{"id":81418,"date":"2021-10-21T10:45:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T15:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=81418"},"modified":"2021-10-21T10:45:41","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T15:45:41","slug":"12-reasons-to-visit-utahs-canyonlands-national-park-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/12-reasons-to-visit-utahs-canyonlands-national-park-now\/","title":{"rendered":"12 reasons to visit Utah\u2019s Canyonlands National Park now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note:<\/strong>\u00a0All travel is subject to frequently-changing governmental restrictions\u2014please check federal, state, and local advisories before scheduling trips.<\/i><\/p>\n

Visiting Canyonlands National Park<\/a>, one of Utah\u2019s Mighty 5<\/a>, is an immersive experience full of colorful high desert scenery and millions of years of sculpted magnificence. Whether you’re stopping for a few hours while in Moab or planning a weeklong adventure, Canyonlands offers everything from spectacular overlooks and culture to hiking, off-roading, and camping.<\/p>\n

The park\u2019s four districts\u2014Island in the Sky, The Maze, The Needles, and the Colorado River and its tributaries\u2014are bundled into 337,598 acres, making it the largest of Utah\u2019s National Parks. Its size, remote and rugged location, and harder to access backcountry canyons, trails, and geological wonders make it Utah’s least visited, as well. So, while most road trippers are exploring the state\u2019s more famous, perhaps easier explored parks, take advantage of a lack of crowds during your visit. This photo journey will help show you why there\u2019s never been a better time to visit Canyonlands National Park.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Great nature detours near 12 U.S. cities<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Gorgeous sunsets<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dramatic overlooks in the Island in the Sky district offer accessible, yet less crowded, and just as Instagrammable views at sunset as you\u2019ll see in any park in America.<\/p>\n

2. Eye-catching arches<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to visit neighboring Arches National Park to see spectacular stone arches. Mesa Arch\u2019s cliffside perch in the Island in the Sky district is famous for a reason.<\/p>\n

3. Those canyons<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nature\u2019s handiwork sculpted Canyonlands into a ruggedly beautiful landscape in Utah\u2019s southeast high desert. You could spend a lifetime exploring the park and still not see or do all the things it offers.<\/p>\n

4. Peaceful solitude<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With hundreds of miles of hiking trails to explore, many leading deep into the rugged backcountry, trekking here means nary another tourist in sight.<\/p>\n

5. Four-wheeled adventures<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Technical four-wheel-drive trails provide adventuresome explorers even less visited campsites, trailheads, and viewpoints.<\/p>\n

6. Blankets of colorful wild flowers<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Blooming spring wildflowers are a beautiful reminder of adaptability and survival in this rich desert ecosystem.<\/p>\n

7. Photogenic light and natural structures<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sunset colors casting deep reddish-orange hues upon sandstone features are a photographer’s playground.<\/p>\n

8. Unspoiled terrain<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The more time you spend here, the more it feels like you\u2019re following in the footsteps of the nomadic hunter-gatherers who first visited the area over 10,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

9. Vestiges of Puebloan culture<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Signs of the once-thriving Ancestral Puebloans can still be seen in butte-side granaries that once stored precious water, seeds, and food.<\/p>\n

10. Just you and the views<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Oftentimes the most overwhelming sensation in the park is a calming, supreme silence.<\/p>\n

11. Scenic mesa trails<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The iconic .9-mile Shafer Trail provides a 1,500-foot white-knuckle descent for vehicles. For hikers, it\u2019s a less-harrowing quiet stroll along a route made by Native Americans to access resources on the mesa top.<\/p>\n

12. Always more to explore<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sunsets views unfolding in rearview mirrors at the end of the day are stark reminders of why you visited and that you\u2019ll return for more one day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Solitude, sunsets, and views for miles. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":283,"featured_media":81682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2641,2905],"tags":[2660,958],"class_list":["post-81418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-parks","category-utah","tag-adventure","tag-national-parks"],"acf":{"api_active":false,"api_title":"","api_excerpt":"","api_featured_image":false,"api_lob":"Hotels"},"posts_api_cpm_point":"","yoast_head":"\n12 reasons to visit Utah\u2019s Canyonlands National Park now | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Visiting Canyonlands National Park, one of Utah\u2019s Mighty 5, immerses you in colorful high desert scenery, enchangting arches, mesas, and millions of years of sculpted magnificence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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