National Park Trekkers
Sunrise over Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park
All parks
Utah. Established 1964.

Canyonlands

Deep canyons carved by the Colorado and Green rivers, split into four wild districts.

Sunrise over Island in the Sky.Photo by Kush Dwivedi on Unsplash
Hours
Open 24 hours, all year
Entry
$30 per car
Reservations
Not required
Size
337,598 acres

Canyonlands Weather Now

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Canyonlands is Utah's largest national park, a maze of canyons, mesas and buttes carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. The rivers divide it into four districts: Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers themselves. Rock layers here record more than 300 million years of history, and the park also protects ancestral Puebloan sites and older rock art.

Most visitors see Island in the Sky, a mesa top with paved roads and overlooks 1,000 feet or more above the canyons. The Needles rewards hikers with colorful spires and backcountry trails, while the Maze is one of the most remote places in the lower 48 states. Even with roads and overlooks close to Moab, the park sees far fewer visitors than nearby Arches.

The park and surrounding area

Glen Canyon National Recreation AreaMoabHanksvilleCanyonlands
  • Park boundary
  • Other parks
  • Major highway
  • Road
  • Rivers and lakes
  • Town

Plan your trip

Best time to go
April to May and September to October bring mild temperatures and clear skies, while summer often tops 100 degrees.
How long to stay
Plan one full day for Island in the Sky and a second day for the Needles.
Getting there
Canyonlands Regional Airport (CNY) near Moab is about 45 minutes from Island in the Sky. Grand Junction (GJT) is about 2 hours away and Salt Lake City (SLC) about 4 hours.
Wildlife
Watch for desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, ravens, lizards, and the occasional coyote or kit fox around dawn and dusk.

Plan and book

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Where to stay

Tours and activities

What to pack for Canyonlands

A first day, start to finish

  1. Sunrise at Mesa Arch
  2. Island in the Sky Visitor Center
  3. Grand View Point overlook trail
  4. Green River Overlook
  5. Sunset at Upheaval Dome or Shafer Canyon Overlook

Don't miss

  • Mesa ArchAn easy 0.5-mile round-trip walk to an arch on the cliff edge that frames the canyons below, famous at sunrise.
  • Grand View PointThe southern tip of Island in the Sky, with a 2-mile round-trip rim trail looking 1,000 feet down to the White Rim.
  • Upheaval DomeA strange crater-like formation of tilted rock layers, reached by a 1.6-mile round-trip hike to the first overlook.
  • Chesler ParkA Needles District hike of about 6 miles round trip to a grassy meadow ringed by red and white striped sandstone spires.
  • Great Gallery, Horseshoe CanyonA 7-mile round-trip hike to life-size ancient rock art figures, some of the best-preserved in North America.

Know before you go

Do

  • Carry at least a gallon of water per person per day.
  • Fuel up and buy food in Moab or Monticello before you drive in.
  • Start hikes early in summer to beat the afternoon heat.

Don't

  • Expect to drive between districts quickly; Island in the Sky to the Needles is about two hours by road.
  • Step on the dark crusty soil; it is living cryptobiotic crust that takes decades to recover.
  • Take a 2WD rental car onto unpaved backcountry roads.

The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, weather permitting. Visitor centers at Island in the Sky and the Needles keep seasonal hours, with shorter days and some services reduced in winter. Unpaved backcountry roads can become impassable after rain or snow.

Arrive at Mesa Arch about 30 minutes before sunrise to see the underside of the arch glow orange.Trekker's tip