Canyonlands National Park is about 30 miles from Arches. It too has fascinating rock formations, but in some ways it’s a different experience. Part of the reason is that it’s more remote and so has fewer visitors.

The park has three sections that are not connected to each other: Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze, which can be reached only by four-wheel drive or water.

We went to Island in the Sky, the most accessible. Island in the Sky is essentially a giant triangular plateau formed by the Colorado and Green Rivers, which meet at the southern end.

Like Arches, the photos really tell the story of Canyonlands.

Upheaval Dome is a huge crater in the middle of Island in the Sky. Scientists disagree about how it was formed. Some think it was erosion; others, that it is a meteor crater.

This is the view from the Grand Point Overlook, looking south. A road follows the rim of the canyon. It’s 100 miles long, is accessible only by four-wheel drive, and takes a minimum of two days to drive.