Natural Bridges and a Breathtaking Overlook

You will probably want to stay in Monticello. This town is much smaller than Moab, more like Green River, with a reasonable assortment of motels and restaurants. Be certain to ask directions to the Mormon Temple, a few streets off the main road but well worth the detour. marked cards

If you leave Green River or Moab by 9 a.m., you should arrive in Monticello before noon. The entrance to South Canyonlands is several kilometers before you arrive in Monticello, so you might want to spend a few hours in the park first. This way, you can then decide whether or not you want to return the park the next morning or immediately move on.

Natural Bridges and a Breathtaking Overlook

When you leave Monticello, head south on U.S. 191 towards Blanding and the junction with Highway 95, then turn west. Here you will find two sights seldom mentioned in travel guides. The first is Natural Bridges National Monument. Like Capital Reef, it is less spectacular than some other attractions, but well worth the visit.

A few kilometers from Natural Bridges, turn south on Highway 261 to one of the most awesome sights you will ever see. The road seems to abruptly end at a sheer cliff that drops several hundred meters towards Monument Valley, but gives the impression of diving straight to the centre of the Earth.

The road does not actually end here, but descends the cliff to the plain below. You may be reluctant to make this apparently perilous journey on a gravel road. However, there are long, slow switchbacks all the way down, making the descent easier than it may look.  trick cards

But what about getting back up again? Don’t worry. Once at the bottom you can drive along Highway 163 back to U.S. 191 and a gentle rise back towards Blanding.

This will be a decision point. You can now head east about 130 kilometers to Mesa Verde, with spectacular scenery and the remains of Indian cliff dwellings. Or you can head south into Moment Valley, the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.


However, if you are now beginning to doubt that what you saw at Bryce Canyon was real (I have seen it seven time and I still have doubts), you can take Highway 95 beck towards Capital Reef. Highway 95 is every bit as interesting and photogenic as is Highway 24 between Capital Reef and Green River.