the camping at Canyonlands NP in the Island in the sky district, or other camping options in the area? Is Dead Horse hard to get into?
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Rodney
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
It is the sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6. I acquired it to go with the 18-55mm nikor to round out the lower end of the focal lengths. The 10-20 is definitely a lens for when you are right on top of what you are photographing. I figure I will either love this lens or sell it at the end of the summer.
Hi Rodney,
Keep me informed about how you like the lens. I got a 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 when I bough a Sony Alpha, since the widest lens I had were a 28mm and a 28-135. I really don't use the ranges between 18 and 28 that often. I have a lot of other Minolta glass that rounds out my selection above that.
Sorry about the leaks. Finals just started today at UALR. Have a great trip.
When you get in the Canyonlands area, plan to camp at Goblin Valley State Park - Nice place, and strange formations. Also, you can then drive across the road (several miles) and take the hike in the Horseshoe Canyon unit of Canyonlands - this canyon is where some of the most spectacular pictographs are. I'll attach some pics, but they don't match up to what yours would look like.
Here's a pdf of the Canyonlands park brochure. Goblin Valley State Park is near the North symbol is shown on the map. There is blm land all around as well.
The Horseshoe Canyon unit is reached from the Moab area by heading North to I-70 and then West to Green River and then South.
Can anyone tell me about the camping at Canyonlands NP in the Island in the sky district, or other camping options in the area? Is Dead Horse hard to get into?
Island in the Sky has a road going around the perimeter. There are some 4WD portions, most, if not all, in one location. You could drive the whole loop in one long day without a trailer. To me, Island in the Sky is the least interesting part of Canyonlands. The views are good, the land itself is barren.
A lot of the truly amazing parts of Canyonlands NP require 4WD or two feet, walking stick and lots of water. We explored that Park many years ago and now there are lots of restrictions and limits, so check the Park website. Of all the Utah NP's, this is the best in my opinion. I see you have an F-250. A full sized pickup is fairly big for Canyonlands 4WD roads and may be impossible to get into the 4WD areas in the Needles District (too much overhang for Elephant Hill—I know it's too much for a 1980's Suburban, not mine, just watched it scrape on each bench; quite entertaining). I think there's a campground just below Elephant Hill though I don't know whether it's for RV's. It's been nearly 20 years, so memories are dimming. There are several rather obscure books on that area that I read so we could appreciate and find everything. There's some pretty incredible rock art. A lot is hard to find and newer maps obscure where it is to prevent vandalism. It takes some serious backpacking to find some. The All American Man is one of the most memorable, but took 1 1/2 days to get to from south of the Park.
A good approach is to go to Canyonlands and begin to become familiar with the area. Perhaps leave the trailer in Moab or somewhere nearby and just start understanding the area. Come back another time and really explore; there's so much to see it takes many trips and the Maze District is the most remote (getting that F-250 around the switchback on Flint Hill would be interesting). I've been in the Maze several times and would never go alone—it's a place to get lost even for experienced backcountry hikers. The Maze is in a part of the Maze District and requires making your way down about 600' into it—there are several "trails". It has the famous Harvest Scene, Fremont culture ghost figures that have been photographed many times and reproduced in a lot of books. The Fremonts preceded the Anasazi. We spent our honeymoon there—it was a lot easier to scramble over rocks 20 years ago. If you ever plan to go into the Maze, ask me where the best trail down is—it's not on many maps.
Haven't been to Dead Horse, but it's in various RV books, so it must be accessible. Arches has a campground, mostly back in, some pull through.
Horseshoe Canyon is a separate part of Canyonlands NP. The same dirt road can eventually get you to the Maze District. The pictographs in the Maze are even better than those in Horseshoe Canyon. There are a couple of roads south from Green River and you would want the one west of the river itself on the bypass through town. I think the one to the "airport" may be it, but ask locally as I haven't been down that road in 15 years. There are RV parks on each side of the river in town.
There are topos of the Park available.
And Pat's right—Goblin Valley is another place to see. There is so much in southern Utah that you could spend all summer there. Don't forget Colorado NM just south of Grand Junction and, of course, Crawford State Park.
Here's a pdf of the Canyonlands park brochure.
Pat
Thanks !
Quote:
To me, Island in the Sky is the least interesting part of Canyonlands. The views are good, the land itself is barren.
I backpacked into the needles almost 20 years ago and had a great time, my reason for wanting to hit the Islands district is to photograph some specific features.
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Rodney
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson
There are campsites around the rim of the Island in the Sky. My preference would be as far out to the end as I could get a reservation for. Fantastic views, you can see for 90 miles (Hey, were from Ohio :~}) We saw more Airstreams there than any other park last year
We were there last year in Sept, Dead Horse point was a little (a lot) tight with the 34 footer (we did not camp there, just went to see the sights and take a walk and picnic) Did a lot of hiking there and at Arches and loved it. I think if we were to return to Needles it would be with overnight packs and trekking poles, there is a lot to see and it looks like most of it on foot or 4WD, way up the canyons, great vistas going and coming though.
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