Taking the Kids: Utah road trip
Canyonlands is too big to explore in its entirety in one day. In the northern section, you’ll see Island in the Sky with its spectacular vistas of ancient canyons, cliffs and washes. At Green River Viewpoint, see where John Wesley Powell set off on his explorations in the 19th century.
In the southern section of Canyonlands, the Green River and Colorado come together at the Confluence, just upstream from Cataract Canyon, which is legendary for fast-action river rafting. Powell’s explorations mapped all of that but were more famous for exploring and mapping the Grand Canyon.
Schafer Canyon is one of the most spectacular spots, we thought. There is a gravel road down from the top of the canyon to the Green River on which ancient people trekked. It later became a livestock trail (ranchers would drive cattle and sheep down to the river for water and up to the grassy prairies for grazing). In the 1950s, the trail was widened to allow trucks to haul up uranium that was discovered in the canyon. Today, the road is used by hikers and mountain bikers mostly.
Wherever you hike, remind the kids that the soil is alive. All the tiny algae, mosses and fungi growing on the sand help plants grow and prevent dust storms; that’s why it’s so important here to stay on the trails.
You’ll see plants that have adapted to the desert (little moisture, cold winters, hot summers, thin soil) like Big Sagebrush, Utah Juniper (that grows to 25 feet tall), Mormon Tea (the boiled stems are useful in treating bladder infections) and Prickly Pear cactus that blooms in early summer.
Hunter-gatherers migrated here as long ago as 10,000 years ago. No dwellings have been found here but there are rock pictographs. People living in modern-day pueblos are descendants of the ancient peoples; the first Europeans were likely trappers searching western rivers for valuable beaver and otter.
Arches National Park’s famous arches here began as giant cracks that are called “fins.” Over thousands of years, water seeps through and makes weak spots that eventually break out. You might see some in the making.
Who will be the first to strike a yoga pose in front of the arch?
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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, will be out this spring.)
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