Things to Do in Canyonlands National Park, UT - Canyonlands National Park Attractions
Things to Do in Canyonlands National Park
Check out must-see sights and activities:
Mesa Arch, Shafer Trail, Hiking Trails, Geologic Formations. For personalized recommendations, try our AI trip-planning product.
Mesa Arch, Shafer Trail, Hiking Trails, Geologic Formations. For personalized recommendations, try our AI trip-planning product.
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Private and Luxuryfromper adult$197- fromper adult$370
Day Tripsfromper adult$337- fromper adult$326
- fromper adult$599
- fromper adult$181
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$33per group (up to 4)$30 - fromper adult (price varies by group size)$768
- fromper adult$627
- fromper adult$399
Geologic Formations
Short, manageable trail leading to a natural arch with panoramic canyon vistas, ideal for photography and family-friendly exploration.
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Hiking Trails
Rugged trail with steep, narrow switchbacks providing panoramic canyon views, ideal for adventure enthusiasts with 4WD vehicles. Historical serpentine paths add to the challenge.
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National Parks
Diverse landscapes with panoramic canyon views and trails leading to landmarks like Mesa Arch. Spot active wildlife and enjoy serene vistas of the Colorado River.
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State Parks
Lookouts
Sweeping canyon and river vistas await on easy-to-navigate trails in Canyonlands, with both short walks and rim trails leading to breathtaking overlooks.
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Canyons
Biking Trails
Lookouts
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Other Top Attractions around Canyonlands National Park
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What travelers are saying
- SonluvrBel Air, MD132 contributionsA beautiful place to watch the sunrise, even though it was cloudy the day we visited, so we didn't get to see the arch glow. I do wish people would be respectful of others and talk quietly at the sunrise. There are pit toilets at the trailhead.Written August 12, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Graham GPreston17 contributionsWell this was a fabulous off road drive, spectacular views and some challenging driving. We went from Potash Road toward Canyonlands NP in an AWD in dry conditions.....its about 17 miles and took us 2 hours. The road surface was rocky, sandy and with many deep ruts. The last half hour is the switchbacks others have talked about rising from the canyon floor to the national park on the top. They zig zag up the sheer rock face and go on and on! This part is not for the faint hearted! The sheer drops alongside are very scary and there are few turn back opportunities. Think I held my breath for the full half hour 😬 It was wonderful but I won't be doing it again!Written September 7, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Susan W48 contributionsThe views and rock formations at Canyonlands were phenomenal. Short & long hikes. Lots of people biking. The Mesa Arch was my favorite short hike. See pic.Written October 27, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- NapsterthecatHuntsville, AL1,331 contributionsThe river bend view is a bucket list photo. Dead Horse Point State Park can be overlooked in the Moab area with Arches and Canyonland National Parks. The park is somewhat small, but the views are stunning.Written March 27, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- TrailTrekker15Tallahassee, FL5,496 contributionsThe views from this overlook are unmatched. From this vantage point you can see many miles of canyon country cut by both the Green and Colorado Rivers. It was surreal. One sees why this is called the Island in the Sky. This is at the end of the road in this district of the park. Definitely the main thing that must be done in Canyonlands!Written October 26, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- RoverPInverness, UK799 contributionsThe drive into the needles area is astonishing before you even reach the National Park. The scenery is stunning but the one downside is that you don’t get as close to the needles as you expect if you keep to the paved roads. Would love to return and do some longer trailsWritten September 21, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- lmxBoston, MA16 contributionsThis is one of the most memorable and important hikes to make in the four corners region. It's all about the pictographs, which if what I am told is true spans roughly 4000 thousands years of cultural visitation in the canyon That calculation has to do with the valley floor and the height of the pictographs themselves. There are four galleries on the hike to visit: first one on the left, and three more on the right, culminating in the spectacular grand gallery. These are easily the finest pictographs anywhere in the continental US and they represent a community of peoples communicating in an art form. Its not exactly a written language, but definitely visual. Unfortunately, these are not being protected from the elements. The third gallery is only 75% percent visible as the rock cave ins from valley walls obscure what lays behind. More should be done to protect the pictographs from the elements. It's thought by some that many more galleries existed in the valleys, but no longer exist due to flooding, sun and erosion from the valley walls. If you can get the opportunity you should go before you can no longer make the trip.
Here is the thing, unlike other national parks, there are no paved road or paved trails, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It was not any easy journey to make even when the Indians made the pictographs, because it was difficult to get into and out of the valley, but of course they did so for reasons which we may not fully understand. Many of the pictographs depict figures without legs or hands and it's thought that they represent the dead wrapped in shrouds. Other images have fully articulated limbs. Just like anyone who makes the journey to see the pictographs the painters made a journey into the canyon that involved some ritual of creating the pictographs, which we are viewing.
To get here involves proper planning. Spring and Fall are ideal times to make the trip as temperature, weather and water need to factor into the journey. Check the forecast for the day. Winter is fine if no snow or ice. Summer is not the best time to go as you will likely suffer the effect of high heat. The path into out of the canyon is well marked with cairns. It's not particularly steep in my opinion and offers spectacular views. Anyone who has a taken a two mile round trip up an intermediate mountain in a national park can easily make the trip into and out of the canyon. Bring a gallon of water with you and wear high top hiking shoes, that will not permit sand to get in.
