The Canyonlands and Beyond. Part 1. KCNY-KCNY.
For Wednesday December 23, 2020

Today we shall take some time to explore the dramatic scenery of Utah's Canyonlands region. (We somehow have obtained permission to fly below 2,000 feet in the National Park.) We begin at Canyonlands Field Airport [KCNY]. We head southeast to catch a view of Moab the prosperous town within a canyon. We turn to follow the Colorado River partway through the 17 mile steeply-lined river course, aptly nicknamed "Wall Street." Taking a shortcut, we fly over the Intrepid Potash mining operations and look at the brilliantly colored water evaporation pools [Potash] that separate the potash from the brine solution used to extract it from the ground. We land at Tangri-La [UT68] (or the Caveman Ranch), a small fly-in "cave" hotel and resort.

We depart west tracing an adventurous 4x4 road that eventually switchbacks its way up the sheer face of Shafer Canyon [Shafer Canyon]. Climbing up over the "Island in the Sky" plateau, we follow the paved Grand View Point Road to the circular visitor parking lot. Optionally, we may land at the Grand View Point [GVP] dirt pathway within the parking circle. This is dangerous. Cautious foolhardy pilots (as opposed to reckless foolhardy pilots) might choose to approach the "runway" from the south via the approach waypoint [AGV]. The south-to-north landing is uphill and softens the challenge of a 350 foot runway. Good advice would be "don't land short." Grand View Point provides a grand view of the Canyonlands. Again, this is optional and successful landings may require a bush-type STOL aircraft.

Descending, we land at Rustler Canyon which is a backcountry strip with an awesome view from the canyon floor. Then on to Needles Outpost [UT69] where the Outpost grill serves soft drinks and cheese sandwiches – land at the western end of the long dirt runway for grill access. Refreshed, we fly to the canyon-framed Confluence of the Greene and Colorado (the Greene is the larger of the two) and follow the Colorado through the 46 mile long whitewater section called Cataract Canyon. Pilots may choose to fly low along the Colorado as it courses through the canyon walls – the views are especially impressive after the Cataract Canyon marker. At the Dark Canyon marker, we turn south, climb up through Lost Canyon, and proceed to land at Fry Canyon Field [UT74]. Then westward, up over the mesas and ridges, to intersect with the northern section of Lake Powell which we follow up to Hite [UT03]. To the east you can see the Hite Crossing Bridge. Local pilots indicate that circling to land on 09 is preferred.



Then up the Dirty Devil River to land at the Dirty Devil Airstrip, a narrow sand runway on a small mesa within a canyon. (You want to descend into the canyon to set up your approach. Land south-to-north and take off north-to south.) Then proceed to Happy Canyon [UT97]. Here, local pilots recommend land on 09 and depart on 27. The cross-wind runway is in poor condition. They also suggest, due to a rough western end of the runway, that the unfamiliar pilot take a circuit in order to judge the appropriate touch down point.

Then north to pass the remote Hans Flat Ranger Station and descend into Millard Canyon. A quick-touch-and-go will give the pilot a chance to appreciate this "movie set" canyon landscape. Optionally, pilots may choose to land on a smallish elevated flat spot marked MCI (Millard Canyon International) on the flight plan. Then ascend to see the recommended rock climbing face on Cleopatra's Chair on top of the next mesa. We land at Anderson Bottom, a fertile lowland along the Colorado that was ranched before it became a formal part of the Canyonlands National Park. There is no formal strip here, so take care with your surfaces. (A good spot is on the west bank of the Green River just north of Bonita Bend.)

Climbing out, we circle over the Upheaval Dome, a strange geologic formation whose origins have puzzled scientists for years. Recent research indicates that it is most likely a 60 million-year-old meteorite impact crater that has eroded and shifted over time. We land at Mineral Canyon Strip (UT75) which lies along the east side of the Greene River just south of Bowknot Bend. This is an excellent well-maintained strip. There is some vegetation here which can attract wildlife: local pilots suggest taking care that the airstrip is clear. Finally, we return to the comfort and repair shops of Canyonlands Field [KCNY].

This is a day for exploring the Canyonlands with plenty of takeoffs and landings. Aside from the departure/destination, the route includes one paved runway. That said, it includes 12 landings – counting three unprepared surfaces. A form of backcountry flying fun.

Documentation
The flightplan and Pilots Guide can be found here.

Aircraft
This Wednesday is designed for short airstrip and rough field landings. A natural for this is the freeware STOL Savage Carbon by "Got Gravel". (I shall fly in the "Arctic" livery.) Other aircraft may be suitable for most if not all of these airstrips. As ever, please fly what you like.

Scenery
No additional scenery for today's flight.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Wednesday, set the simulator at 1:00pm local. We shall prefer to fly real weather. (The desert weather is typically fine with clear skies. This is essentially a VFR event so if the weather is awful, you might pick one of the pre-sets to provide appropriate conditions.)

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, December 23, 2020. 1900 UTC
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Multiplayer: Microsoft Flight Simulator MP. North America East server.
 

Terrific Route. 👍👍👍 This is going to be an epic flight.  Great job on the Pilots Guide.😎  I watched the whole Shafer Trail video, but the first 10 minutes were amazing - my right leg kept going for the brake pedal.  I was seriously getting concerned about brake fade.😬

Lawdy lawdy! That sounds dangerous. 😵 Check your insurance cover.

For once I read the Guide...

I AM GOBSMACKED!

 

Sorry to come back to this but what's with those bikers? There were a couple I saw that looked as if they were thinking 'What have I got myself into?' Kudos to the guy at the beginning of the video though.

Not to mention the guy with a canoe on the roof. Did he take a wrong turn?

Two things. First, let's start with the simulator set to 1:00pm local time. This will give us better lighting through the afternoon. (No worries about high temperatures on Wednesday. The forecast is for a chill in the desert air. Bring a jacket.)

And second, note that Microsoft sent out a large update on Tuesday. You might give yourself a bit of time to get that installed before the flight.

M