Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is a huge National Park located near Moab, Utah. There are 2 accessible districts that each provide a very different feel: Island in the Sky and The Needles. Even though the districts connect on a map, it will take you 2 hours to drive between them.

The Island in the Sky District has panoramic views that are sort of similar to the Grand Canyon, but the canyons are much wider and less deep. The Needles District is famous for remote backpacking opportunities, off-roading, and unique rock formations.

Canyonlands is the least visited of the Utah Mighty 5 National Parks, but you can still expect some crowds midday at Island in the Sky. Hiking, backpacking, visiting sweeping viewpoints, and off-roading are the best things to do here.

Best Things to Do in Canyonlands

SUNRISE AT MESA ARCH: Mesa Arch is an incredible natural arch that faces east and frames the canyon below. As the sun rises, the bottom of the arch glows red and it makes for an incredible photography opportunity. 

GRAND VIEW TRAIL: The Grand View Overlook is located at the very end of the Island in the Sky District. There is a short, out-and-back trail along the rim with incredible panoramic views.

DRIVE THE SHAFER CANYON-POTASH ROAD LOOP: This thrilling drive in Island in the Sky takes you off-road below the mesa via the Shafer Canyon Switchbacks to the Colorado River, and then has you loop back to Moab via Potash Road. an awesome way to get off the beaten path in the Island in the Sky District without planning a multi-night adventure. 

UPHEAVAL DOME: The Upheaval Dome is a giant crater that was formed by either a salt dome collapse or a meteorite. You can visit the Upheaval Dome via a short trail to the rim of the crater.

ISLAND IN THE SKY OVERLOOKS: The Green River, Buck Canyon, and White Rim Overlooks provide sweeping views over the Island in the Sky Mesa without hiking.

WHITE RIM ROAD: The White Rim Road is a 100-mile 4×4 road that winds down the Island in the Sky mesa and follows along the rim of the Colorado and Green Rivers. Doing this drive requires a permit, a 4WD vehicle, and at least 2 days.

GO HIKING: Both Island in the Sky and The Needles Districts have some great longer day hikes. This post details 15 incredible hikes in Canyonlands, from easy walks to strenuous adventures.

ELEPHANT HILL ROAD: Elephant Hill Road is one of the most technical 4×4 roads in the Moab area. You need a day use permit to visit this road and a lot of 4×4 experience.

SLICKROCK FOOT TRAIL: This short, fun hike in The Needles takes you to 3 different viewpoints with otherworldly scenery and a view of the needles formations.

BACKPACKING IN THE NEEDLES: Hike the Chesler Park Loop or trail to Druid Arch on an overnight backpacking trip.

DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK: This Utah State Park is located near Island in the Sky and has an incredible overlook over the Colorado River and White Rim Road. It would be a shame if you missed it on your trip to Canyonlands!

When to Visit

The best time to visit Canyonlands National Park is in the spring or fall. Temperatures in the Moab area are brutally hot in the summer, plus the parks will be swarmed with people once the kids are out of school.

October is another busy time to visit since you get all the fall breakers, but the weather is perfect. Canyonlands doesn’t get quite as many visitors as its neighbor, Arches, but still expect some crowds at the Island in the Sky District. Crowds in The Needles District are non-existent.

If you really want to avoid the crowds, try visiting the last week of October or early November instead. 

Visiting Canyonlands in the winter can also be a magical time to visit, especially if you get lucky with a dusting of snow. Large amounts of snow are rare, so it’s unlikely that park roads would become impassable. Going in the winter means shorter days and colder temperatures, but also much lower crowds.

How Many Days Do You Need?

The time needed in Canyonlands National Park depends on what you like to do. You can visit the highlights in Island in the Sky and hike a few of the short trails in just one day. If you’d like to do a longer hike, some off-roading, or visit the Needles District, spending 2-3 days could be the right amount of time.

If you plan to drive the White Rim Road, you’ll want to reserve 2-3 days for this experience exclusively, in addition to time needed to see the highlights and for any hikes you may want to do.

We spent 2 days in Island in the Sky and 1 day in The Needles. I think this was the perfect amount of time for Island in the Sky, but I wish we had an extra day for a longer hike in The Needles. 

If you structure your days efficiently and don’t plan on any multi-day hikes or off-road adventures, you can see a lot in 2-3 days.

How to Get There

Canyonlands National Park is located near Moab, Utah. 

The most convenient airport to fly into and rent a car is Salt Lake City. It will take you about 3.5 hours to drive to Moab from Salt Lake City.

Moab does have its own airport, but there are only direct flights from Denver, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix. If you’re coming from one of these cities, it’s definitely worth looking into flying directly to Moab, otherwise the prices and layover times likely won’t make sense. 

Flying into Grand Junction, Colorado could be another good alternative (it is 2 hours from Moab), but the airport is small and there aren’t a ton of direct flights here either. 

The Island in the Sky District is located 40 minutes west of Moab. You will turn off onto Island in the Sky Road from Highway 191 that goes through town and it will take you to the entrance gate.

The Needles District is located an hour and a half southwest of Moab. From Moab, you’ll take US-191 south until you reach UT-211. This road turns into the park highway that will take you to The Needles District.

Where to Stay

There are no lodging or restaurants located within Canyonlands National Park. The best place to stay when visiting Canyonlands is in Moab.

Moab is an outdoor lover’s hub and has tons of restaurants, chain hotels, adventure companies, and more. You won’t have any trouble finding a hotel or food in this town.

Moab is also a convenient location for visiting Arches National Park, so you can settle in one place for multiple days.

Canyonlands also has a plethora of backcountry campsites in The Needles District. If you’re up for a multi-day backpacking adventure, Canyonlands is an excellent destination.