6 Days: Utah's Slickrock Loop – Arches, Canyonlands & Beyond
An ambitious loop through Utah's most celebrated rock country, based in quiet Blanding and radiating to arches near Moab, canyonlands, and the red-rock plateaus around Monument Valley. For serious hikers and photographers craving solitude and geological drama without the Moab tourist circus.
What to expect
- Slickrock Bike Trail or hiking bypass: 10 miles of sculpted stone
- Canyonlands Island in the Sky: Grand View Point and mesa-top hikes
- Needles District slot canyons and Elephant Hill four-wheel-drive scenic loop
- Monticello to Monument Valley: Navajo Nation vastness and sunset buttes
Day by day
Drive to Blanding (quiet town, good base). Check into a mid-range hotel.
15-minute drive to Valley of the Gods; scenic drive through red needles (5 miles unpaved).
Early dinner in Blanding. Stargazing from your lodging (low light pollution).
Drive 1 hour to Island in the Sky. Park at Shafer Canyon overlook.
Hike Grand View Point Trail (1.8 miles) and explore Upheaval Dome.
Return to Blanding. Stop at a viewpoint for sunset over Canyonlands.
Drive 45 minutes to Needles District. Optional four-wheel-drive Elephant Hill loop.
Hike Confluence Overlook (5.5 miles) or Chesler Park slot-canyon loop (3 miles).
Return to Blanding. Night-sky photography or quiet reflection.
Drive 1 hour to Moab. Hike Slickrock Trail (10 miles; hiking bypass option for non-bikers).
Enter Arches; drive scenic loop. Hike Delicate Arch (3 miles) or Devil's Garden.
Return to Blanding; casual dinner near the motel.
Drive to Dead Horse Point State Park (1 hour from Blanding). Rim-edge hikes.
Return via Potash Road scenic drive; stop at Poison Spider Mesa viewpoint.
Final evening in Blanding; sunset from a ridge or wash-bottom vantage.
Optional extension: drive 90 minutes to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.
Scenic loop drive and valley-floor hike with Navajo guide (highly recommended).
Return to Blanding or depart for Phoenix/Denver.
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