ISLAND IN THE SKY Must See Viewpoints | Canyonlands National Park | UTAH
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Published 2022-09-08
Canyonlands National Park consists of three distinct districts - Island in the Sky, the Mazes, and the Needles.
Island in the Sky is one of the easiest areas to reach and experience in the park, with promising views of sheer sandstone cliffs and deep canyon walls.
Visitors will find plenty of awe-inspiring stops that don't require much walking to enjoy (though opportunities to stretch legs are certainly available as well)! Near the visitor center, is Shafer Canyon Overlook which allows for views of Shafer Road twisting and turning, descending down to the canyon floor. For those brave enough and with a higher clearance vehicle, they can make this drive. It's not for the faint of heart!
Canyonlands also boasts arches for itself. Mesa Arch has one of the most panoramic views one can find in the park - it perfectly frames the far-off landscape as though it were created on purpose.
For views that seem to come from another world, Green River Overlook and Grand View Overlook are must-stops - some of our most recommended places in the park.
VIDEO FILMED: 07/27/2022
▬▬ R E L A T E D V I D E O S ▬▬
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▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ ISLAND IN THE SKY | CANYONLANDS NPS - www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/islandinthesky.htm
⚪ Directions to ISLAND IN THE SKY | CANYONLANDS NPS - goo.gl/maps/58rAHAWxPCfqLxdk7?entry=yt
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Canyon Overlook
02:18 Island in the Sky Visitor Center
04:11 Views from the Road
05:30 Upheaval Dome
11:54 Green River Overlook
13:57 Grand View Overlook
20:53 Mesa Arch
24:10 Shafer Canyon Road
▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.
Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!
All Comments (21)
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I literally had anxiety flood my body just from you looking over the edge. I'm like you in that I lose my balance when it hits so it's safe to get out of that comfort zone.
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Every time you walked near the edge, my heart started thumping because it scared me to death, even though I was watching it on video and not there in person.
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We drove on that scary road 60 years ago. We were living in Farmington NM at the time and wandered around on weekends. I would not want to drive that road again but the scenery was awesome.
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Been everywhere you show on this video and drove the Shafer trail all the way back to Moab past where you stopped. My wife is scared of heights and totally surprised me when she agreed to drive down this road when we saw it from above. She freaked out at the hairpin turn when the void was on her side all of a sudden, but she was a trooper, and we made it all the way down. This is some of the most amazing scenery you can find. I will never forget it.
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I went to that area in October of 1979 or 1980. At the time I was driving either a 1969 VW Karmann Ghia or a 1968 VW bug (memory has faded as to which of those two I owned at the time). I first went down the Mineral Bottom road to the Green River, and drove the White Rim road as far as Hardscrable hill, camping a couple of nights along the Green River just outside the park on BLM land, then I went up to Island In the Sky and went to most of the overlooks in the video, then drove the Shafer Trail road out to Potash and Moab. The old air-cooled VW's were actually decent off-road vehicles, with pretty good ground clearance, though not geared low enough to handle roads that were both steep and rough, which is why I turned around at Hardscrabble Hill. Back then, all the roads in Island In the Sky area were gravel, and Moab was a sleepy little Mormon town.
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Yes, the downhill vehicle must yeild to the uphill vehicle. But, for me that rule is one of momentum. You may lose traction if you stop. But the actual reasoning for this rule is this language: The car traveling downhill is in a better position to pull over than the one traveling uphill. The driver going downhill can see farther, has a better vantage point to see where there is a safe spot to pull over, and will be able to pull back safely onto the roadway.
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I would just pass out and fly off the edge of the road 😅. Great video. I often wondered about that road. Now i know.
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I us.ed to live in Moab. Moved from there in 1982. All the roads and trails mentioned brought back many memories. Thank you
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Wow 😮 that road is scary cool 😎 🤠
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😂Hey, I have the same hat, ha ha, but it's a beautiful place. I love this one, damn Canyonlands😍👍
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Absolutely beautiful views! You were brave driving that little road.❤️
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Hi Cactus. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your channel! I love history and all that entails. I love the fact you give the information and facts about the history of the towns you visit!!! I’m just recently retired so I like watching You Tube for channels like yours!!! Keep up the great work!!!
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Canyonlands vastly exceeded my expectations when I went last fall. Dead Horse State Park also has one of the best views of the Colorado.
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We drove the entire White Rim Trail in 2021 on Island in the Sky. Spent 3 nights. Fantastic
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Utah is filled with great beauty. Thanks for the video. Been to the parks in Utah and all are spectacular. The geology is amazing. Pay attention to the weather, folks. Flash flooding can happen in these canyons and there is no way to climb these sheer walls through some of these canyons.
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Wow a place we have never seen in person. Thank you for sharing. 🙏🏻💕👍
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Shafer Canyon Road looks like a really fun drive. Those drop offs though are something. In some of your shots I even felt a tingling in my legs on them.
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Awesome video. I love Canyonlands!
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Done this road numerous times, up and down. Great scenery!
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Ideas happening! Thank you for sharing and driving this route! You have added a new bucket list adventure for me! Thank you for sharing!
