Canyonlands National Park for Beginners
Despite being the 29th most visited park in the US and the least visited of the Mighty Five National Parks, Canyonlands cracks our top 10 list of favorite national parks.
Perhaps it was because we’d never seen a landscape so vast,
Or because we saw the sunrise light up the desert,
Or because there were times where we felt like we were the only people for miles,
There is something sneakily stunning about Canyonlands National Park.
It’s a great place to kick off your Utah road trip and we think Canyonlands National Park is perfect for beginners!
Notes from the Newbies
Gus
Of all the parks in Utah, I think we were least excited about Canyonlands National Park (whoops). But it surprised us with its rugged landscape, hikes to incredible vistas, and one of the most beautiful sunrises we’ve ever seen
Katie
Canyonlands is definitely a top 10 park experiences for me. We’ve been to a lot of amazing places, but nowhere was quite as stunning as the sunrise over Mesa Arch. The way the canyon lit up and expanded before our eyes is something I will remember forever.
Canyonlands Basics
| Date Established | 1964 |
| Annual Visitors | 779,147 |
| Rank in Popularity (by visitors) | 29th |
| Our Favorite Hike | Mesa Arch |
| #1 Reason to Visit | The Incredible Canyon |
| Highest Visited Month | May (120,148 visitors in 2023) |
| Lowest Visited Month | January (7,243 visitors in 2023) |
| Best Time to Visit | Early Spring |
| Ideal # of Days to Spend | One Day |
| Closest Major Airport | Salt Lake City Int’l (247 miles) |
Four Districts of Canyonlands (Map)
There are four distinct areas within Canyonlands:
- Island in the Sky (most visited area)
- The Needles
- The Maze
- The Horseshoe Canyon Unit (least visited)
There are no paved roads that connect each of the areas – you have to drive around or take back country roads.
Island in the Sky has most of the main attractions such as Mesa Arch and Grand View Point. You will find the most popular hiking trails in this area as well.
The Needles District is about a 2 hour drive from Island in the Sky. Its most famous feature are the “needles” – colorful spear-like rocks made of Cedar Mesa Sandstone.
The Maze is the most remote and least accessible area of the park. Permits are required for overnight trips and 4-wheel drive cars are recommended. On another trip, we’ll probably explore this desert back country!
The Horseshoe Canyon sits to the west of the main areas of the park. It is most famous for the Great Gallery – a collection of some of the most ancient and significant rock markings in North America. This section of the park was added to Canyonlands in 1971. This area really gives you a sense of the ancient civilizations that lived and thrived in this area. We didn’t visit this part of the park, but will certainly be back for it.
Canyonlands is unique because it sits at the merger of the Green and Colorado Rivers, which is what has – over time – created all the slots in the canyon below.
Tips Before You Visit Canyonlands
The best time to visit Canyonlands is in the early Spring or late Fall. Summer tends to be incredible warm here and the winter season brings cool night temperatures. Spring and Fall offer near-perfect weather.
Luckily, the park is open year-round and can be enjoyed throughout the year.
So whether you’re planning a day trip or or will stay in Moab, here are some tips we wish we knew before we visited the park!
Tip #1: See the Night Sky
Canyonlands is considered a Gold-Tier Dark Sky Park. Simply put, this means that when the night sky is clear, cloudless, and moon-less, there’s no better place to see the stars than at Canyonlands.
What makes it wonderful is how expansive it is without mountains or trees blocking the view. The canyon stretches for miles in all directions.
During our visit, we got a chance to drive into the park in the dark (4 or 5am) and the stars were spectacular even at that time. Had we stayed out all night, we know we would have been in for a real treat.
Tip #2: Get up Early for Sunrise at Mesa Arch
We’ve written about this more in depth (and we’ll dive a little deeper later in this post), but one of the main attractions is to see the sunrise at Mesa Arch.
Located just 6 miles from the Island in the Sky visitor center, Mesa Arch is easy to access and makes for a fantastic early morning hike.
Our number one tip is to get there earlier than you expect – the parking lot was already filling up before the sun even rose!
Tip #3: Don’t Skip the Needles District of Canyonlands
It’s easy to talk yourself out of visiting the Needles District.
It’s a 2+ hour drive from Island in the Sky to the Needles. You have to drive completely out of the park, through Moab, and then back into the park on the southern end.
We nearly did not go simply because we were tired, did not want to drive, and wondered if it would be worth it.
We’ll tell you the short of it: go because it’s entirely worth it!
There were far less visitors on the side of the park. We had a late lunch and snoozed on the side of the road and didn’t see cars for 30-40 minutes at a time.
And you get a chance to see some incredible hoodoo-like pillars of stone and see some incredible views of the other side of the canyon.
Tip #4: What to Pack for Canyonlands: Water, lots of water!
It might go without saying, but you really need to pack water at this park.
There is near zero shade coverage throughout the park. In peak summer, temps can reach over 100ºF. And some of the hikes can be lengthy.
Please bring water, extra snacks, hats, sun screen, and anything else you think you’ll need to protect yourself from the potential heat!
Most Popular Hike at Canyonlands: Mesa Arch
As promised, more on Mesa Arch.
I think what makes Mesa Arch incredible – especially at sunrise – is how the light slowly illuminates the entire canyon.
It was Katie and I’s favorite sunrise in all of Utah.
As the sun comes up, you start to see shapes of rock that you didn’t know were there. Pillars in the distance, the crevices expand below. All the while, Mesa Arch is perfectly framing the sun and canyon behind it. Incredible.
