Moab to Canyonlands

[roadie4]

Hello,

Upon some fine tuning of the plan, I saw that my trip from Moab to Canyonlands NP will take 4 hours as stated by MS Streets and Trips. It says I have to leave Moab and go up up 191, Over I70 west, then take various "local roads" to Canyonlands NP. It shows I would be entering Canyonlands from about the west side and about the middle (in terms of North and South).

I look on the map and it looks like it is taking the long way (the really long way). My question is: Is there a more direct route to Canyonlands NP from Moab? From Canyonlands, I will be going to Bryce, so entering Canyonlands from the east seems like less driving. I was thinking of Canyonlands-Island-in-the-sky area and then travelling through the park from there.

Also, for those of you more familiar with Southern Utah, when MS Streets and Trips says "local roads" and I am still 50+ miles from my destination, are there at least road signs that say "Canyonlands NP 50 miles ahead!" or something to that effect?

Thanks for any advice,

Steve

[AZBuck]

I tried the same endpoints in Streets & Maps and got the same routing, but this is clearly not the way you (a sentient human) would want to go. You can get to the Island in the Sky Visitor Center of Canyonlands by taking US-191 north out of Moab and then using either UT-279 or UT-313 to connect with South Fork Road. You can find these roads in Streets & Maps' data base if you zoom in far enough, so I'm a bit befuddled as to why they don't route you that way. I guess my bottom line advice is to, as they always say, "Inquire locally" in Moab, but I'd be very surprised if you had to go all the way around to the west.

AZBuck

[AZBuck]

If you check the Canyonlands NP website map, clearly they expect you to come in via UT-313 and not from the west or by way of UT-279, both of which require travel on unimproved roads.

AZBuck

[roadie4]

From 4 hours of driving to 40 minutes. Wow, thank you! That's amazing. And also thank you for the map!

One additional question. Is there a route through the park to the west? Or would I have to travel back up to 313 and onto I70 to get to Bryce?

[AZBuck]

Is there a route through the park to the west? Or would I have to travel back up to 313 and onto I70 to get to Bryce?

Sorry, not unless you have a flying car. I see no way across the Green or Colorado Rivers. You'll have to return to US-191 before continuing westward.

AZBuck

[roadie4]

That's cool. Thank you again a ton for the route that saved me all that time in the car!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Is there a route through the park to the west? Or would I have to travel back up to 313 and onto I70 to get to Bryce?

About the farthest west you can drive is to the Orange Cliffs overlook -- beyond that you would need wings or the Amphicar -- but even that would be tricky!

Mark

[Utahtea]

I've found that if you plug in Dead Horse State Park as the destination that works. It's not far from Dead Horse State park to the Island in the sky district.

If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you might consider taking 279 ( The potash road) to the Shafer trail and driving into Canyonlands that way. It really is a great adventure! Here are our pictures taken on this route: http://www.utahtea.lithium.com/pages...shafer2001.htm

What route are you taking to Bryce? Have you considered scenic hwy 12 from Torrey, Utah? If so, make the scenic drive into Capitol Reef National Park.

Utahtea

[roadie4]

I never knew about the scenic route through Torrey. Looks awesome. Thanks for the tip!

Does anyone get scared about running out of gas while driving through southern Utah? If I fill up in Moab and attempt to make it to Torrey, it might be pushing it. Given the pictures I have seen about this area (and doing the "nearby places" in MS Streets and Trips), there doesn't seem to be a plethora of gas stations. Am I just being worried about something for nothing?

[Mark Sedenquist]

I never knew about the scenic route through Torrey

. Here is some more info about some of that route.

Does anyone get scared about running out of gas while driving through southern Utah? If I fill up in Moab and attempt to make it to Torrey, it might be pushing it.

Not a problem. There are plenty of places to get fuel as long as you use a little common sense.

Mark