Canyonlands was the first national park we visited in Utah and it quickly became one of our favorite national parks that we have explored so far!
Having driven around Utah during our first year on the road, we were determined to stop and visit this year before heading north for the summer. Our initial plan was to stop by Zion National Park, but concerns about limited dry camping availability and being unable to get shuttle tickets for the time we’d be passing through changed our plans and we headed around through Arizona, stopping by Grand Canyon National Park for a second visit, and heading north to Moab, Utah instead.
Moab proved to be a busy little town for late April/early May but not so busy that we couldn’t make our way around. We found dry camping a half hour north of town at the BLM 143 dispersed camping area where we stayed for two weeks to enjoy and explore the area.
The first weekend we were free we headed to Canyonlands National Park, about a 45 minute drive from our campsite on State Highway 313. Canyonlands has four separate districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and The Rivers. Because of the Colorado River and its tributaries, travel between the districts requires many hours on the road since there are no roads that directly link one district to the rest. We chose to visit Island in the Sky, the closest district to our campsite.
Canyonlands proved to be a much quieter experience than Grand Canyon National Park. There were far fewer people and the views were spectacular. The first hike we did was along the rim at Grand View Point. This was our favorite hike here and provided excellent views of the landscape.
We stopped to eat lunch at one of the many smaller overlook parking areas and then headed to the other end of Island in the Sky to hike Upheaval Dome. We made it to the first overlook and back, then headed back out of the park, stopping at the Shafer Trail Viewpoint for one last look.
Have you been to Canyonlands National Park? We’d love to hear about it! Please leave us a comment below, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @simplejoyfuljourney, or email me at alicia@simplejoyfuljourney.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page before you go. Have a great week!