Canyonlands is four parks in one. The confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers creates three other regions: Island in the Sky, the Needles, and Maze.
MUST SEES
Island in the Sky
The Island in the Sky highland rises 1,000 above steep sandstone cliffs. There are many overlooks with sweeping viewpoints of the rim’s edge to which you can drive. You can hike along the Grand View Point Trail for close-up canyon views.
The Needles
At the southeast corner of the park, colorful rock formations frame the landscape. From the Confluence Overlook Trail, you’ll reach a cliff where the rivers meet. Along the way, you’ll see the red and white stripes of sandstone spires.
The Maze
Deep in the park’s southwest backcountry, the Maze is inaccessible to those except four-wheel vehicles and the hardiest hikers. This remote area’s challenges include very little water, sharp drop-offs, and aggressive critters attracted to your food.
Rivers
At the confluence of the Colorado River and Green River, the watery borders divide the other three regions.
Pothole Point
In the Needles, this 0.6-mile hike follows cairns over slickrock with dimples in the sandstone known as potholes. Like a bad road, water dissolves the rock and enlarges the pool. Rain awakens shrimp and worms in these desert gardens.
Newspaper Rock
Ancient artists chipped away on stone to create petroglyphs and painted figures to create pictographs. Like a comic strip in a newspaper, these petroglyphs share stories, technological breakthroughs, and mythologies.
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