Mesa Arch Trail Basics
- Location: Island in the Sky District
- Best Time to Hike: Sunrise
- Length: 0.6 miles round trip
- Average Time to Complete: 30 minutes
- Level: Easy
- Elevation Change: 56 feet
- Why it’s Popular: One of the best views in all of Canyonlands
Our Experience at Mesa Arch
We arrived before sunrise – about 6am (I think the sun rose around 7am when we were there).
There is a very small parking lot at the Mesa Arch trailhead, enough to fit 15-20 cars. There were already visitors there making their way to the arch – so please arrive early!
The hike up to the arch is quite easy. You’ll pass sandy areas, rocky areas, and eventually run into an area where Mesa Arch is located and the canyon spreads for miles before you.
I especially loved roaming the area around Mesa Arch. Yes, the main attraction is the arch, but you can climb around, to the side, and a few feet above the rest of the area. I got some incredible views of Mesa Arch from a different angle, as well as the canyon below.
We lingered around well after sunset. Once the sun began to warm us up and we had nothing more to see or do, we made our way back to the trailhead.
As I already said, the sunrise at Mesa Arch was probably one of our favorite experiences in all of Utah.
Top Things to Do in Canyonlands
There are several additional hikes and sights worth mentioning. Below are a few we got to personally experience while at Canyonlands and would definitely recommend!
Grand View Point Rim Trail
Next to Mesa Arch, the Grand View Point Rim Trail was our next favorite hike. We recommend taking this hike immediately after the sunrise at Mesa Arch, because it will still be relatively empty.
The hike starts at the end of Grand View Point Road – you’ll essentially take the main highway all the way until it ends.
There is a nice easy walk to the overlook where you will be blown away by the canyon views. Down below you will see dirt paths and dirt roads. You’re looking at the White Rim Road. This 100-mile loop takes you through some of the most rugged parts of the park. We saw a few bikers and wondered how the heck they were doing it!
Just beyond the overlook is a 2 mile (round trip) trail to Grand View Point Overlook. This hike was relatively easy (although there are some places where you pass boulders or walk right along the rim).
But we LOVED pausing to admire the canyon. It was on this hike that we fully realized why it’s called Canyonlands. It’s vast and ever expanding and we almost couldn’t believe what we were seeing.
Newspaper Rock
Although not technically part of the National Park Service, you’ll find the Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument on your way to the Needles District.
It sits about half way on UT-211 between UT-191 and the Needles Visitor Center.
While only a short stop (about 10-20 minutes), we got a chance to see some pretty cool petroglyphs.
What you’re looking at are carvings into the side of the rock made nearly 2,000 years ago. It depicts all sorts of scenes and images – humans with antler-like things on their heads, wheels, horses, feet, and other images.
The coolest part is simply knowing that there were humans – people not too different from us – roaming around thousands of years ago trying to make their mark.
Not to get too philosophical or cheesy, but it certainly makes me pause and wonder. There’s a certain perspective that comes from knowing we are only around for 80-100 years here. And that thousands of years from now we’ll be nothing more than a small mark on the earth.
Slickrock Trail
The Slickrock Trail was also in the Needles Area of Canyonlands. This trail is a 2.4 miles round trip loop, moderately challenging, and is a popular one in the Needles District.
Our experience there was very, very hot!
There is little sun coverage and the rocks all around us only made it harder. We paused several times to make sure we were drinking enough water and eating enough snacks to sustain us.
This is a very minor detail, but my favorite feature of the hike were the cairns lined throughout the hike. Cairns are little piles of rocks that sort of guide you in the right direction while on a hike.
When we weren’t sure where to go next, we simply looked for another cairn.
So don’t knock them over, they’re useful!
Dead Horse Point Overlook
This is something we didn’t experience, but it’s definitely something we’ll go back and see.
Dead Horse Point State Park is located outside the boundaries of Canyonlands (so I guess not technically in the park), but is a very popular addition to a trip to Canyonlands.
At an area called The Knoll, the road splits in one direction to Canyonlands and in another direction to Dead Horse Point State Park.
The main attraction here is a spectacular view of the curvy and winding Colorado River. You can hike all along the rim to various overlooks such as Dead Horse Point Overlook, Meander Overlook, and Shafer Canyon Overlook.
Again, we didn’t personally experience this. But I put it here as a reminder to myself (and to you of course) to just do it! We didn’t go because we were feeling lazy – I wish we would have.
One Day in Canyonlands National Park
I personally think you can see all the best parts of Canyonlands in one long day.
There are certainly areas to explore besides the ones of the main roads of the park. For example, you can apparently go climbing through boulders on 4-wheel drive jeeps in different areas of the park, but us newbies ain’t ready for that!
- Morning: Sunrise at Mesa Arch, Hike Grand View Point Trail, Drive to Dead Horse Point Overlook
- Mid-day: Lunch in Moab (closest town near Canyonlands) and drive to the Needles District, Stop at Newspaper Rock, Hike Slickrock Foot Trail
- Late afternoon: Drive back toward Canyonlands and find a spot to watch the sunset within the park. If you’re brave, stay in the park later for stargazing.
Final Thoughts: Visit Canyonlands National Park for Beginners
It’s a little unbelievable to say this: but Canyonlands might have been our favorite of all the Utah National Parks.
It’s unbelievable because Utah has the iconic Zion National Park and the stunning Arches National Park – some of the most popular places in Utah and in the entire USA!
But Canyonlands is sneakily stunning. I think we had low expectations for the park and so we were blown away by how amazing it was.
Canyonlands offers some of the most stunning views we’ve ever seen: Vast. Expanding. Stunning. Mind-blowin.
And the best part? It’s perfect for beginners because you can see the very best of it in one day or less.
If you decide to visit Canyonlands National Park, hit us up! We’d be more than happy to give you our beginner tips and ideas to enjoy your trip to Canyonlands!
