Have you been thinking about visiting Canyonlands National Park? We definitely recommend that you do! So we put together a quick guide to help you decide how you want to plan your trip.
About the Park
The purpose of Canyonlands National Park is to preserve striking geologic landscapes and associated ecosystems in an area encompassing the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers possessing superlative scenic, scientific, and cultural features for the inspiration, benefit, and use of the public.
(As stated in the foundation document for the park in the NPS Website)
Map of Canyonlands National Park
Park Overview
Canyonlands National Park is one of Utah’s Mighty Five, located about 32 miles from Moab on the eastern side of the state. The park is known for its colorful landscape of canyons, mesas, buttes created by the Colorado and Green Rivers across 527 sq. miles. The park is divided into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and The Rivers. Of Utah’s parks, Canyonlands sees the least amount of annual visitors, averaging about 800,00 in the past few years (compared to Zion’s nearly 5,000,000!). The majority of all visitors see this park in the spring and fall, and they are typically drawn to Island in the Sky due to its proximity to Moab and iconic hikes like Mesa Arch. The Maze and The Rivers are much more remote and require a lot of planning to get to.
Things to See & Do
There is an abundance of recreational activities to do and wildlife and plant species to see in addition to the park’s sweeping canyons and mesas. Approved recreational activities include hiking, biking, climbing, horseback riding (with permits), camping (at designated campsites), backpacking (with approved permits),rafting, kayaking, and four-wheeling. NPS also provides ranger led programs like talks, evening programs, guided hikes, and stargazing.The wildlife that calls the park home include black bears, coyotes, skunks, bats, elk, foxes, bobcats, badgers, pronghorns, desert bighorn sheep, cougars, desert cottontails, kangaroo rats, mule deer, at least 273 different species of birds, lizards, snakes, and toads. If plants are more your thing, you can find 11 different cactus species, liverworts, wildflowers, netleaf hackberry, Russian olive, Utah juniper, pinyon pine, and Fremont’s cottonwood.
Land Acknowlegement
Humans have occupied and traveled through this land for over 10,000 years. As noted in the official Arches NPS Website, The NPS acknowledges, with respect, that Native people have been successful stewards of the land within the park since time immemorial.
The NPS understands that the park is located within the ancestral and traditional homeland of the: Hopi Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Navajo Nation, Ohkay Owingeh. Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Isleta, Pueblo of Jemez, Pueblo of Laguna, Pueblo of Nambe, Pueblo of Picuris, Pueblo of Pojoaque, Pueblo of San Felipe, Pueblo of San Ildefonso, Pueblo of Sandia, Pueblo of Santa Ana, Pueblo of Santa Clara, Pueblo of Taos, Pueblo of Tesuque, Pueblo of Zia, San Juan Southern Paiute, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, White Mesa Ute, and Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation.”
Canyonlands was established as the 31st U.S. National Park in September 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Quick Facts
Private Vehicle Fee: $30.00
Motorcycle Fee: $25.00
Per Person (no auto) Fee: $15.00
Park Hours: 24/7
Pets: if leashed, allowed ONLY along established front-country roads, parking areas, front-country campgrounds, and front-country picnic areas
Established Campgrounds: 2
Island in the Sky: Willow Flat
open year round, first come first served, $15.00 nightly fee
The Needles Campground
open year round, reservation spring-fall/first come first served in winter, $20.00 nightly fee
Backcountry Camping: there are SO many options! Read up on them here for more information.
Visitor Centers
Island In the Sky: hours vary by on season, but open daily except Christmas
The Needles: hours vary by season, closed mid-Dec through mid-Feb
Hans Flat Ranger Station: open 8:00 am – 4:00 pm daily, with the exception of a several week closure mid-winter
Canyonlands Backcountry Office: open 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday, closed on all federal holidays and weekends
Seasonal considerations
What time of year you decide to visit Canyonlands National Park will have the biggest impact on your experience.
spring
Spring (April-May) is considered peak-season for Canyonlands. You get mild weather, wildflower blooms, and preferable hiking conditions. This season has some of the highest visitation numbers due, likely because people try to visit during spring break before it gets too hot. You will want to plan ahead if you need to reserve a campsite or permits.
Avg High Temp (F)
Avg Low Temp (F)
Avg Precipitation (in)
Avg Visitation (2022-2024)
APRIL
71
42
0.73
103,040
MAY
82
51
0.79
118,125
summer
Summer (June-August) is considered shoulder-season for Canyonlands. You get long daylight hours for maximum exploration time and full services available. However, these months also bring with them extreme heat and the potential for monsoons, as well as decent crowds. It is recommended to do your exploring either in the early morning or later in the evening to avoid the high temps!
Avg High Temp (F)
Avg Low Temp (F)
Avg Precipitation (in)
Avg Visitation (2022-2024)
JUNE
93
60
0.44
89,316
JULY
100
67
1.02
70,322
AUGUST
97
66
1.00
64,395
fall
Fall (September-October) is considered peak-season for Canyonlands. You get generally cooler weather and good recreation conditions. September can still tend to be fairly warm, however, and October sees the highest average precipitation. You will want to plan ahead if you need to reserve a campsite or permits.
Avg High Temp (F)
Avg Low Temp (F)
Avg Precipitation (in)
Avg Visitation (2022-2024)
SEPTEMBER
88
55
0.93
97,163
OCTOBER
74
42
1.21
96,597
winter
Winter (November-March) is considered off-season for Canyonlands. You get the smallest crowds, colder weather, and the potential to see the park dusted in snow. These months do also bring with it the need to do a little bit more extensive planning for cold nights and possible icy conditions, road closures, and fewer services available.
