Canyonlands is divided into thirds by the Colorado River and Green River. These rivers are also
responsible for the majority of the landscape you see within the park. Due to the rivers and
large canyons, it isn't the easiest or most timely to move around within the park. We're going to focus on the Island in the Sky section for our 1/2 day adventure.
There are 3 sections to the park
Island in the Sky (North)
The Needles (East)
The Maze (West)
As an FYI, if you're trying to plan your trip, you actually have to drive outside of the park to reach the different sections. We would have loved to explore The Needles section because we are fairly avid hikers, but with
the added travel distance and time it would have been too much for our itinerary this time.
Our day began with a quick 30 mile drive from Arches to Canyonland's Island in the Sky section. We camped on BLM land so it was a quick drive to the main road. This area offers Grand Canyon-like views and short hikes. When entering the park it is well worth the stop at the visitor center especially because the visitor center features one of the best views in the entire park right across the street from it. This is the Shafer Canyon Overlook, a quick .25 mile walk down to the rim that provides a view of the canyon carved out by the Colorado River. To the left, there is a large rock worth climbing to take in the views. Also, the perfect spot to have a picnic! There is an unpaved, winding road called the Shafer Trail Road that sits way down in the canyon. We saw a few cars traveling along it but many people did not take on this challenge (including us).
Next, we hopped back into the van and headed to another popular overlook called the
Green River Overlook. Please note that much of this area is taken in through overlooks instead of hikes. This is great because it becomes accessible for those with different abilities and allows those only passing through to experience the beauty. This area features a large canyon with several
towers shooting up all carved out by the Green River. There is a large, paved parking area, so following the views we stayed here for some lunch. We did find out that if you are not careful a sneaky and hungry ravens will try to become a guest at your meal. After lunch we moved the van to the most popular spot in the Island in the Sky section: Mesa Arch. Many make the quick and fairly easy 1.5 mile hike to this spot for sunrise. With the right angle you can see the sun come up between the Mesa Arch and also capture the full canyon in the background. This landmark is busy almost any time of day that you decide to visit, but not so busy that you can’t get some pictures without others in them. The arch spans a distance over the cliff side that drops straight down into the canyon. This makes for an impressive view, but don’t get too close for your selfie! If you have the time and are able to do so, definitely hike this trail. Please note that this is a sand path trail through the desert. It is hot and uncovered so bring lots of water.
There are also several other overlooks and some small hikes in this section of the park that we just didn’t have the time to do. If you’re limited on time but still want to check this National Park off of your list, this is a perfect way to get that done.
Quick recap:
Must sees: Mesa Arch, Shafer Canyon Overlook, Green River Overlook
Easy Hiking and Views: Island in the Sky Section
Challenging Hiking: The Needles Section
Safe travels!
Xoxo, Meg & Derek