Canyonlands National Park - One of Mother Nature's Ultimate Rock Gardens

Mesa Arch in winter, with a rare snow

Mesa Arch in summer

This post is to help commemorate the garden bloggers' celebration of National Parks, put on by Pam at Digging.  Although I have been to many, many national parks, and live in Colorado where we have several of the most beautiful, I am choosing to show Canyonlands National Park, Utah, in both the summer and the winter, since it looks stunning and surreal in both seasons. 

Spires in summer, La Sal mountains barely visible in background

Spires in the winter, La Sal Mountains in background

The Canyonlands, Arches, and Moab areas in Utah are one of my favorite places to go. In fact, I am going there again towards the end of this week. The colors of the Canyonlands are constantly changing, and always awe inspiring. These pictures are from two trips in 2008, one at the end of May and one at the end of December. Both of those times of the year are considered to be "off season". One is "hotter than the face of the sun" and the other is "colder than a freezer", at least according to my family.

Jeep road around the "White Rim" of the canyon - someday I hope to take my jeep here!

Green river just visible at the bottom of the canyon - the Green River and the Colorado River both flow though here and join together at the confluence.

The flora and fauna found in each season are different from each other, and very tough in either case.  It takes a lot to be able to grow in the desert and the rocky canyons, where simply by stepping in the wrong place results in the death of the soil micro organisms for decades.  This special "soil" is called "Cryptobiotic soil" and is the life blood of the few plants that grow here.  It provides food and life for animals, insects, and reptiles. 

Erigeron and Cactus, spiny and beautiful

 

Claret Cup cactus

Mariposa Lily

Some sort of spiny cactus. I don't know the name, but will always remember the florescent pink blossoms

Native grasses under the snow at the top of the canyon.  To see snow here is a treat.

Starkly beautiful leafless tree on a path we took to the top of "Whale Rock"

Lizards of various types are a common site here in the summer months.

This is part of Newspaper Rock, which is just outside of the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park.  Petroglyphs show us wondrous clues to the past.  It's up to all of us to learn from their lessons.

 

Several layers of clothing required during our winter visit

 

Canyonlands National Park is one of the least visited of the national parks in Utah. It is divided into 3 sections, none of which are connected to the other. Most people go there as park of bus tours of the parks, and never hike farther than the "points of interest". You could spend weeks in Canyonlands, and see very few people. When we were there in December, we saw less than 100 people. Summer was a bit busier, but still not "crowded". We also went to Arches National Park, and other parts of the Moab area, but those places are for another post.