Canyonlands National Park
One of the most rugged and remote places I have ever seen!
Canyonlands National Park is located outside of Moab, Utah. Offering a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas and buttes by the Green River and Colorado River and their respective tributaries.
The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the combined rivers. They all share a primitive desert atmosphere but each retains its own unique character. Canyonlands should definitely be high on your list. Along with the other BIG 5 Parks in Utah.
The drive into the park was wide-open and deceiving compared to the ruggedness that was up ahead.
The number of yearly visitors has been on the rise, in 2016 the park had a record breaking 776,200 visitors. The park does not have the parking and amenities like some of the others but the only time I felt overly crowded was on the hike to Mesa Arch.
I really wish every park offered a camera post. Thanks Canyonlands for supporting solo travel!
The Island in the Sky is the most popular destination (76%) due to the proximity to Moab. The Needles district is the second most visited (21%) and the Maze district only sees a fraction of the total (1.4%) and happens to be one of the most remote and inaccessible areas in United States. The rest of the users are accounted for by people rafting/kayaking the two rivers. During years of heavy snow melt the rivers provide some of the most intense class 5 white-water rafting in the world.
Unless you have a high ground clearance vehicle and more than 2 days to explore you will likely end up visiting the Island in the Sky district, with the majority of the other visitors. Rest assured the park still feels very much isolated, especially when compared to neighbor Arches National Park.
The road enters the park just before you cross “The Neck”, a rock span not much wider than the road that connects the mesa to the rimlands. The scenery change is quite rapid the further you explore into the park.
Canyonlands doesn’t offer 12+ viewpoint opportunities like Bryce Canyon or Black canyon of the Gunnison. However, the viewpoints they do have are completely out of this world and in my option combine many geographic features of the area into one localized park.
Arches at Canyonlands National Parks?
One of the most famed photo opportunities come from the Mesa Arch, which should not be missed. With that being said, plan according and visit early morning or late evening. This short, .08 mile hike is extremely popular and was the only spot I felt overcrowded. (visit at sunrise for the best view)
I was unable to get a good photo of Mesa Arch due to the crowds of people around. Go see it for yourself but get there early!
La Sal Mountains from the Mesa Arch Trail.
At the end of the scenic drive you will come to the Grand View Point, my favorite by far. The parking area was just as full as the one at Mesa Arch but but the trail area and view points were spread out and you could easily find a quite place to soak in the view.
You can take a walk around the rim and even look strait down into the canyon if you’re brave enough to venture to the ledge. (Disclaimer: Don’t try and take a selfie and accidentally step of the ledge)
The view south towards the Canyon Rims Recreation area is one of the most expansive I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon but the varying levels and width of the river tributaries really will leave you in awe.
If you have a 4×4 vehicle and feel like getting off the beaten path be sure to explore the primitive Maze District. Theres a 100 mile road that can be covered in two days and will give you a wild, isolated perspective of Canyonlands, one that few people have the chance to experience.
Grand View Point!
Overall,
Simply put, Canyonlands caught me off guard. The drastic landscapes were certainly unique however I couldn’t help but notice the similar geographical features the park seemed to share with others.
The needles reminded me of Bryce Canyon, The Grand View Overlook resembled the Grand Canyon and Mesa Arch, would have fit right in at Arches National Park. One area even looked like Monument Valley, which is hundreds of miles away in Arizona.
If you want a taste of a wide variety of tremendous scenery. Canyonlands is definitely the park for you!
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, thanks.