Canyonlands’ Rugged Terrain Is Best Explored By 4WD Vehicle
Explore the remote, wild, and beautiful topography of Canyonlands National Park in a Jeep.
One of the most diverse terrains of Utah’s five national parks, Canyonlands is also the largest with over 337,000 acres.
The park is divided into three districts, split by the Green and Colorado rivers. The Island in the Sky District is on the north end, divided from the other sections by both rivers. On the east side of the Colorado River is the Needles District. The Maze District is west of the Green River (which eventually becomes the Colorado River at the confluence) and is backcountry. The rivers make up a fourth district.
It is nearly impossible to see more than one district in a day, as there are no roads crossing the rivers. I suggest spending at least two days, more if you can, visiting the more popular Island in the Sky and Needles districts. If you have several days, there are thrill-seeking activities listed at the end of the story.
Parts of Canyonlands National Park are remote and some of the last untamed wilderness in the continental United States. You need to plan for water, food, and gas. Full service is available in the nearby towns of Moab, Green River, Hanksville, and Monticello, but these towns aren’t so nearby. Make sure to have a full tank of gas, high-protein and heat-resistant snacks, and plenty of water for everyone in your party before you leave town. The hotter the day, the more water you will need.
If you only have a couple of days, here is how I suggest seeing the park.
DAY 1: ISLAND IN THE SKY DISTRICT
Watch the Sun Rise at Mesa Arch
We started our day by driving about 45 minutes from Moab to Island in the Sky District, early enough to see the sun rise at Mesa Arch. Even before sunrise, there was a sizeable crowd.
Whether you drive in the light of day or not, keep in mind this area is open range and cattle roam freely across roads.
Canyonlands has several arches, but Mesa Arch is the most famous and the one easiest to get to. One of the best sunrises I have ever seen and well worthwhile the lack of sleep. Make sure to bring a headlamp or flashlight for the walk in the dark.
Dead Horse Point State Park
If you want to stop at the visitor center for information or to get a map after the sunrise, you’ll have some time to spare before it opens. We drove the short distance to Dead Horse Point State Park, just outside the park entrance, to see this magnificent site.
There is a visitor center at Dead Horse Point State Park with water, and a limited assortment of drinks and snacks. This is good to know as a sign entering Canyonlands warns of no water, food, or gas in the park.
Green River Overlook
Back in the park, stop at the Green River Overlook where the river divides the Maze District from the Island in the Sky District (on this side).
At 6,000 feet, the overlook is a wonderful place to see part of the distant Maze District and the Orange Cliffs. The foreground has a beautiful view of how the white rim sandstone drops sharply to the lower canyon.
Upheaval Dome’s Creation Sparks Theories
Upheaval Dome reminds me of a crater, but not from a volcano. Scientists have two theories about how the rock layers cracked and tilted forming the circular depression seen today, according to the park website.
The first theory suggests a salt dome cracked and tilted the rock over time, while the second theory suggests there was a meteorite impact. Upheaval Dome Overlook: A Mystery (U.S. National Park Service) Whatever the reason, Upheaval Dome is unique.
There are two short, but moderately steep, hikes to the viewpoints. Both give you about the same view.
Climb Aztec Butte if you dare
Aztec Butte was an unplanned hike but extremely rewarding. You need shoes with good traction if you plan to hike to the top.
The 1.4-mile roundtrip, with 222 feet of elevation change, can take up to 1.5 hours due to the slickrock and rock scrambling, sometimes on your hands and knees, according to the website.
The slickrock, ledges, and cliffs make this a difficult climb to the top. The climb seems more than 222 feet due to the steepness of the slickrock.
The park is so vast for a two-day trip that you can’t see everything. There are archeological sites in different areas, including at Aztec Butte, but we didn’t see them. Here is an article about granaries in the park and how the Indigenous people used them. Aztec Butte Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
Stop at pullouts to take pictures
If you aren’t a hiker, Canyonlands has several pullouts or short walks to get beautiful pictures.
And the beauty doesn’t end here.
