Moab · RedAwning

Canyonlands National Park337,598 acres carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers — Mesa Arch sunrise, the 100-mile White Rim Road, and the Maze, Utah's most remote NPS unit

337,598 acres of high desert split by the Colorado and Green Rivers into four districts — the road-friendly Island in the Sky mesa (Mesa Arch sunrise, the Grand View Point overlook, the 100-mile White Rim 4WD/MTB loop), the Needles District in the southeast (Cedar Mesa sandstone spires, Chesler Park, the Joint Trail slot), the Maze in the west (Utah's most remote NPS unit, multi-day high-clearance only), and the rivers themselves — Cataract Canyon's Class V whitewater. Established by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964.

Hours todayOpen 24 hrs – undefinedMonday hours
TicketsFrom $30Private vehicle (1–7 days)
LocationMoab, Utah2282 SW Resource Blvd (HQ); Island in the Sky on UT-313
Official sitenps.govPlan your visit

337,598Acres
818KAnnual visitors
4Districts
1964Established

Canyonlands was established by President Lyndon Johnson on September 12, 1964, after a four-year campaign by Interior Secretary Stewart Udall and his deputy Bates Wilson. The 337,598-acre park is carved into four distinct districts by the Colorado and Green Rivers: Island in the Sky to the north (a 6,000-foot mesa with paved overlooks 32 miles southwest of Moab), the Needles to the southeast (sandstone spires reached via UT-211 and the Newspaper Rock petroglyph panel), the Maze to the west (the most remote unit in the entire NPS system), and the rivers themselves — including the Class V whitewater of Cataract Canyon below the confluence.

Most visits start at Island in the Sky, where the 0.6-mile walk to Mesa Arch is the most photographed sunrise in the Southwest — first light kindles the back wall and silhouettes the 27-foot pothole arch above the Washer Woman formation. Grand View Point looks 1,000 feet down to the Monument Basin and the river confluence; Upheaval Dome reveals a 3-mile-wide eroded crater geologists are still arguing over. The 100-mile White Rim Road circles the mesa 1,200 feet below the rim — 2–4 days by 4WD or mountain bike, permit-only. The Needles district, two hours south, hides Chesler Park and the Joint Trail's body-width sandstone passages; the Maze demands a 6-hour drive from Hanksville and full self-rescue capability.

Plan a minimum of one full day for Island in the Sky, two for the Needles, and three to seven for any Maze or White Rim trip. There are no services inside the park beyond the visitor centers — bring all water (a gallon per person per day in summer) and fuel up in Moab or Monticello. Spring (April–May) and fall (October–early November) are the prime windows; summer afternoons hit 100°F across the slickrock and lightning storms close the rim trails. Winter is empty and beautiful, with snow dusting the Needles and Mesa Arch lit by orange light against a white floor.

Mesa Arch sunrise
A 0.6-mile round-trip on the Island in the Sky mesa to a 27-foot pothole arch on the canyon's eastern edge — the most photographed sunrise in the Southwest. First light at the horizon kindles the back wall of the arch from below, silhouetting the Washer Woman formation 1,500 feet down. Arrive 45 minutes before dawn for a tripod spot.
Grand View Point
A 2.0-mile round-trip rim hike at the southern tip of Island in the Sky — 1,000-foot views over the Monument Basin and the confluence of the Green and Colorado, six miles to the southwest. The end-of-trail bench at the cliff edge is the park's signature panorama; allow 1.5 hours and pack water.
White Rim Road
A 100-mile 4WD or mountain-bike loop around Island in the Sky, 1,200 feet below the rim — 2 to 4 days, permit only ($36 + $5 per person/night, recreation.gov, four-month rolling release). High-clearance vehicle required, water self-supplied; the seven primitive campsites release with the permit.
The Needles District
Two hours south of Island in the Sky via US-191 and UT-211 — Cedar Mesa sandstone spires, the Chesler Park 11-mile loop, the Joint Trail's narrow body-width passages, and the Newspaper Rock state petroglyph panel just outside the park entrance with 600+ Anasazi and Ute carvings.
Upheaval Dome
A 1.0-mile round-trip on the Island in the Sky to the first overlook of a 3-mile-wide eroded crater. Geologists split between salt-dome collapse and meteor-impact origin — a 2008 University of Freiburg study found shocked quartz favoring impact. The 1.6-mile second overlook adds a closer angle on the central uplift.
Newspaper Rock
A 200-square-foot Cedar Mesa Sandstone panel with more than 650 petroglyphs spanning 2,000 years — Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, and Ute carvings layered together. Free, signed roadside stop on UT-211, twelve miles before the Needles District entrance; allow 30 minutes.
The Maze
Utah's most remote NPS unit; access is a 6-hour high-clearance drive from Hanksville on the Flint Trail to the Hans Flat ranger station, then more 4WD to any trailhead. Plan 3–7 days, GPS, water self-supply, and self-rescue capability. Backcountry permit ($30) required from Hans Flat — closes for snow December through March.
Horseshoe Canyon — Great Gallery
A detached unit 30 miles west of the Maze entrance — the 7-mile round-trip Great Gallery hike (descends 750 feet into the wash) ends at one of North America's largest pictograph panels: 80-foot-long red Barrier Canyon-style figures, 2,000–4,000 years old. Free, no permit, but no services either.

Open hours

Park is open 24/7 year-round; no timed-entry reservation required. Island in the Sky and Needles visitor centers open 9:00 AM–4:00 PM (longer in summer). The Maze is accessed via a 6-hour high-clearance drive from Hanksville to the Hans Flat ranger station — call ahead for road conditions.

MondayTodayOpen 24 hrs
TuesdayOpen 24 hrs
WednesdayOpen 24 hrs
ThursdayOpen 24 hrs
FridayOpen 24 hrs
SaturdayOpen 24 hrs
SundayOpen 24 hrs

Note · Mesa Arch sunrise: arrive 45 minutes before dawn to claim a tripod spot. White Rim Road permits release four months ahead on recreation.gov; spring/fall slots fill in the first week.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Private vehicle (1–7 days)$30One vehicle and all passengers, 7 consecutive days
Per person (foot, bike)$15Individuals 16+, 7 consecutive days
Motorcycle$25Up to two riders, 7 consecutive days
Annual Local Passport$55Canyonlands + Arches + Hovenweep + Natural Bridges
America the Beautiful — Annual$80All US national parks and federal recreation lands

Children 15 and under enter free. White Rim Road permits ($36 + $5 per person/night) release four months ahead on recreation.gov. Backcountry overnight permits required for the Maze, Needles backpacking, and river trips through Cataract Canyon. Salt Creek Road in the Needles requires a $10 day-use permit (high-clearance 4WD only).

Plan your visit

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