Utah’s national parks are popular spots for both locals and visitors, and it’s easy to see why – all five parks offer stunning beauty and tons of recreational opportunities. The Big Five: Zion, Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef National Parks received more than 10.5 million visitors during 2017, but there’s one park that has way fewer annual guests than the others, and it’s well worth the journey: Canyonlands is the most underrated national park in Utah.
Canyonlands National Park is Utah’s least-visited park, with 742,271 visitors in 2017. Utah’s most-visited park, Zion National Park, had 4,504,812 guests - more than six times more.
Ken Lund/flickr
Why does Canyonlands have fewer visitors that the other parks? It’s certainly every bit as beautiful, but it is a little more remote, and much of the park is difficult to access for the typical visitor.
Przemek Zamorowski/Google Local
The Park has five districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, Horseshoe Canyon Unit, and The Rivers. To see most of The Needles District, shown here, you’ll need four-wheel drive, or be willing to hike in. The Maze is so remote that most visitors must plan a 4-7 day trip in order to reach the area and explore it, and they must be fairly experienced with backcountry travel.
J. Phillip Krone/flickr
The Great Gallery, in the Horseshoe Canyon Unit is accessible with most cars, by taking a dirt road from Goblin Valley State Park or from Green River. The road from Green River will get you there the fastest - in 1.5 hours. It’s a long time to drive on a dirt road, but the Native American rock art you’ll see here is among some of the most impressive in all of North America.
Ken Lund/flickr
The easiest way to get a good dose of the stunning scenery that Canyonlands National Park has to offer is to visit the Islands in the Sky District, which is the most easily accessible spot in the park.
Ken Lund/flickr
Mesa Arch is most well-known feature of the park, and people come from all over the world to photograph sunrise through this arch. It’s easy for just about everyone to reach the arch with a short stroll, but if you want to photograph the sunrise, get there early.
Chao Yen/flickr
Grand View Point is a must-see during your trip to the park. It’s a short, 15-minute walk on a paved trail to the overlook, and as you can see, the view is spectacular.
Kent Kanouse/flickr
If you want to experience the vast beauty of Utah, but you don’t want to fight the crowds, consider putting Canyonlands National Park on your travel list. Even if you only see the most accessible sites here, it’s still one of the most magical places in the Beehive State.
Davide Bedin/flickr
If you’ve visited Canyonlands National Park, we’d love to hear about your trip in the comments! Tell our readers about your favorite spots in the park.
Ken Lund/flickr
Przemek Zamorowski/Google Local
J. Phillip Krone/flickr
Chao Yen/flickr
Kent Kanouse/flickr
Davide Bedin/flickr
Learn more about the Islands in the Sky District in our previous article here, and check out details about Mesa Arch here.
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Address: Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Underrated National Park in Utah March 22, 2022 Spencer Schneider Best hikes in Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands national park is often overlooked when compared to other national parks in Utah. In fact, Canyonlands often has under 1 million annual visitors compared to more than 4 million in Zion. However, to overlook Canyonlands National Park would be a mistake. With 5 different districts, Canyonlands National Park is huge, and all this land means there are so many incredible hikes in the park. Here are some of our favorites. Upheaval Dome via Crater View Trail If you take Crater View Trail for about .7 miles, you will hit the overlook for Upheaval Dome. The Upheaval Dome is Scientists aren’t exactly sure what created the Upheaval Dome, but the two most popular theories was that it was either formed by a meteorite impact or a naturally occurring salt dome. Whatever caused this crazy crater, this short hike is well worth the effort to come to see this crater in the desert. White Rim Overlook Trail The White Rim Overlook Trail clocks in at just under 2 miles. The overlook at the end of the trail will give you views unlike anything you’ve ever seen. From the White Rim Overlook, you can observe the canyons carved out of the desert floor and admire the clear rock layers that are left exposed. Mesa Arch Trail The Mesa Arch Trail is probably the most famous hike in Canyonlands National Park and rightly so. This short loop trail is only .7 miles long, but it takes you out to see the famous and breathtaking Mesa Arch. Try to get here during sunrise or sunset for the best views, but no matter what time of day your arrive at Mesa Arch, the views of the Utah desert landscape through the arch are absolutely incredible.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Underrated National Park in Utah
March 22, 2022
Spencer Schneider
Best hikes in Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands national park is often overlooked when compared to other national parks in Utah. In fact, Canyonlands often has under 1 million annual visitors compared to more than 4 million in Zion. However, to overlook Canyonlands National Park would be a mistake. With 5 different districts, Canyonlands National Park is huge, and all this land means there are so many incredible hikes in the park. Here are some of our favorites. Upheaval Dome via Crater View Trail If you take Crater View Trail for about .7 miles, you will hit the overlook for Upheaval Dome. The Upheaval Dome is Scientists aren’t exactly sure what created the Upheaval Dome, but the two most popular theories was that it was either formed by a meteorite impact or a naturally occurring salt dome. Whatever caused this crazy crater, this short hike is well worth the effort to come to see this crater in the desert. White Rim Overlook Trail The White Rim Overlook Trail clocks in at just under 2 miles. The overlook at the end of the trail will give you views unlike anything you’ve ever seen. From the White Rim Overlook, you can observe the canyons carved out of the desert floor and admire the clear rock layers that are left exposed. Mesa Arch Trail The Mesa Arch Trail is probably the most famous hike in Canyonlands National Park and rightly so. This short loop trail is only .7 miles long, but it takes you out to see the famous and breathtaking Mesa Arch. Try to get here during sunrise or sunset for the best views, but no matter what time of day your arrive at Mesa Arch, the views of the Utah desert landscape through the arch are absolutely incredible.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Canyonlands national park is often overlooked when compared to other national parks in Utah. In fact, Canyonlands often has under 1 million annual visitors compared to more than 4 million in Zion. However, to overlook Canyonlands National Park would be a mistake. With 5 different districts, Canyonlands National Park is huge, and all this land means there are so many incredible hikes in the park. Here are some of our favorites.
Upheaval Dome via Crater View Trail
If you take Crater View Trail for about .7 miles, you will hit the overlook for Upheaval Dome. The Upheaval Dome is Scientists aren’t exactly sure what created the Upheaval Dome, but the two most popular theories was that it was either formed by a meteorite impact or a naturally occurring salt dome. Whatever caused this crazy crater, this short hike is well worth the effort to come to see this crater in the desert.
White Rim Overlook Trail
The White Rim Overlook Trail clocks in at just under 2 miles. The overlook at the end of the trail will give you views unlike anything you’ve ever seen. From the White Rim Overlook, you can observe the canyons carved out of the desert floor and admire the clear rock layers that are left exposed.
Mesa Arch Trail
The Mesa Arch Trail is probably the most famous hike in Canyonlands National Park and rightly so. This short loop trail is only .7 miles long, but it takes you out to see the famous and breathtaking Mesa Arch. Try to get here during sunrise or sunset for the best views, but no matter what time of day your arrive at Mesa Arch, the views of the Utah desert landscape through the arch are absolutely incredible.
