If you have just one day to explore Canyonlands National Park, you’ve picked the right park! The park’s main district, Island in the Sky, is an ideal size for a memorable day trip. Whether you’re coming from nearby Arches or Capitol Reef on a Utah Mighty 5 Roadtrip or are a local looking for a quick escape, this guide outlines the best things to do with just one day in the park. From sunrise to sunset, here is exactly how we’d spend 24 hours in Canyonlands.
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ℹ️ About Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park, one of Utah’s Mighty 5, is located just outside of Moab and will absolutely wow you with its colorful sunrises and breathtaking mesa views. The park is divided into four distinct and separate districts—Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the Rivers.
Because Canyonlands is so massive, accessing each district requires a significant amount of driving—it takes over two hours to drive from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center to the Needles Visitor Center. For this reason, this one-day itinerary focuses on the Island in the Sky district, the most popular and easily accessible section of the park.
❌ Don’t Bust the Crust! Throughout all of Canyonlands National Park, you must stay on marked trails. These arid landscapes are home to Biological Soil Crust (Living Crust), a delicate ecosystem that takes decades to form and can be destroyed with just a single step off-trail.
📰 1-Day Canyonlands Itinerary
Here’s an overview of what we’d do with just one day in Canyonlands National Park. Click on each activity to learn more about it, or scroll down to read the entire itinerary with photos, tips, and our personal experiences.
1. First Thing — Visit the Island in the Sky Visitor Center
2. Morning — Hike to Mesa Arch (Sunrise Optional)
3. Mid-morning — Hike White Rim Overlook Trail
4. Lunch — Picnic in the Park
5. Afternoon — Hike Aztec Butte Trail
6. Late Afternoon — Visit Scenic Overlooks
7. Evening — Dinner and Sunset at Green River Overlook
Please respect the outdoors and Leave No Trace! Before embarking on your outdoor adventure, review the seven principles of Leave No Trace, which include planning ahead and preparing, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in), leaving what you find, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of others. Abiding by these principles helps keep these places beautiful so others can enjoy them for years to come!
🥾 One Day in Canyonlands National Park
In more detail, here’s everything we would do with one day in Canyonlands National Park if it were our first time visiting. We highly recommend you also check out Canyonlands’ Events Calendar to see what ranger-led events might be going on during your visit and pencil them in to your schedule.
1. Visit the Island in the Sky Visitor Center
Island in the Sky Visitor Center is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. If you’d like to catch the sunrise at Mesa Arch (#2 on this list), feel free to visit the visitor center after your hike, as it doesn’t open early enough to go before. This is a great place to fill up your water bottles for the day, pick up a Junior Ranger activity book or souvenir, and check out their educational exhibits.
👀 Visitor Center Overlook — Pop by the Visitor Center Overlook, located just across from the center, for some gorgeous morning views.
2. Sunrise or Morning Hike to Mesa Arch
The Mesa Arch Trail is a perfect way to start your day in Canyonlands, whether you’re up before dawn to catch the sunrise or prefer to sleep in a bit and explore once the sun’s already up. Photographers flock to this famous arch daily to capture the sun as it wedges itself above the horizon and under the arch achieving a sun flare (as seen in the photo below)! Although we highly recommend making it for sunrise, you can do this gorgeous, 20-minute loop at any point in the morning.
☕ Bring Your Breakfast! Feel free to copy us and bring your breakfast with you to enjoy seated while gazing out at Mesa Arch.
3. White Rim Overlook Trail
After you’re back from Mesa Arch, drive 10 minutes south to the trailhead of White Rim Overlook Trail. This 1.8-mile (2.9-km) trail takes you to some really incredible views of Monument Basin, the La Sal Mountains, and even the Colorado River over the course of 1 hour. When we visited, we were lucky enough to even catch a small fox on the trail, so keep your eyes peeled for wildlife here!
🚧 Sharp Drop-Offs: There are some steep drop-offs on the sides of this trail at points. Please exercise caution by enjoying the views several paces away from the edge.
4. Lunch Break
Once you’re back from White Rim Overlook, break for lunch at the picnic area near the trailhead, back at Willow Flat Campground if you’re staying there, or at the nearby Grand View Point Overlook. If you go to Grand Point Overlook, there is a picnic and bathroom area, just like White Rim Overlook, by the parking lot. Or, you can walk 20 minutes out on the Grand View Point Trail and enjoy lunch from the overlook itself.
5. Aztec Butte Trail
After lunch and a siesta, it’s time to hit an intermediate-level trail. Head over to the trailhead of Aztec Butte Trail, a 1-hour out-and-back hike that takes you to two buttes, each with unique archeological spots. The first stop on the trail is The Granary, a stone structure that scientists and descendants of these Indigenous peoples believe was used to store food.
