Canyonlands National Park Sights Page
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Sights To See
| General Information | Island in the Sky | Needles |
| Other Utah Sites | The Maze | The River Area |
General Information
Canyonlands National Park has some fantastic rock structures and colors for some unbelievable scenic beauty. Activities to consider while here are (but not limited to): backpacking, biking, camping, fishing, four wheeling, hiking, horseback rides, photography, river running, star gazing and watching wildlife.
For a detailed list of Canyonlands hiking possibilities, with locations and trails, see the Hiking Page. Hiking trails of varying length and difficulty.
Join a National Park Service ranger to explore Canyonlands's natural and cultural history. Join a ranger to learn about the forces that once shaped this landscape - and continue to do so, see the Calendar Page. Ranger / Naturalist programs include interpretive programs in summer. These include geology talks, campfire programs and guided walks and hikes on a variety of topics. Staffing may permit spring and fall programs. Schedules for Ranger activities are available at the Visitor Center. These are just some of the ways to discover the diversity of the scenic, natural and historic wonders that comprise Canyonlands National Park.
Park Headquarters located at Moab, Utah, north of the park and the visitor centers in Island of the Sky and the Needles are open year round, except for New Years, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.
Island in the Sky
The Island in the Sky District overlooks the canyon country from a high mesa top one to two thousand feet above the surrounding terrain. Bordered by the Green River on the west and the Colorado River on the east, the Island provides easy access to overlooks with spectacular views of the canyons and other geological formations. Hiking trials and four-wheel-drive roads access backcountry areas for day or overnight trips.
One Hour - Drive to Grandview Point and enjoy a broad view over the entire park. If time permits, visit Buck or Shafer Canyon overlooks along the way.
Two Hours - Visit Grandview Point, Upheaval Dome (one mile hike to rim and back) and Green River overlooks. Hike the .5 mile loop nature trail to Mesa Arch.
Half Day - Visit all the above and enjoy many of the other short, mesa top nature trails to features like Whale Rock or Aztec Butte. Visitors with four-wheel-drive may consider returning to Moab via the Shafer Trail and Potash roads.
Full Day - Hike several of the mesa top trails or the strenuous Syncline Loop Trail. With four-wheel-drive, explore the White Rim Road as far as Musselman Arch or travel to the Colorado River via Lathrop Canyon.
Several Days - Use the Willow Flat Campground as a base camp and explore the area on foot or in a vehicle. Backpack into Taylor Canyon for a night, or down to the Colorado River via Lathrop Canyon. Consider a multi-day, four-wheel-drive or mountain bike trip along the rugged White Rim Road.
The Maze
With its confusing network of steep-walled canyons, the Maze remains the least accessible district of Canyonlands. Due to the district's remoteness and the difficulty of roads and trails, travel to the Maze requires more time, as well as a greater degree of self-sufficiency. Rarely do visitors spend less than three days in the Maze, and the area can easily absorb a week-long trip.
Maze visitors should be skilled in the use of topographic maps and, if traveling by vehicle, in technical four-wheel-driving.
The Orange Cliffs Unit of Glen Canyon National Recreational Area shares Canyonlands National Park's western boundary and is administered under the same backcountry management plan and reservation system.
The Needles Area
Named for its colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone, the Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands, and is the most popular backpacking destination in the park. The dominant formations are the needles themselves, and the districts's extensive trail system provides many opportunities for long day hikes and overnight trips. Foot trails and four-wheel-drive roads lead to such features as Angel Arch, the Confluence Overlook, Elephant Hill and Chesler Park.
One Hour - Hike one of the short foot trails or drive along the scenic drive to the Big Spring Canyon Overlook and enjoy the view.
Two Hours - Drive the three mile unpaved Elephant Hill access road for a distant view of the Needles. Hike one or two of the short nature trails.
Half Day - In addition to enjoying the scenic drive, hikers can explore the Slickrock Foot Trail or walk to the edge of Chesler Park for a closer look at the Needles. Visitors with four-wheel-drive vehicles might consider driving to the Colorado River Overlook. Spend some time at the visitor center learning about the area.
Full Day - Hike some of the backcountry trails or spend time exploring the four-wheel-drive roads, traveling up Salt Creek to Angel Arch, or over Elephant Hill to the Confluence Overlook.
Several Days - Use the Squaw Flat Campground as a base camp and day hike to Druid Arch or the Joint Trail, or plan on backpacking into Chesler Park. Visitors with four-wheel-drive can move their base camp into the backcountry and stay at the Devil's Kitchen or Peekaboo vehicle camps and hike from there.
The River Area
Near the center of Canyonlands National Park, the Green and the Colorado join to form one great river, the Colorado. The combined flow of both tributaries spills down Cataract Canyon with remarkable speed and power, creating a world-class stretch of white water. Above the Confluence, both rivers remain calm, providing opportunities for quiet enjoyment by canoeists, kayakers and others.
There are no facilities and no potable water sources along the rivers in Canyonlands. Vault toilets are available at Hardscrabble and Potato bottoms on the Green, and Lathrop Canyon on the Colorado. All groups on the rivers are required to have a cleanable, reuseable toilet system.
River flows are dependent upon snowmelt, with high water periods generally stretching from early May to late June.
For more detailed information and links click on the Utah State Page.
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Arches National Park Bryce Canyon National Park |
Capitol Reef National Park Zion National Park |
| Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area | Glen Canyon National Recreation Area |
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Anasazi Indian - Heritage Antelope Island - Scenic Bear Lake - Recreation Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn - Heritage Coral Pink Sand Dunes - Recreation Dead Horse Point - Scenic Deer Creek - Recreation East Canyon - Recreation Edge Of The Cedars - Heritage Escalante - Recreation Flight Park - Recreation Fort Buenaventura - Heritage Fremont Indian - Heritage Goblin Valley - Scenic Goosenecks - Scenic Great Salt Lake - Recreation Green River - Recreation Gunlock - Recreation Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail - Recreation Huntington - Recreation Hyrum - Recreation Iron Mission - Heritage Jordan River - Recreation |
Jordanelle - Recreation Kodachrome - Scenic Lost Creek - Recreation Millsite - Recreation Otter Creek - Recreation Palisade - Recreation Piute - Recreation Quail Creek - Recreation Red Fleet - Recreation Rockport - Recreation Scofield - Recreation Sand Hallow - Recreation Snow Canyon - Scenic Starvation - Recreation Steinaker - Recreation Territorial Statehouse - Heritage This Is The Place - Heritage Utah Field House of Natural History - Heritage Utah Lake - Recreation Veterans Memorial - Heritage Wasatch Mountain - Scenic Willard Bay - Recreation Yuba Lake - Recreation |
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Green River State Park Jordan River State Park |
Palisade State Park Wasatch Mountain State Park |
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Anasazi Indian Village Camp Floyd-Stagecoach Inn Edge of the Cedars Fort Buenaventura Fort Deseret |
Iron Mission Dinosaur Natural History Museum Newspaper Rock Pioneer Trail Territorial Statehouse |
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