Canyonlands National Park guides
12 in-depth guides to Canyonlands National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Canyonlands National Park overview.
Desert Extremes: Best Seasons for Canyonlands
Canyonlands sits on the Colorado Plateau, a high desert where temperatures can swing by more than 40 degrees in a single day.
Island in the Sky Overlooks Tour
The mesa top of Island in the Sky rests on sheer sandstone cliffs more than 1,000 feet above the land around it.
Driving the White Rim Road
Running 100 miles of dirt, the White Rim Road circles beneath the Island in the Sky mesa. The route follows cliff edges and passes canyons the Colorado and Green Rivers have cut.
Floating the Green and Colorado Rivers
The Green and Colorado Rivers sliced two deep gorges into the layered sandstone at the heart of Canyonlands.
Stargazing in an International Dark Sky Park
A moonless night over the Colorado Plateau can be dark enough to catch many visitors off guard.
Sedimentary Layers from Ancient Oceans to Deserts
Cliff faces throughout the park show millions of years of deposition and erosion, built from layers of sedimentary rock.
Ancestral Puebloan Granaries and Ruins
People have lived in and traveled through this country for more than 10,000 years, and they left evidence that the park protects today.
273 Bird Species and Canyon Wildlife
At least 273 bird species have been recorded in Canyonlands, so birdwatchers have plenty to look for.
No Lodging Inside: Choosing Your Gateway Town
Canyonlands National Park has no lodging inside its boundaries, so every visit starts with a decision about where to sleep.
The Needles: Zebra-Striped Spires and Druid Arch
The Needles fills the southeast corner of Canyonlands National Park and takes its name from the striped spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that rise across the landscape.
The Maze: Utah's Most Remote Backcountry
The Maze is the least accessible district of Canyonlands, and reaching it takes more time than any other part of the park.
Horseshoe Canyon and the Great Gallery
The Great Gallery is the most celebrated panel in Horseshoe Canyon, a very small section of Canyonlands National Park that lies north of The Maze district.
