Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park, United States

A low-angle view over the edge of Green River Overlook at sunset, with a juniper branch framing layers of red rock canyons.

Canyonlands is a vast desert of canyons and mesas carved by two rivers, and it rewards those willing to drive a little further.

The place

Canyonlands National Park sits in southeastern Utah, close to the town of Moab. The Colorado River and the Green River, along with their tributaries, have eroded the land here into a maze of canyons, mesas and buttes. The park was created in 1964, and it is large enough that most visitors see only one part of it on a single trip.

The park is divided into four districts. The Island in the Sky is a broad, level mesa in the north, lying between the two rivers, and it is the district most visitors reach first. Its viewpoints look down onto the White Rim, a sandstone bench far below, and beyond that to the rivers themselves. The Needles lies south of the Island on the east side of the Colorado and takes its name from banded red and white rock pinnacles. The Maze is remote and rugged, cut by deep, twisting ground that suits experienced walkers. The fourth area is where the Green and Colorado meet and flow through Cataract Canyon.

Each district has its own character, but they share a dry, open, primitive feel. Water is scarce, shade is rare and the sky is enormous. The rivers are the reason the scenery exists, and most of the views people come for are looks down into their cuts. Visitors often expect a single canyon and leave realising the park is a set of separate worlds, so it helps to choose one or two districts rather than trying to see everything.

Its story

Canyonlands National Park took shape through a campaign that began with one man's explorations of the desert south and west of Moab. Bates Wilson, then superintendent of Arches National Monument, explored that country in the early fifties. After seeing what is now the Needles district, he argued for a new national park that would include it. Further exploration widened the proposal to take in the meeting point of the Green and Colorado rivers, the Maze, and Horseshoe Canyon.

The idea gained a powerful ally in 1961. Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior, was flying to a conference at the Grand Canyon when he passed over the confluence of the two rivers. The view seems to have convinced him, and he began promoting Wilson's plan.

Getting it through Congress was slower. Utah Senator Frank Moss introduced the first bill, which was designed to satisfy two groups who wanted different things: preservationists who wanted the land kept wild, and commercial developers who wanted access and use. Over the following years the bill was struck down, debated, revised and reintroduced more than once before it finally passed.

In September 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the measure that made Canyonlands a national park. The compromise shaped its boundaries and its mix of districts. The land itself still carries the story of its making, with mesas that were once level ground and canyons that still drop away from the edge.

What to see

Culture

Canyonlands has a quiet, working culture of its own, shaped by rangers, visitor centres, and a steady flow of hikers, cyclists and four-wheel-drive drivers who come for the solitude. The desert around it has long been home to Native peoples, and the ancient Puebloan builders left stone structures such as Tower Ruin, which you can reach on foot or by four-wheel drive. Those ruins are protected, so treat them as the sites they are: keep to marked paths and do not move stones or build cairns near them. Visitors share a small number of roads and trailheads, so pull fully off the road when stopping and keep voices low at overlooks where others are watching the light. Ask rangers about current conditions, since trails can close after rain or heat. Leave every rock, potsherd and ruin exactly as you find it, and carry out everything you bring in.

What to wear

Canyonlands has no dress of its own, but the land around it carries older traditions. The ancient Puebloan people who built Tower Ruin, and the Native nations of the wider Colorado Plateau, wove cloth and cord from plant fibres and made footwear and bags suited to rough ground. Some Native communities in the region still wear beadwork, silver jewellery and woven textiles at ceremonies. Ask at local cultural centres before photographing or asking about specific garments.

What people wear now is practical. Hikers and campers in Moab and the park wear lightweight shirts, long trousers, hats, and sturdy trail shoes or sandals with grip. Fleece is common, because nights turn cold from autumn through spring. Cyclists and off-road drivers bring their own gear, and in town the look is relaxed.

For a visit, dress for sun, wind and cold. Choose breathable layers that cover the arms, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sun cream. Closed shoes with good grip suit the sandstone, which can be slick and loose. Carry a warm layer for dawn at the viewpoints, when the temperature drops sharply before sunrise. No religious dress code applies inside the park, but modest, covered clothing is respectful at any ceremony or community event you may be invited to.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April to May and September to October suit Canyonlands best, when days are warm, though nights can drop to or below freezing. Summer afternoons are very hot and the sun is fierce on the open ground, while winters bring cold nights and occasional wet weather.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Fly to Canyonlands Field, a small airport a short drive north of Moab, which has commuter service to Denver; check current flights first. The last leg is by car: take the highway north of Moab to the Island in the Sky road, or head south for the Needles. Expect about an hour's drive from Moab to the Island in the Sky visitor centre.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources