Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park is a geologic wonder. This is Utah’s largest national park. You can look thousands of feet down to the whitewater rapids of the Colorado River or thousands of feet up to the soaring red rock pinnacles, cliffs and spires.The merging paths of the Green and ColoradoRivers have sliced Canyonlands into three districts. While they adjoin each other, each area must be reached from different entry points. The travel time to each of the three districts is several hours apart.

 

(435) 719-2313, www.nps.gov/cany

Backcountry Information
(435) 259-4351

Join Canyonlands National Park on Facebook. Follow @CanyonlandsNPS on Twitter.

 

Each district has its own visitor center with operating hours that differ depending on the season. Check the park’s official website for the most current information. All visitor centers are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

 

Entrance Fees (good for all three districts of Canyonlands).

Vehicles $10, one vehicle and all passengers for seven days. Individual $5, one individual on bicycle, foot, or motorcycle, good for seven days.
Annual Local Passport: $25, entrance into Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges, good for one year.

If you plan on visiting several parks consider buying a National Park annual pass for $80. The pass is good for all national parks and monuments. www.nps.gov/fees_passes. All passes can be purchased at all park entrances. Credit cards accepted.

Travel to Canyonlands usually requires a car. Once in the park, each district requires some boating, hiking or four-wheel driving to see the area’s attractions. Food, gas, lodging and similar services are not available in Canyonlands. Leave Moab with a full tank of gas, food, lots of water, a spare tire and sun protection. There are no restaurants or hotel accommodations in the park.

FYI: Pets are not allowed on any trails. Leashed and restrained pets may accompany visitors in the campground, at overlooks and at pullouts along the paved scenic drives. Pets may be walked on roads or in parking lots but must be leashed and restrained at all times when outside a vehicle.

 

Island in the Sky

This is a wide, high plateau with commanding views across many miles of deep red rock canyons in all directions. North on US Hwy 191, ten miles to Utah Hwy 313, then southwest 22 miles to the visitor center. Island in the Sky has about 20 miles of paved highway, some gravel roads with several viewpoints. Firewood and water are not available at campsites.

 

 

The Maze

 

 

The Maze is the most remote section of the national park. This most inaccessible district of Canyonlands requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle, time and self-sufficiency. The Hans Flat Ranger Station is a three-hour drive west from Moab via Interstate 70. From Interstate 70 take Utah Hwy 24 south along unpaved roads, starting between Hanksville and Green River, across relatively flat and completely uninhabited terrain to Hans Flat Ranger Station. The roads are passable only in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. No paved roads. There are no amenities, food or gas.

 

 

 

 

 

The Needles

The Needles, in the southeast region of the park, is the heart of rock country and offers many opportunities for exploring. 76 miles from Moab, south on US Hwy 191, 40 miles
to Utah Hwy 211, then 35 miles west to the park entrance and visitor center. Utah Hwy 211 ends in The Needles District and is the only paved road leading in and out. The Needles District has only eight miles of roads accessible by foot, four-wheel-drive vehicles or mountain bikes. Note the petroglyphs on the rock face at Newspaper Rock on the road into The Needles District.

 

Backcountry Permits

Activities requiring a backcountry permit include backpacking, four-wheel-drive and mountain bike camping, horseback riding, river trips, and four-wheel-drive day use in Horse and Lavender Canyons in The Needles District. Permits (other than river) are issued seven days a week at district visitor centers. Permits can be reserved in advance. Walk-in permits are only available the day before or the day of a trip.

 

Camping

Sites at Willow Flat Campground in Island in the Sky are $10 per night. Sites at Squaw Flat Campground in The Needles are $15 per night. All sites are first-come first-served.