Grand View Point Overlook
Grand View Point Overlook has an amazing vista of the white rim sandstone, made from ancient coast sands, sharply defining the rim above the lower canyon. The Abajo Mountains, seen in the background about 35 miles away, are over 11,000 feet, according to a park sign posted here.
In the foreground, White Rim Road is an expansive backroad that can take two days to travel in a four-wheel drive vehicle, even longer for mountain bikers.
Inside the canyon, the Colorado River is cut so deeply you can’t see it from this view. You can see Monument Basin inside the canyon which is full of spires, pinnacles, and steep canyon walls.
Shafer Canyon Overlook
Though it’s near the park entrance, the stunning Shafer Canyon Overlook is one of the best places to end your day in the Island of the Sky District.
After taking in the beautiful scenery of the Shafer Canyon and the snow-covered La Sal Mountains, you might want to take the long, scenic drive back to Moab through the Shafer Trail.
Shafer Trail: A Ride for Thrill Seekers
Thrill seekers will enjoy the 1,500-foot descent down the Shafer Trail. The trail used to be a route for Native Americans, then by sheep herders, and later for moving uranium. Experience the Shafer Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
The unpaved, backcountry road is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of heights. Most of the drive down the switchbacks are only wide enough for one vehicle but there are pullouts to allow passage of vehicles moving up the canyon. There are steep drop-offs so you will want to make sure you know what the weather and road conditions are ahead of time.
It’s best to have a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, like a Jeep, and to drive in low gear.
Once in the bottom of the canyon, you can drive to Potash, and eventually Moab, but it can take a couple of hours driving on this bumpy, uneven dirt road. The scenery is stunning and worth it. You can turn around at the bottom and come back up if you have steel nerves to do the drive on the switchbacks twice.
Potash Ponds
By taking this long route back to Moab, you’ll pass the Potash Ponds.
These solar-evaporated ponds, used in mining potash, a water-soluble potassium salt, can display vibrant shades of blue depending on which stage of the evaporation process. Glad You Asked: What Are Those Blue Ponds Near Moab? – Utah Geological Survey
DAY 2: NEEDLES DISTRICT
It takes about 90 minutes to get to the Needles District from Moab.
Before the park entrance, stop at the Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs, one of the best display panels I’ve seen.
Newspaper Rock Records 2,000 years of history
A sign at Newspaper Rock’s petroglyph panel dates the sketches from B.C. to A.D. 1300, noting it records about 2,000 years of early human activity.
“In Navajo, the rock is called, ‘Tse’ Hane’ (rock that tells a story),” according to the sign posted.
It is thought that the Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont, and Pueblo cultures contributed to the etchings, as well as the Navajo, Ute, and Europeans Americans. There are other petroglyphs in the park, but this is the easiest one to get to.
Unique Rock Formations in the Needles District
The drive into the Needles District of Canyonlands is completely different than the Island in the Sky District.
Here you’ll find towering rock in the form of mushrooms, fins, grabens, spires, and arches.
According to an exhibit in the visitor center, mushroom rocks occur when the hard cap rock erodes slower than the softer layer below.
Spires, also called needles, are a result of a checkboard system of fractures over Cedar Mesa Sandstone that eroded into their current shapes over time, the exhibit explains.
Graded gravel roads lead to both the Elephant Hill trailhead and Cave Spring, two hikes I highly recommend.
Hike Elephant Hill Trail
Some of the best views of The Needles are on the Elephant Hill access road. You’ll have to leave the pavement and drive an additional mile to get to the trailhead for Elephant Hill, preferably in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
There is over 1,000 feet of elevation change, according to the visitor guide, and the 5.8-mile roundtrip hike to Chesler Park Viewpoint is full of amazing views along the way.
We didn’t get to finish the hike due to an unforeseen issue, but you can still see wonderful views without going all the way.
Explore Cave Spring
My next favorite hike, the Cave Spring Trail is about a half-mile roundtrip, with 67 feet of elevation gain. Canyonlands’ Cave Spring Trail (U.S. National Park Service) It’s an easy hike but does require climbing two ladders to do the full hike.
You don’t have to go up the ladders to see the interesting points on the trail like the picture above.
