National park
National park · Eastern Utah
Canyonlands National Park
Utah’s largest national park, where the Green and Colorado rivers have cut a maze of canyons into the desert. Island in the Sky offers big views from the rim; the Needles and the Maze reward people who go further.
Photo: Myrabella · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Canyonlands is the big picture of the Colorado Plateau: a thousand feet of red and white cliffs, then another thousand down to the rivers, with mesas, spires and buttes stretching to the horizon. The Green and Colorado rivers meet in the middle and divide the park into districts that are not connected by road. Driving from one to another can take hours.
Island in the Sky, about 40 minutes from Moab, is a mesa-top district with paved roads and short walks to the edge. Mesa Arch frames the canyon below and catches the first sunlight of the day. Grand View Point looks out over the White Rim and hundreds of square miles of canyon. The Green River Overlook and Upheaval Dome, a strange cratered structure, round out a day.
The Needles district, reached from Highway 191 south of Moab, is for hikers. Banded red-and-white spires surround grassy parks like Chesler Park, and trails lead to Druid Arch and through narrow joints in the rock. The drive in passes Newspaper Rock, a dense panel of petroglyphs.
The Maze, on the west side, is one of the most remote places in the Lower 48 and requires high-clearance four-wheel drive and real self-sufficiency. Nearby Horseshoe Canyon, a detached unit, holds the Great Gallery, a panel of life-sized ancient figures painted in the Barrier Canyon style.
Don't miss
- Mesa ArchA short loop to an arch on the cliff edge that glows at sunrise.
- Grand View PointThe end of the Island in the Sky road, with a two-mile rim walk and views across the canyon country.
- Green River OverlookThe Green River winding through the canyons 2,000 feet below.
- Upheaval DomeA puzzling ring-shaped crater, possibly from a meteorite impact, with two overlooks.
- Chesler ParkA Needles district hike to a grassy park ringed by striped sandstone spires.
- Cave Spring TrailA short Needles walk past an old cowboy camp, with two wooden ladders.
- White Rim RoadA 100-mile four-wheel-drive and mountain-bike loop below Island in the Sky; permits required.
- Great Gallery, Horseshoe CanyonA seven-mile round trip to one of the most important rock art panels in North America.
Hikes in Canyonlands
Good to know
- Pick a district. Island in the Sky and the Needles are two hours apart by road, so plan one per day.
- There is no food, fuel or lodging inside the park and very little water. Fill up in Moab or Monticello.
- Overnight backpacking, White Rim trips and river trips need permits, booked through Recreation.gov.
- Sunrise at Mesa Arch is popular; arrive before first light for a spot.
- Check current conditions before driving unpaved roads. Rain can make them impassable.