Canyonlands National Park

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Canyonlands National Park
Overview of the Green River
Overview of the Green River
Canyonlands National Park (USA)
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Coordinates: 38 ° 27 ′ 35.2 ″  N , 109 ° 49 ′ 13.9 ″  W.
Location: Utah , United States
Next city: Moab
Surface: 1,366.21 km²
Founding: September 12 , 1964
Visitors: 739,449 (2018)
Address: Canyonlands National Park
2282 SW Resource Blvd
Moab, UT 84532
Tel. (435) 719-2313
Map of Canyonlands National Park.jpg
View from Island In The Sky to the White Rim
View from Island In The Sky to the White Rim
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The Canyonlands National Park is a national park near Moab in the State of Utah in the United States of America . It is located in the immediate vicinity of Arches National Park . The area was declared a national park on September 12, 1964 and covers an area of ​​1366 km² (527.5 mi²).

The Colorado and Green Rivers have cut deep canyons into the Colorado Plateau and divide the park into three parts:

  • Island in the Sky in the north
  • The Needles to the southeast
  • The Maze in the west

In addition to these three main areas, there is a small one to the west, the Horseshoe Canyon .

Regions

The Island in the Sky and Needles areas can be reached via US 191 , which runs through Moab. The Maze is the most remote of the three regions and can only be reached from the west via state roads 24 or 95 and then via unpaved roads.

There are no road connections between the individual areas within the park.

Island in the Sky

The Island in the Sky is a vast plateau (mesa) that is enclosed by the Colorado and Green River. There are many spectacular views of the White Rim , a sandstone edge around 360 meters below the plateau, and of the river courses, another 300 meters below the White Rim. The popular 160 km long White Rim Trail runs along the White Rim , an unpaved rock path that can be used with off-road vehicles or mountain bikes after approval by the park administration. The journey by car takes two to three days. When the permit is granted, overnight places are allocated that have a single toilet block as the only facility. The number of passes issued per day is strictly limited, so that the visitor is usually completely alone on the sometimes adventurous route.

The Colorado River's Big Drop Rapids are located 1,128 meters above sea level.

The Needles

The Needles takes its name from the red and white grained rock spikes that characterize the area. In addition, there are a variety of other rock formations such as canyons, sinkholes , crevices and stone arches. Unlike Arches National Park, where many of these arches are accessible via short footpaths or even by car, they are in the Needles District in the hinterland and can only be reached by 4x4 or long hikes.

The area was formerly home to the Pueblo Indians , many legacies of which have survived. Many of the tools and small items have been stolen by antique hunters, but many of the stone houses and earth huts are well preserved. The members of the Pueblo culture have also left traces in the form of petroglyphs . The best known can be seen on the so-called Newspaper Rock near the visitor center at the entrance. In the southeast, the Needles District of the national park borders directly on the Bears Ears National Monument .

The Cathedral Point in Needles District is 2,170 meters, the highest point in the park.

The Maze

The Maze District lies west of the Colorado and Green Rivers and is the most remote and inaccessible sub-area.

Trivia

The novel Land der Rote Steine ​​by the Austrian writer Walter Kappacher , published in 2012, is largely set in the Maze District .

See also

Web links

Commons : Canyonlands National Park  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ National Park Service: The Maze - Canyonlands National Park . Accessed July 7, 2017