Since we’re on wheels we took the scenic route from Albuquerque to Butte, MT through Utah and nearly reached Moab on the first day.
With some searching and a good bit of luck we snagged a beautiful BLM campsite at Wind Whistle campground just south of Canyonlands National Park. We pitched on a low clearing below the massive red sandstone bluffs and got some rest before venturing out into the canyonlands the next morning.
We hiked the Big spring Canyon trail into the Needles District in canyonlands all the way to Chesler Park. This is incredibly beautiful country and a real juxtaposition! The snow capped La Sal mountains rose from the horizon as we hiked through the hot and dry eroded sandstone canyons.
On the way out we stopped in Bear’s Ears national monument at newspaper rock to check out the petroglyphs.
Onward to Montana!