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| Hiking on the Confluence Overlook Trail |
I headed down to the Needles section of Canyonlands with two
potential hikes in mind. By the time I
got to the park, I still hadn't decided on which hike I wanted to take, so I
decided to go on the one with the trail head that is closer to the entrance station. I started hiking, but after about twenty
minutes, I had a hard time finding the cairns, so I took it as a sign that I
should be taking the other hike at that particular moment in my life. I retraced my steps and headed to the other
trail head.
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| Hiking on the Confluence Overlook Trail |
Boy am I glad that I kept losing the other trail! The hike to the Confluence Overlook was
spectacular! The trail was delightfully
challenging and scenic. There are
several sections when you are hiking in an open, grassy area surrounded by
amazing rock formations in the distance on every side. There are also several portions when you have
to climb up and over a ridge to get to the next open area. When you are up on the ridge, you get a
bird’s eye view of the spectacular scenery all around you! Plus, it’s fun to wind your way along the
massive sections of slickrock!
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| The Confluence Of the Green (left) and the Colorado (right) Rivers |
For the last mile of the trail, the hiking trail follows the
four wheeling trail. It was strange to
imagine driving through this fairly remote section of the park. I’m sure it’s a spectacularly enjoyable
activity for some, but, for me, there is something about covering the ground on
my own two feet and with my own energy that enhances the experience. It allows you to become part of the landscape
and soak it in with every sense. I don’t
think I would ever want to give up that part of the experience.
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| The Colorado River and a view of the Maze |
The last section was especially fantastic! After climbing up a steep section of the
trail, you hike towards these large boulders.
Then, when you get past the boulders, you suddenly have a stunning view
of the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers! The rivers are a thousand feet below. It is powerful to realize that those rivers
carved the deep canyons you are looking at (and are continuing to do so)! The two rivers are fairly different in color,
so you can really see them come together and slowly become one!
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| Colorado River and a view of Island in the Sky |
This spot is also especially enjoyable to see because it is
the spot that divides the three sections of the park. The Island in the Sky section is bordered by
the Green and Colorado Rivers before they come together. That section of the park is up on a high mesa
(thus the name), which gives you a chance to look down and over a good deal of
the rest of the park. The Needles
section is bordered by the Colorado both before and after it comes together
with the Green River. It is the
south-east section of the park and has an abundance of rock pinnacles and
several canyons. The Maze section is in
the south-west portion of the park and is the most remote. You have to take some pretty rough four wheel
roads to get to the hiking trails, and those hiking trails are notoriously
difficult. It is named the maze because
when you look at it from above, the cliffs and canyons look like a large,
extremely rugged maze.
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| Looking at the Maze (on the right), a small section of the Needles (on the left), and the Colorado River (in the Middle) |
I lingered at the spot for quite a while. It was amazing to get to see such an
important spot in a park I love so much!
I really enjoyed getting to see part of each of the sections of the park
at once! It was also yet another great
opportunity to marvel at just how powerful the forces of nature are! So beautiful and awe-inspiring!
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