When you hear about Utah National Parks, it’s always about Zion, Arches and Bryce, but others are less crowded and dare I say, maybe more beautiful. Canyonlands is one of those.
It may not be on your shortlist because of those other parks, but after visiting for a day, I’d say, depending on the kind of person you are, Canyonlands should top your list.
Why? For several reasons. Because I like the solitude of nature and being out moving around in it, hiking, and listening to the sounds of the animals and wind. Because Canyonlands is less crowded, you can enjoy the park versus battle the crowds of bustling people. (I also went to Arches and was dismayed by the chaos and Disneyland-like atmosphere).
Canyonlands was only a “maybe” on my list. I’d planned to spend most of my time in the Moab area at Arches. But it turns out, so did half of the rest of America. That park is facing such intense overcrowding it’s hard to get in. So, I tried nearby Canyonlands, and I’m so happy I did.
Driving to Canyonlands
To get to Canyonlands, I drove 30 miles down a side road off the highway. I was the only car for miles. At the start of the road, it is open desert land without much to see, but after about 10 miles, the landscape begins to change.
Canyonlands is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. There the rock mesas are so giant and towering I thought they were like elephants as I drove in.
The road is surrounded by canyon rock mountains on either side. It’s like driving in the middle of the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Not that you could do that, which makes this park even better. I made frequent stops at the pull-outs on the roadside to take pictures and marvel at the panoramic beauty of the massive red and orange mesas around me.
Canyonlands Visitor’s Center
At the Visitor’s Center, they said the park was very crowded, that they’re having a record-breaking year, like all the national parks. But it didn’t seem that crowded. At Arches National Park, two hours away, I was turned away due to overcrowding. The problem there has been occurring all summer so far with no signs of letting up.
I drove around for a while to get my bearings and decide where I would hike. They gave me a good map at the center outlining the hikes, but I like to see what the trailheads look like. I drove past a huge, flat-topped mesa called Island in the Sky and by the towering rock pinnacles known as the Needles.
Rock Formations
The formations are layers of red and white, providing a mesmerizing landscape that seems hard to figure out and impossible to stop staring at. They are incomparable to many things but reminiscent of the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park.
The Needles are very similar to the hoodoos, just in a smaller concentration. Nearly the entire park at Bryce is hoodoos, but here it’s just one section.
You’ll see arches too. Wilson Arch is on the highway before you enter – a massive sandstone structure you can climb up to and Mesa Arch in the park, but you’ll have to hike a distance to get to it. Much better than fighting through a crowd.
It was so hot and dry. There is a seemingly ever-present heatwave and drought in Utah, and traveling solo, I usually opt for a series of short hikes versus the longer ones. Because there is little dirt among the rocks in the Canyonlands, no traditional trails wore into the ground. Instead, rangers mark the path with cairns – stacks of rocks – to show the way.
I did a few short hikes, grateful for the breaks in between in my van’s air conditioning. Despite what the rangers said was a remarkably busy day, I was mostly alone on the trails, passing only a few people. Several cars parked at each trailhead, but the people spaced themselves, so you seemed in perfect solitude.
Newspaper Rock
On the way leaving the park, I was driving on the long road and drove slowly, admiring the miraculous view.
There are a lot of hidden places and unique spots to see if you pay attention and talk to the rangers. Newspaper Rock is one of those that you might just pass by otherwise.
I stopped at Newspaper Rock, so named because there are a bunch of petroglyphs carved into it. It was once a stopping place to write and share news, though of what, nobody knows. The meaning of the symbols is long lost to us. But the pictures are interesting to ponder. It’s also sad to see that more recent humans have graffitied a good portion of it. Oh, people!
All in all, if you’re looking for a beautiful Utah park, this is it. It offers many of the same spectacular features as some of the more popular parks – red rock, towering mesas, hoodoos like formations, epic hikes, and even arches. Canyonlands is a great place to visit.
Entry fee: The cost is $30 per vehicle. A National Park pass is $80 for a year and gets you in free thereafter.
Canyonlands National Park is usually open year-round, 24 hours a day. Find it off UT 313, about 22 miles southwest US 191 near Moab, UT 84532.
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