Canyonlands
National Park

Canyonlands National Park will be the fourth national park of our 2023 summer, and we plan to explore it over the course of three days. We’ll focus on the Island in the Sky district, where massive views, mesa-top hikes, and surreal geology await. From the iconic Mesa Arch to the cratered expanse of Upheaval Dome, we’ll take in as much of the high desert plateau as we can. We also plan to stop by Dead Horse Point State Park where we plan to camp for a night.

Read our blog on Arches & Canyonlands

Itinerary

We are presenting our itinerary as we lived it. Not the plan, but rather what we were actually able to accomplish. Naturally there are some missed goals and some serendipitous surprises. We always rolled with the punches and made the best out of our time in the national parks. Below we have included some notes that explain how the itinerary changed from what we had in mind.

It’s important to know that these plans were made to suit the abilities and interests of two young girls aged 11 and 13. We feel confident that any family on their “Every Kid Outdoors Summer” (4th grade) could handle this itinerary. For hikes, we have listed the distance, elevation gain, and time that we tracked, which may differ from published (or actual) measurements.

Day 1

Morning

  • Depart from Moab

  • Visit Canyonlands Island in the Sky Visitor Center

Afternoon

  • Scenic stops: Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook, Grand View Point,

Evening

  • Overnight at Sun Outdoors Downtown Moab

Day 2

Morning

  • River Rafting: Colorado River with Red River Guides

Afternoon

  • Drive to the Needles District

  • Newspaper Rock

  • Potholes

  • Hike: Cave Spring Trail

Evening

  • Overnight at Needles Outpost

Day 3

Morning

  • Hike: Chisler Park (~2 miles RT)

  • Depart for Grand Canyon


Notes

Our time in and around Canyonlands stretched across 2.5 days and included a river rafting adventure. Every thing on the agenda was swapped around, but we mangaged to cover the main aspects of Island in the Sky District, and got a little more friendly with the Needles District. Though we did run out of time to hike Chisler Park. It was a nice stretch of high desert hiking, mesa views, and just enough rest in between.

 

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