The most AMAZING place in Canyonlands you've NEVER heard of

Canyonlands National Park is relatively well known. Most people who go to the Moab, Utah area at least make a stop at Canyonlands National Park to see the overlooks at Island in the Sky or to get that iconic photo at Mesa Arch.

And then there's the Needles District. Definitely not the most popular area in the park. When I heard about Salt Creek Trail, no one I talked to knew what I was talking about. The logistics of the Salt Creek Trail were confusing. Permits are required and only go on sale at certain times of the year. The Salt Creek Trail also generally requires a shuttle. And you should probably backpack it. Oh, and then there are bear canisters and water to worry about.

So it sounds like a little too much trouble, huh? Well, as with many outdoor adventures, some of the biggest payoffs require a little more effort than normal. And the Salt Creek Trail is no exception. But it is so worth it. This trip through Canyonlands National Park isn't a backpacking trip. It's an adventure. The first major sight is Kirk's Cabin. This is one of the most well preserved cabins I've seen, including a broken wagon, fireplace and lots and lots of nails, cans, glass and other relics left behind from long ago. No graffiti and no one seems to take anything. It's all there for you to see.

Then you are rewarded with countless ruins. We spotted 7 or more, and only knew about 3 going in. Big Ruin is the largest Native American ruin site in Canyonlands National Park. You can't reach the main site, but there are pottery shards, corn and arrowheads everywhere. You'll surely find a few more surprise ruin sites - including several graineries - as you continue walking to the next major sight; All American Man. All American Man is a red, white and blue pictograph that....well, it looks fake. But it's not. Maybe I should mention here that there are some strange pictographs along this hike. There is a little man with antenna, All American Man and two figures who appear to be in.....all I can think is spaceships. Strange.

After All American Man, you come up to Four Faces. Four Faces is another amazing pictograph set right above yet another ruins site.

Oh, and did I mention the arches? There are nearly as many random arches as there are ruins on this section of the trail. Many were not named on my Gaia.

Then we were at our camp for the night. Luckily there was water just beyond it at Upper Jump.

The next day, we headed to Angel Arch. I won't lie, I was pretty excited. Angel Arch is an enormous natural arch set high up on a cliff. As you can see in the video, Angel Arch appears to have an angel leaning up against one side of it. It's extremely unique. But like many things on the Salt Creek Trail, that's not enough. There is also a stone pillar called Molar Rock at the base of Angel Arch. Honestly, it looks like a heart to me, but I don't get to name it. The combination of Angel Arch and Molar Rock makes for an amazing and other wordly scene, not to mention some really cool pictures.

Then it was back to camp for night two.

Day 3 was mostly walking as fast as we could. The scenery was still spectacular, but we were tired and still had to drive home, so it was heads down and walk forward. We hit Peek A Boo (a cool hole through the rocks complete with pictographs), and then, after a short 3 miles down a sandy road, we were back at the truck.

Canyonlands is amazing. And the Salt Creek Trail gives you some of the most rugged, unique and beautiful sights in the park. If you haven't heard of it, I recommend you check it out. You will not be disappointed.

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Music by Epidemic Sound:
We Are Giants - Silver Maple
April Snow - Gavin Luke
Empty Sky - Wanderer's Trove
Blues for Ricardo - Matt Large
Calm Above Clouds - Trevor Kowalski
Little Secret Self - River Foxcroft
Breathe In, Breathe Out - Mattias Tell
Northern Sunrise - Nylonwings
Lunar Glow - Ookean
Drommaren - Sandra Marteleur
Until This - Colton Walls

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Moab Utah

Canyonlands

Canyonlands National Park

Angel Arch

All American Man

Four Faces