4WD into Canyonlands National Park

This is the second day of our recent weekend family trip over the Easter weekend. I posted the first day trip in A Backdoor into the Arches. This post is the second day, where we visited the Canyonlands National Park, but again, not in the conventional way to the Islands in the Sky District by following highway 191 north of Moab and then highway 313 to the west. We decided to skip the standard paved entrance and instead take the "scenic route"—which, in this part of Utah, means navigating red rock ledges and desert washes.

The Morning Climb: Gemini Bridges Trail

Instead of heading straight for the Island in the Sky entrance, we began our day on the Gemini Bridges Trail. This 4WD route is a fantastic introduction to Moab off-roading; it’s technical enough to feel like an adventure but accessible enough for a family outing.

The Ride, the Machine!

Earlier, we picked up a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, a machine that felt right at home the moment we turned off the pavement from Highway 191. Here is how we spent a day tackling two of the area's most iconic trails with the family.

The path winds through spectacular slickrock and colorful desert terrain. The kids were hooked immediately—there’s something about the mechanical rhythm of a 4WD trail that turns a standard car ride into an active exploration.

While rated "easy to moderate," the trail requires high clearance for the slickrock ledges and sandy washes. In a Rubicon, I felt the benefit of that low-range gearing during the steeper slickrock climbs near the "Gooney Bird" rock formation.

Next the trail climbs up to some serious slickrocks on the way to the Gemini Bridges. This is also a mountain biking trail and it is shared with the riders.

The bridges themselves are actually two massive natural spans over Bull Canyon. One of the coolest parts for the kids is that you can walk right across the top of them (carefully!). After the bridges, the trail mellows out into a faster-paced dirt road that eventually deposits you onto Highway 313, just a short drive from the Island in the Sky entrance.

Another point of note is the La Sal Mountain in the distance. It is almost always visible and this time of the year it has snow on it. Did you know, when Spanish missionaries first saw these mountains in summer, they thought there are white Salt deposits at the top of those mountains. Salt = La Sal. In fact La Sal Mountain is a Plutonic Basalt/Dolerite Plug into the country rock. It is neither salt, nor a volcano.

Recreating History: 10 Years in the Making

Once inside the park, we took a moment to slow down. Ten years ago, we stood at the Shafer Trail Viewpoint near the visitor center and took a family photo. Coming back a decade later was surreal. The kids are much bigger now, but the vast, silent scale of the canyon remains unchanged. We managed to find the exact same spot and recreated that photo—a decade of growth set against a backdrop that takes millions of years to shift.

Before the sun began to dip, we squeezed in a short hike to Mesa Arch. It’s a classic for a reason; seeing the canyon framed through the stone span never gets old. This is perhaps the most photographed spot in the park, and for good reason. Even though it’s a short walk, the payoff is massive. It’s an easy 0.6-mile loop. The trail is well-marked with stone cairns and takes you through classic high-desert vegetation like pinyon pines and juniper trees.

Unlike many arches that you look up at, you walk right to the edge of the cliff to see Mesa Arch. It sits on the very brink of a 500-foot drop into Buck Canyon. Looking through the "keyhole" of the arch, you get a framed view of the Washer Woman Arch and the Monster Tower in the distance. Even mid-day, the orange glow of the canyon walls reflected on the underside of the arch is spectacular.

The Shafer Trail & Potash Road: The Ultimate Descent

As sunset approached, we engaged the Jeep’s 4WD again for the most heart-pumping part of the day: descending the Shafer Trail. If you have never driven the Shafer switchbacks, they are a masterclass in engineering and a test of nerves. The trail drops 1,500 feet down a sheer cliff face via a series of tight, steep turns. The kids absolutely loved the thrill of the switchbacks, watching the canyon floor slowly rise to meet us.

At the bottom of the switchbacks, you reached the junction where the White Rim Road (a 100-mile epic) splits off. You stayed on Potash Road (Hwy 279) to head back toward Moab.

We stopped to marvel at the Colorado River carving a massive "U" through the canyon far below. Thelma and Louise Point is not far from here, if you remember the movie. Standing at the edge where the famous movie finale was filmed adds a bit of cinematic flair to the rugged landscape.

Doing Canyonlands via 4WD changes the perspective of the park. It’s no longer just a series of overlooks; it’s a landscape you interact with. Between the technical climb of Gemini Bridges and the dizzying descent of the Shafer Trail, it was a day of "firsts" for the kids.