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Plan Your Trip to Canyonlands National Park Travel Guide
Canyonlands National Park is well known for its Island in the Sky mesa. You will find mesas, buttes, slot canyons, spires, arches, petroglyphs, and rock art. Hiking, camping, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, and back roading are popular activities in this park. Park highlights include Shafer Trail, Mesa Arch, Grand View Overlook, and Green River Overlook. Plan your visit with this Canyonlands National Park Travel Guide.
You are excited to visit Canyonlands National Park and want to know the best time of year to visit, where to stay, what not to miss, and where to eat while there. Researching the best things to do while visiting Canyonlands National Park while working full time is overwhelming and you don’t have hours to spend on the internet. Save time and plan an unforgettable trip full of top activities with this Canyonlands National Park travel blog.
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Where is Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is located in southeastern Utah close to the city of Moab and Arches National Park. The closest major airport is Grand Junction, Colorado. This park is divided into regions: Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, the Rivers, and Horseshoe Canyon. Canyonlands is spread out and remote; there are no roads connecting the regions. There is no public transportation inside Canyonlands.
Facts About Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands became a national park in 1964.
The area is an archeological site with historical and cultural importance for American Indians.
Canyonlands National Park is 337,598 acres, approximately the area of 172,121 football fields.
Canyonlands rock originated from the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains.
The canyon was formed by millions of years of erosion and was carved by the Colorado River and the Green River.
Island in the Sky is a large mesa 1000 feet above the valley accessed by a narrow section of rock called the neck. The Neck will eventually erode away leaving the mesa isolated.
The park is covered by living soil called the cryptobiotic crust.
Robber’s Roost, a hideout of Butch Cassidy, is located in the Maze region.
Canyonlands is an International Dark Sky Park.
Best Time of Year to Visit Canyonlands National Park
Summer is hot and crowded. Expect temperatures over 100 with little to no shade. Monsoons, flash floods, and severe lightning occur in the late summer months. Winter temperatures may be below freezing and snow is possible. Spring and fall bring moderate temperatures and fewer crowds.
Accommodation in Canyonlands National Park
There are two camping sites in Canyonlands: Squaw Flat and Willow Flat. Individual campsites are first come first served. Backcountry camping is available by permit. There are additional campsites, hotels, and vacation rentals are located in Moab.
Canyonlands National Park Hiking Trails
Walk .5-mile RT to Mesa Arch
Check out Whale Rock on an easy .5-mile trail.
Hike 1.8 miles to 2 overlooks of Upheaval Dome.
Check out the Grand View Overlook (2 miles RT) or the White Rim Overlook (1.8 miles RT).
Visit the granaries on the Aztec Butte Trail, 2 miles RT with scrambling and a steep climb.
Take the Murphy Point Trail to a view of Candlestick Tower, 3.6 miles RT.
Head into White Rim on the Gooseberry Trail (5.4 miles RT, strenuous).
Backpack the 11-mile Chesler Park Loop through the Needles spires and buttes.
Backpack 11 miles RT through deep sand to Druid Arch.
Syncline Loop circles the crater of Upheaval Dome, an 8-mile loop trail.
Hike the 23-mile Big Needles Loop.
Things to Do at Canyonlands National Park
Check out the 10 overlooks and viewpoints along the Island in the Sky 34-mile scenic drive.
Photograph the switchbacks from Shafer Trail Viewpoint.
ATV through the Maze, Shafer Trail, or White Rim Road.
Kayak or canoe on the Colorado or Green River.
White water raft through Cataract Canyon.
Mountain bike the White Rim, permit required.
Check out the Great Gallery of lifesize pictographs in Horseshoe Canyon.
Go back-country backpacking in the Needles.
Drive the scenic Potash Road to Thelma and Louise Point, a high-clearance vehicle is required.
Watch the sunset from Green River Overlook, Grand View Point, or Dead Horse Point.
Splurge on the nearby Sound and Light Show on the Colorado River.
Be sure to check the Canyonlands National Park Service for current events.
How to Spend the Perfect Day in Canyonlands National Park
Visit Mesa Arch at sunrise
8 am hike to Grand View Overlook (2 miles), then white rim (2 miles)
10 am Overlooks: Buck Canyon, Candlestick, Green River
11 am Hike to Upheaval Dome, 2 miles (or at least to first overlook)
1 pm Check out the view from Shafer Canyon Overlook and the Visitor Center Overlook
2 pm Drive to Dead Horse Point State Park (30 min drive)
3 pm Check out the view from Dead Horse Point, Meander Overlook, and Neck Overlook
Return to Moab for the Sound and Light Show with Dinner
Tips for Visiting Canyonlands National Park
Arrive early to avoid crowds, Canyonlands is busiest between 10 am and 4 pm.
Bring a picnic lunch, there are no restaurants in the park.
Drink at least 1 gallon of water per day in the desert climate.
Cell service is inconsistent, download offline maps.
Grand View Point, Green River, and Buck Canyon Overlooks are wheelchair accessible.
Wear layers, temperatures change quickly in the desert.
There are no services in Canyonlands, get gas in Moab.
The soil is alive. Stay on trails, and do not destroy the area’s cryptobiotic crust.
Pets are not allowed on trails or in the backcountry.
Be alert for rattlesnakes.
Be watchful for quicksand in Horse Canyon, Lavender Canyon, and Peekaboo Canyon.
Walking on top of Mesa Arch is prohibited.
Allow 2 hours to drive between Islands in the Sky and the Needles.
The Maze is remote and requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle to visit.
Many Island in the Sky hiking trails are on slick rock and are marked by cairns (small rock piles). Never build your own cairns.
Day-use permits are available for river trips, backpacking, mountain bikes, e-bikes, and motorcycles.
Check Canyonlands National Park’s Twitter for current conditions and travel alerts.
Check the Park Calendar for Ranger-Led Programs.
Practice Leave No Trace Principles.
Purchase an America the Beautiful Pass and keep exploring National Parks.
A Note About Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park is a peninsula that extends from Canyonlands National Park’s Island in the Sky. It is known for its view of the gooseneck bend of the Colorado River 2000 feet below and is one of the most photographed vistas in the world. This park has an eight-mile trail system with several hiking spurs and 8 overlooks. Many hikes are over slick rock and marked by cairns. There is also a 16.6 mountain biking track. Dead Horse Point is a great place to watch the sunset and see the Milky Way. Across the canyon from Dead Horse Point is the set of the final scene in the 1991 film Thelma and Louise where they drove off the cliff into the Grand Canyon. It is possible to visit Thelma and Louise Point if you have a high-clearance vehicle.
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Plan Your Trip to Canyonlands National Park
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