Canyonlands National Park is a massive park made up of 337,598 acres split up in 3 districts, The Island in the Sky, The Maze and the Needles. I personally will be writing on the Island in the Sky district because that is the only one I’ve had the chance to experience so far.
Canyonlands National Park Visitors Center
Be sure to stop in at the visitors center for some really neat souvenirs and a map! Also talk to some of the rangers to see if they have any suggestions on places you see. This is also where you will pay to be in the park. Unless they have someone in the ticket office box on the way in. The price for a day is 30$ per vehicle. Be sure to check out my other blog where I discussed National Park Passes.
Shafer Canyon
Across the street from the Visitor Center you will find an awesome overlook! Make sure to hold your children’s hand’s or your clumsy significant other’s hand! Its even a nice spot for a picnic! You can watch as mountain bikers and ATV drivers drive on the scary cliff roads. You can even see Dead Horse Point from here which is another place you should go visit. Click on the link to read my other blog about it.
As you are driving through the Canyonlands you will have many opportunities to pull off and explore. But please keep in mind to respect the park! Leave it as it is.
Island in the Sky overlooks
Shafer Canyon Overlook – Its across the road from the Visitors Center and is the picture above.
Buck Canyon Overlook – This is a nice over look that is easy to get too!
White Rim Overlook – There are two hiking trails you can get too from here. Goose Berry and White rim
Grand View Point Overlook – Here you can see a breath taking view at the tip of the Island in the sky. Just as the title say’s it is a grand view!
Green River Overlook – Here you can see where the Green River has taken its time creating the canyons and valley’s through this side of the park.
Upheaval Dome
Upheavel Dome is a Geological sight with two theories on its creation. Some say its a crater from a meteor but others say its a salt dome pushed upward. Its a pretty neat hike because you are able to walk around the top of the whole crater. There are two overlooks here as well.
Upheaval Dome Canyonlands
Canyonlands Not so Hidden Gem
Check out the Mesa Arch! We unfortunately didn’t get to go either time I visited the Canyon Lands. But its a short 30 min hike with a great view of the arch! Its one of the most photographed arches idhave to say. But if you are brave enough to fight for a spot amongst other photographers at ungodly hours try and get there for sunrises but I have also heard sunsets are even better.
The Canyonlands are out of this world! Please come and enjoy them!
Be sure to bring water, snacks and stay safe! Until next time!
Let me explain! If you are planning on going on a road trip please consider getting a National Parks Pass because you truly don’t realize how many National Parks, National Monuments, National Battlefields, National Trails, National Seashore & Rivers and National Historic Sites there are here in the Untied States! You might literally run into one on your adventures out and about. Check out the map under “Find Parks”
Where?
Towards the east there are a lot more National Battlefields and Historic Sites. As for the west side there are far more National Parks and National Monuments. I do suggest getting a Park Pass at the first National Park or National area that you visit because if you enjoy traveling and enjoying nature I guarantee you will go to another National Park very soon!
My Experience
I bought my National Park pass in April 2018 when I visited Colorado National Monument. Instead of paying the 15$ for the car I figured why not just pay the $80 since I’m sure i’ll go to another National Park that year sometime right? I had the extra cash at the time and seemed logical. Man was I right! I ended up visiting 10 national parks in the span of a year! Here are the ones I visited From April 2018 to April 2019:
So by spending the extra money at the start I saved around $137! And the neat thing is I went to a couple of these places more than once! So technically I saved $212! WOW! But obviously you could save more if you went to more National Parks and Areas! But the neat thing is several of these are relatively close together, like the Arches and the Canyonlands. And I must say, the Canyonlands are extremely underrated. Ive always heard about the Arches and I definitely enjoyed them! But going to the Canyonlands was incredible as well! It reminded me of a smaller scale of the Grand Canyon. But the colors were amazing with the Utah red rocks and there were so many places to pull off and explore!
Go get a National Parks Pass
But any who, please do yourself a favor and get a National Parks Pass this coming year! Or even tomorrow! I believe it would also give you motivation to go out and explore more. If you buy the Pass in person at a National Park it will cost you $80 but if you buy it online it will cost you an extra $10, round it up to $90 or so. If you are a senior(62yr) then it only costs $20 for an annual pass or $80 for a lifetime and its free for disabled people and Military.
4th Grader National Parks Pass
Here is a neat tip, If you have a 4th grader or about to have a 4th grader then know that the Every Kid Outdoors National Parks Foundation lets you apply for a National Parks pass for that year! They give each 4th grader for the duration of their 4th grade year a pass, but even better yet is that this counts for the pass for the whole family for vehicle payments but if its per person then it counts for the 4th grader plus three adults 16 and up.
Looking for prices on each park? – Visit NPS Needing a visual location map? – Visit Park Trust
So go and enjoy the great outdoors! Where is your favorite national park? Let me know in the comments below!
When you come visit Dead Horse Point you will be in awe. You are 2,000 ft above the Colorado River where it and other streams have carved through mesa’s creating buttes and canyons. There are about a million and one photo opportunities here as well as great hiking trails and mountain biking trails.
Dead Horse Point
Pets are allowed!
The really neat thing about Dead Horse Point State Park is that you can bring your pet with you on your hikes! Unlike most National Parks, this State Park somewhat encourages you to bring your pet with you. They will enjoy the great adventure of Dead Horse Point as much as you will. You don’t need proof of vaccinations for this park. It is required that you keep your animals on a leash. Utah is a very hot state so keep your dogs hydrated and maybe even get them a RUFFWEAR cooling vest.
Amenities
Here you can find 9 yurts that can house up to 6 people each, all have fantastic views of the Canyonlands below. And they also have 2 separate campgrounds with over 50 sites to stay for both tents and trailers. But remember only up to 8 people per campsite. This is honestly a great place to stay if you are staying in and around the area visiting the Canyonlands National Park , the Arches National Park or Moab. It can be a great home base if you are wanting to be away from the city life of Moab and its also a good middle ground between all the main attractions.
45 mins from Moab, 17 Mins from Canyonlands, 37 mins from Arches.
Dead Horse Point
Prices
Regular day trip: $20
Motorcycles: $10
RV campsites: $40
Campsites: $35
Yurts: $140
International Dark Sky Association
Another really great thing about Dead Horse Point State Park is that they are part of the IDA. They really work to keep the natural beauty of night sky available for visitors like you and me. You can see millions of stars here more than you can usually see from other light pollution areas. They sometimes even have telescope out for visitors to be able to see galaxies! Which I absolutely love this especially being a lover of the night sky. If you would like to find other IDA areas close to you or how to even help, visit Dark Sky Associations.
Dead Horse Point
Great place for kids
I believe this is a great place to bring your kids as long as you remind them to be safe! Because there are a lot of parts of the park that have no railing or anything keeping them from an unfortunate fall. But aside form that, the trails are easy to hike and there are beautiful picnic areas if you’re planning on only staying for a few hours.
Let me know of your experiences you had here at Dead Horse Point State park!
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