To get here you will need to travers 30 miles of dirt roads by car to reach the trail head. The road is graded on some basis. The road is bumpy and in certain sections the harmonic vibrations in your vehicle will require that you take it slow. Also ruts in the road need to be dealt with. A section of the road is elevated just above a small group of moving sand dunes, which makes for a great photo op. A four wheel drive vehicle is recommended just in case you get in trouble. When we went in May it appeared to us that a non four wheel drive vehicle going 20 miles an hour could make the trip as well. In adverse conditions such as mud or rain my previous statement would not be true. So check in advance and if a section looks impassable turn back. If you do not have a suitable vehicle, consider that if you get stuck and need to call a tow truck to bail you out it is going to cost over 2000.00 US dollars. I am uncertain what they charge for just winching you out (still it will ruin your day). Also, there are tour companies that will drive you in and out of the canyon, which you should consider if you are worried about getting stuck on the road.
We stayed in Green River at the River Terrace which is on the Green river and highly recommend as a base of operations to get into the Canyon. Also recommend the Tamarisk restaurant next to the Hotel. Check my reviews on both for further information.Written May 26, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - keithmdocFlemington, NJ7 contributionsAug 22-24 2024. Absolutely spectacular and a bucket list drive! Now for equipment and conditions. The White Rim Trail description was accurate...pretty much a moderate 4x4 high clearance trail but definitely a few advanced sections/climbs and some areas with extreme exposure that is safe with a rig that has good brakes/engine being driven by an average off-road driver. BUT, the exposure can mess with people that don't like heights and/or driving single lane cliffside/shelf trails. We started at IITS visitor's center and did the full WRT going clockwise. The trail was rockier and a little slower going than i expected but not too bad. We camped the 1st night at Gooseberry and 2nd night at Labrynth. Drove it in a gladiator rubicon with 3in lift, 37in tires (20% tread left), regeared with 5.13s and had a hitch cargo carrier. I think in normal conditions my jeep is overkill for this trail. As a comparison, we did Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride the day before and bent my hitch cargo rack within the 1st couple miles going over a rock drop. Then had to remove my hitch cargo rack entirely once on the Telluride side or it would've been destroyed going over a deep washout at a bend. We didn't have any issues with hitting the hitch cargo rack on the WRT, although we were close a couple times. Note: My gladiator was loaded down with 3 adults and 3 days of food, water, RTT, camping and fishing gear. I used 4x4 low on the 2 steep climbs. I'm not sure 4x4 high would've worked on these steep sections if I still had my stock 4.13 gearing in my loaded gladiator since it struggled on other steep sections of different trails in Colorado. And, I originally wanted to tow a small off-road trailer on the WRT, but I'm very glad I didn't for my 1st time there (even if it hadn't rained). We did get thunderstormes with severe lightening about 5x our 2nd night. I'm guessing we got 1-1.5in of rain along with high winds and some 1/4in hail. Warnings: The WRT follows a deep wash shortly before Labrynth Campsites. Do NOT drive in that if it's starting to storm or if it just rained. That wash was raging into the Green river carrying a lot of sediment/debris/some trees. And the WRT on both sides of Labrynth campsites were very muddy after the rains. Some minor rockslides on the shelf road forced us to move about 6 large rocks so we could continue clockwise leaving Labrynth campsite. Then we hit mud and we luckily paired up with another modified jeep to navigate the muddy and often slippery trails, especially across 2 deep mudholes ( the 1st jeep in got stuck in each of these holes and had to be winched out). My guess is that a good number of vehicles that can do the whole WRT in dry conditions would've gotten stuck in the mud that day. There wasn't cell service for us in that area (verizon) and extremely limited and not very dependable service at Labrynth campsite. I thought there was a good chance we were spending 1 or more unplanned nights at the Labrynth campsite due to the mud. I was glad my jeep was modified like it was, had a winch and we were able to pair up with another jeep to get through the mud. Have fun!!!!Written August 28, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- thezondaEau Claire, Wisconsin, United States180 contributionsPretty easy hike, but sublime views at the end. If you just have a day at Canyonlands, I'd pencil this hike in as a must do. Doesn't take a ton of time, but really puts you in some incredible places. Bring a lot of water though, it gets hot and there isn't much shade along the way.Written April 5, 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Selena FSalt Lake City, UT82 contributionsGreen River Overlook? Absolutely stunning! The vista of the river winding through the canyon was like something out of a dream. Easy hike for an unforgettable view. Don't forget to capture the moments!Written April 12, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- TrailTrekker15Tallahassee, FL5,496 contributionsWe hiked up the short trail to the Upheaval Dome overlook. The trail runs longer, but one does not have to hike far to reach amazing views of the dome. It’s a fascinating geological area with a murky history making it all the more interesting. The hike is uphill to start with, but flattens out at the top. Hiking poles made this trail much more manageable. I’d highly recommend visiting this awesome sight.Written October 21, 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- -MyLifeOfTravel-Steamboat Springs, CO79 contributionsVery much off the beaten track and a bit tough to get to. Check trip reports, call the Ranger, etc. before you randomly try to make a trip out here. Permits are required for overnights.
We parked at the Ranger Station and did a mountain bike - hike combo, which worked well due to the rock crawling on the roads.
Be self-sufficient. No cell coverage so you should know how to get yourself out.
Limited water. Heat/cold. Some steep and/or long descents/ascents. Affords fantastic views and solitude.Written October 26, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
The above attraction descriptions were created by AI, using information and phrases commonly found in reviews users submitted to Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor did not create and is not responsible for any of the above hotel descriptions. Please read full traveler reviews for more details and information. If you believe something in one of these AI-generated descriptions is inaccurate, please share your feedback.
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