Avg High Temp (F)
Avg Low Temp (F)
Avg Precipitation (in)
Avg Visitation (2022-2024)
NOVEMBER
56
30
0.73
42,201
DECEMBER
45
23
0.63
18,861
JANUARY
44
22
0.49
9,589
FEBRUARY
52
28
0.45
16,656
MARCH
64
35
0.71
73,055
top things to do
1. mesa arch
What’s a visit to Canyonlands National Park without seeing the iconic Mesa Arch? This hike is 0.6 miles and 62′ elevation gain.
A spot to see the dramatic switchbacks of this famous 4×4 road at the Island in the Sky District.
4. chesler park loop trail
Beginning from Elephant Hill trailhead this loop hike follows indistinct trails over slickrock sandstone formations and through slot canyons. This trail is 10.4 miles and 1,801′ elevation gain.
The Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail offers views of a spectacular geological formation, a mile-wide crater of mysterious origins, possibly caused by a meteorite that created a big splash of minerals when it hit or a salt dome that originated from within the earth. This is a 1.3 mile hike with 229′ elevation gain.
NOTE: This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the things to do in this park! These are just the things that caught our attention and came up often when researching our trip.
Our Adventures
We visited Canyonlands National Park during our road trip to Moab in February 2024. Our itinerary gave us two days in this park- one exploring the Island in the Sky District and the next visiting The Needles District. The next time we visit, we plan to come back with a proper vehicle to explore The Maze District and do some backcountry camping. We feel that we saw all that we wanted to at Island in the Sky and only missed out on Elephant Hill in The Needles.
Our itinerary over the two days included:
Mesa Arch Trail (0.79 miles, 115 ft elevation gain, 32 min total)
Grand View Point Trail (1.96 miles, 203 ft elevation gain, 58 min total)
Cave Spring Trail (0.65 miles, 59 ft elevation gain, 22 min total)
Pothole Point Trail (0.48 miles, 20 ft elevation gain, 13 min total)
Slickrock Foot Trail (3.02 miles, 207 ft elevation gain, 1.5 hours total)
The Needles Scenic Drive
Because we visited in the off-season (even though it was a holiday weekend), we did not have to deal large crowds, extreme heat, or a lack of parking. We were a little nervous about possible winter conditions, but we lucked out and didn’t experience any road closures or the need to use winter traction gear to get around.
If you want to read more about our visit to Canyonlands National Park (along with our stops at Arches, Dead Horse Point, Moab, and Rifle Falls), check out our Moab post!
Our Tips for visiting Canyonlands
When you’re planning your trip to Canyonlands National Park, time of year and length of trip will play a big role in what you decide to do! As noted, there are 4 districts of this park, all with varying levels of ease in terms of getting there and what you are able to do when you’re there. We were lucky to be able to visit the two more accessible districts on our trip, and we think both are worth it! The other two districts are definitely on our bucket list for a return trip.
Consider The Districts & Your Itinerary
Island in the Sky is a quick 30 minute drive from Moab, so at the very least this is an area you must-do! You can see most (if not all) of what you want here in a single day. You’ll get the expansive canyon views here, including the iconic Mesa Arch viewpoint.
The Needles District offers a completely different vibe of the park. Here you can find sandstone spires, challenging hikes, scenic drives, petroglyphs, and backcountry opportunities. This district is approximately 1.5 hours from Moab- a little more of a trek, but a beautiful, scenic drive!
The Maze District is the most remote, requiring high-clearance 4WD vehicles just to get there. It takes significant planning, as you need to be self sufficient and prepared for challenging 4×4 roads, strenuous hikes, and no amenities.
The River Corridor offers the most unique perspective of the park, allowing you to kayak, raft, boat, etc down the Colorado and Green Rivers that carved this canyon!
Come Prepared!
If you plan to visit in the summer, be aware of the temperature and how to keep yourself safe. You must bring more water than you think you’ll need, plenty of sunscreen, and you’ll need to plan to keep your adventuring to the mornings and late evenings to avoid peak sun. Peak season for this park isn’t as difficult to navigate as some other parks, since visitation numbers are considerably lower. We thought that winter was a great time to see everything, and thankfully it wasn’t too cold or icy!
Regardless of what time of year you decide to go and what you decide to do, it is so important that you come fully prepared with proper gear, plenty of water, and whatever permits or reservations you may need for your activities. It’s always a good idea to also download offline maps; we typically create an offline map on Google Maps for the area we are traveling to as well as download maps on AllTrails for all of the hikes we plan to do. If time allows, making the Visitor Center one of your first stops of the day is helpful if you are unsure about any road or trail conditions, hiking ability, weather, etc. The rangers are all super kind and are there to help you make the most of your day while keeping everyone safe!
Finally, always follow the Leave No Trace principles to ensure that you recreate responsibly and help to protect these beautiful spaces we love to visit!
resources
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
The best starting place for planning any national park visit is going to be the official National Park Service website for that park. All of the information here will be the most up-to-date. You can use this site to find everything from current closures to upcoming ranger programs to popular recreation activities (and where to go) to campsite information and literally anything else you can think of.
Once you take the time to find applicable information on this site, you can then do some more digging on the internet for specific questions you have or more detailed information about something you found that interests you.
