Hi folks:
Someone local would have better information, but I received the following e-mail yesterday from the
http://www.utah.travel site:
" Heavy rainfall has caused road closures and flooding in some spots around southern Utah. The Moab area was hit particularly hard and the deluge has affected travel and recreation in nearby national parks and recreation areas.
Canyonlands National Park All major roads are open and in good condition but some backroads are closed. There is still plenty of opportunity to see the parks and enjoy recreational activities.
This is perhaps the best season of the year to explore the incredibly scenic national parks and play areas around Moab. If you stay on the main roads you won't have any trouble. If you want to drive the backroads, check at a visitors' center to get current info about conditions in the areas you plan to visit.
Here are some travel ideas: Drive the scenic loop through Arches National Park. Take the short hike to Delicate Arch, or through the Devil's Garden. Drive to the viewpoints on Island in the Sky, in Canyonlands National Park. The road on top is fine. Drive to the Needles overlooks, also in Canyonlands.
Just don't descend any dirt backroads anywhere in southern Utah without getting credible information about current conditions.
October is normally a dry month in Utah's deserts. But Moab received a half-year's worth of precipitation during the first half of October - more that 4.5 inches of rain - and that caused a bit of trouble.
Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park, was temporarily inaccessible because floods damaged the road and trail. Repairs were made quickly and the area has reopened.
The following areas were closed at this writing. (They will reopen as repairs are made so check for current conditions.)
Shafer Trail and the west side of the White Rim Road (White Crack to Labyrinth), in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. Salt Creek and Horse Canyon in the Needles District of Canyonlands. Horseshoe Canyon - all access roads are impassable. Flint Trail in the Maze District of Canyonlands.
Hans Flat to the top of the Flint Trail is in extremely bad condition and barely passable to high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. The road from Hite to the Land of Standing Rocks and The Dollhouse is in very bad condition but is passable to high-clearance 4X4s.
Arches National Park The old Mormon Trail is impassible, near Halls Crossing on the south side of Lake Powell. That trail was always extremely rough, a killer 4X4 route. Recent floods cut a 50-foot deep channel through the bottom of Lake Canyon, making passage impossible. We know because a group from Utah.com was down the trail - on the wrong side of Lake Canyon. It was an axel-busting, excruciating adventure getting the Jeeps out.
Late October and early November are ideal months to tour Arches, Canyonlands and other desert playgrounds. The crowds are gone and so you don't have to compete for prime viewpoints. The temperature is pleasantly mild - ideal for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, auto-touring and off-road explorations.
The canyons have been extremely beautiful during this stormy weather. Moisture intensifies the colors in the rock; waterfalls poor off cliffs that are normally dry; rainbows stretch across the horizon.
Let us help you book your national park trip.
- Dave Webb
This monthly email newsletter is designed to provide timely information about travel and vacation opportunities in the national park country of southern Utah, northern Arizona and western Colorado. Please forward it to friends you think may be interested."
