Canyonlands National Park
WHO
Our family of four visited Canyonlands National Park for a half-day when Averhy was 16 and Eden was 13 years old. The hikes we did were really easy and we all enjoyed them.
WHAT
For our half-day exploring Canyonlands National Park, we took a small daypack with water, granola bars, trail mix, and beef jerky. You can see our entire road trip packing list in the full Utah Road Trip post here. Temperatures were cool with spotty rain, so we were comfortable in hiking pants, jackets and sweatshirts.
WHEN
We took this trip in March during the girls’ spring break. This was a great time to visit Canyonlands National Park because the temperatures were mild (around 55*) and the park was not crowded.
WHERE
We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Moab for 2 nights. It was a great location, close to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, as well as the downtown area of Moab.
We went to the following viewpoints/hikes while we were in Canyonlands National Park (yellow stars on the map).
WHY
This was a great place to finish the last full day of our Utah Road Trip. The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands is close by Arches National Park, so we were able to visit both in one day. The trails that we chose to hike were very short and easy, with great views of the canyons. If the weather had been sunny and warmer, we would have spent more time hiking here.
HOW
As you enter this National Park, you drive up on top of the plateaus that are surrounded by canyons. The grassy fields have cows grazing, so keep an eye out. Our first stop was at the Island in the Sky visitor center. Across the road is a lookout with a gorgeous view of the canyons.
It’s easy to walk right up to the edge here, so be careful if you have young kids.
Driving further into the park, we stopped at Mesa Arch, a short half-mile loop trail to an arch that is especially popular for photographers at sunrise.
There were only a few other people hiking this trail when we were there, and it was rather windy at the arch. Raindrops started to fall as we hiked back to the van along the easy path.
Next we drove to Whale Rock and the Upheaval Dome area, but it started raining more so we decided to not do those hikes. It is possible to get a view of Whale Rock from the road, but if you want to see the crater at Upheaval Dome, you’ll need to do the hike.
We drove through the rain to the south end of the Island in the Sky area, and arrived at the Grand View Point as the rain stopped. Our reward was this awesome view of a unique canyon below.
The Overlook Trail is 2 miles long, starting at the Grand View Point. Since the sun was starting to set and the rain was coming back, we weren’t able to hike this rim trail. Instead, we hopped in the van and drove to the easily accessible Candlestick Tower Overlook.
This overlook allows you to get right up to the edge looking west. The mist and rain created this interesting view of the plateaus on the other side of the canyon.
Our last stop was the Green River Overlook, which is on the same road as Whale Rock (but it had been raining when we passed it the first time). There is a short paved path to this south-facing view of the canyons.
Overall, Canyonlands National Park is beautiful and I wish we had more time (and better weather) to hike here. However, it was a good end to our week!
Final Tips
Cell service is limited inside the park, so you might want to put your phone on airplane mode.
Although we only spent about 3 hours in the park, we felt like we were able to enjoy the highlights. If the weather was better and we had started earlier in the day, we could have easily spent an entire day hiking the trails here.
Canyonlands National Park actually has several districts. We only visited the Island in the Sky district, because it is the most accessible and close to Moab. According to the National Park Service, “Though they appear close on a map, there are no roads that directly link the districts. Traveling between them requires two to six hours by car as there are few places to cross the rivers. Most people find it impractical to visit more than one area in a single trip. Island in the Sky is the most accessible district, offering expansive views from many overlooks along the paved scenic drive, several hikes of varying length and a moderate four-wheel-drive route. The Needles offers more of a backcountry experience, requiring some hiking or four-wheel driving to see the area's attractions. The Maze is a remote district requiring considerably more time and self-reliance to visit. Northwest of The Maze, Horseshoe Canyon is a day-use area with stunning American Indian rock art panels. Flatwater trips on the Green or Colorado rivers and whitewater trips in Cataract Canyon are unique ways to experience the park that usually involve two or more days of boating.”