The historic cowboy camp is at the beginning of the hike. Cowboys used to set up camps outside while cattle ranching from the late 1800s until 1975 when cattle ranching ceased in the park, according to the park website.
Native Americans lived here between 6,000 and 700 years ago, and their descendants living in the area still consider the spring on the trail sacred. Canyonlands’ Cave Spring Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
The soots-covered ceiling at the Sacred Spring and the Cowboy Camp indicate fire probably was used here for warmth and cooking. Canyonlands’ Cave Spring Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
Big Spring Canyon Overlook
The Big Spring Canyon, at the end of the Needles Park Road, displays unique and multi-colored sandstone rock formations which line the bend of the canyon.
The trailhead for the 10.8-mile strenuous trail from Big Spring Canyon to Elephant Hill Loop starts here.
Wildlife in the desert
There are over 50 mammal species in the park, with mule deer, desert cottontails, and kangaroo rats, the most seen. Beavers tend to burrow in dens on the banks of the Colorado and Green rivers, while bighorn sheep climb canyon walls along the rivers. Mammals – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
According to the website, black bears coming from Abajo Mountains sometimes are seen in Salt Creek Canyon, backpackers need bear canisters. These sightings usually occur in late August and September when prickly pear cacti and hackberry trees bear fruit. Mammals – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
The website notes that even though 80 percent of the mountain lions’ diet is mule deer, and the two are often near each other, it is rare to see a mountain lion.
Canyonlands National Park boasts 273 species of birds, due to the rivers. The most prominent is the common raven, thought by scientists as intelligent due to their problem solving and playful nature. Birds – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
If you don’t see anything else, you will probably come across a lizard or two.
The park contains venomous wildlife such as rattlesnakes, scorpions, and black widow spiders– if bitten by a black widow or rattlesnake get medical attention immediately. Hiking at Canyonlands (U.S. National Park Service)
Only unpaved roads in Maze District
All roads in the Maze District are unpaved and require a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle. The Hans Flat Ranger Station is 46 miles from Utah 24, with an additional three to six hours to get to the canyons, according to the website.
There’s no food, gas, potable water, or service, and visitors are to be self-sufficient and have proper equipment for self-rescue. Permits are required for overnights, with most backcountry campers staying several nights here. Topography maps are suggested. For more information, call 435-719-2218 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Maze – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Activities in the park
Hiking is one of the most popular activities. It is advisable to have a topographic map, plenty of water, and understand how to read the trail. Cairns, unnaturally stacked rocks, help with navigating trails, especially in wide open spaces where the trail is harder to discern.
Other popular activities include boating in the Colorado and Green rivers. The two rivers connect at The Confluence, and there are world-class white-water rapids heading south down the Cataract Canyon. According to the park newspaper guide, there are no rapids north of The Confluence, making this a great spot for kayaks, canoes, and other calm-water boats. Below the Spanish Bottom, there are 14 miles of Class III to V rapids. Boating – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Commercial guided trips for mountain biking, four-wheel driving, river running or a combination of the three offer one- to multiple-day trips with vendors listed on the website. Commercial Guides – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
Permits for non-commercial river travel and backcountry camping are required. Permits are available at https://www.recreation.gov.
Boating information and rules, including human waste disposal, can be found at Boating Information Guide – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service).
Know Before You Go:
- Canyonlands National Park access requires a fee or park pass, but there are no timed tickets. The park is open year-round.
- There is no gas or food in the park districts. There is limited water. Island in the Sky has a visitor center with water inside when the center is open, and outside only in the fall and summer but its Willow Flat Campground doesn’t. Needles District has a water fountain outside the visitor center, but when we were there in mid-March it wasn’t working. Maze District doesn’t have running water. Goods & Services – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Camping is available. Island in the Sky has 12 first-come, first-serve sites with no potable water. Needles District has 26 sites, some reservable, and has potable water. Both campgrounds have picnic tables, fire pits, and toilets. There’s also group camping available. Camping – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Canyonlands became a national park in 1964, but Congress expanded to its existing size in 1971. Park Founders – Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
For information on hiking essentials, read Top 10 Essentials You Need To Hike Safe – Travel Like A Tourist.