The second butte brings you to one of our favorite viewpoints in the park, with incredible canyon views. You have the option to just tackle the first butte if the steepness gets too much for you, but we loved the view on the second so much, we encourage you to hike there if you have it in you!
6. Visit Scenic Overlooks
Instead of, or in addition to, the Aztec Butte Trail, you’ve got a few gorgeous overlooks to visit in Island in the Sky. This all depends on your energy levels at this point in the day, so feel free to tackle the trail and these overlooks, or just defer to the overlooks if you’re feeling tired. Here are all the most-visited ones in Island in the Sky, in the order we recommend visiting them. All of them, except Grand View Point, require little to no walking.
- Grand View Point (45-minute trail)
- Orange Cliffs Overlook (Pulloff)
- Buck Canyon Overlook (5-minute trail)
- Candlestick Tower Overlook (Pulloff)
- Shafer Canyon Overlook (10-minute trail)
7. Dinner & Sunset from Green River Overlook
End your day with a gorgeous Utah sunset at Green River Overlook, adjacent to Willow Flat Campground in the park. This became one of our favorite spots in all of Utah to watch the sunset! The overlook is reachable by a very short, paved trail, with some rocks that you can hop on for a better view of Green River.
Make sure to look up the exact sunset time during your visit and plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before to find a good spot and set up. Feel free to bring a picnic blanket and dinner with you to enjoy as you watch the sun go down, like we did.
💫 Check out the park’s ranger programs, as they sometimes hold an astronomy ranger talk here just after the sun goes down.
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🗺️ Map of Canyonlands One-Day Itinerary
How to use this map: We have saved the locations from this guide on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. In your Google Maps, click the menu icon and then Saved Maps, where this map will appear.
🏕️ Where to Stay in Canyonlands National Park
There is a range of stay options in and around Canyonlands National Park. Below we’ve rounded up a variety of accommodations, from campgrounds to hotels.
- BLM Land — For the most budget-friendly option, consider dispersed camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land just outside the park. We use iOverlander to find legal, no-cost sites nearby.
- Inside the Park — Inside Canyonlands, you have Island in the Sky (Willow Flat) Campground that is first-come, first-serve and The Needles Campground that requires reservations in spring and fall, or for group sites year-round. Non-group sites cost $15 and $20, respectively.
- Campgrounds & RV Parks (Outside the Park) — Additional campgrounds and RV parks can be found outside the park, such as Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway and Up the Creek Campground.
- Hotels (Outside the Park) — In Moab, you also have plenty of hotels, such as Scenic View Inn & Suites, Wingate by Wyndham Moab, and The Virginian Inn Moab Downtown.
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🚗 How to Get to Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is located right by Moab, Utah. Driving is the easiest way to reach and make your way around the park, but a few other options exist:
- Car — Canyonlands is located just off US Route 191. A car is also necessary to explore the scenic drive and reach the trailheads. If you don’t have a vehicle, we highly recommend renting a car.
- Public Transport — You can take Greyhound bus lines to Moab or Amtrak rail services to Green River or Grand Junction, then arrange a van service to Moab. Once in Moab, you can find private shuttle services or join a guided tour to explore the park itself.
- Plane — The nearest airport is Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY) in Moab, but most visitors fly into Salt Lake City (SLC) and rent a car for the 4-hour drive to Moab.
- Bike — If you enter the park by bike, or by foot, the cost of entry is $15 per person.
⛅ When to Visit Canyonlands National Park
Overall, we recommend the Spring or Fall to visit Canyonlands National Park. Although these are the high times for the park, Canyonlands is still the least visited national park in Utah, so the crowds won’t be as intense as, say, in Zion or Arches. Here’s a bit more information about each season:
- Winter in Canyonlands — Winter in Canyonlands is quiet and cold, with highs of 30ºF to 50ºF and lows of 0ºF to 20ºF. Some facilities close during the winter, and several roads and trails close down as well due to ice.
- Summer in Canyonlands — Summer in Canyonlands is a scorcher. Daytime highs can exceed 100ºF, making it a bit difficult to hit more strenuous trails in the middle of the day. Late summer sometimes brings with it storms that cause flash floods in the canyons.
- Spring & Fall in Canyonlands — The shoulder seasons of spring and fall are the most temperate, dry, and, with that, popular seasons for Canyonlands. March to May and mid-September to October experience pleasant daytime highs averaging no more than 60ºF to 80ºF.
💰 How Much Does a Trip to Canyonlands Cost?
Depending on your travel style, the cost of a trip to Canyonlands National Park can vary. The biggest costs are lodging and any private tours or activities. Here’s a breakdown of the typical costs so you know what to expect.
🎫 Consider investing in the America the Beautiful pass for $80 like we did if you’re planning on travelling to several parks within the year.
| Fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Park Entrance | $30/vehicle for 7 days | $25 for motorcycles and $15 for individuals on foot or on a bike. |
| Needles Campground | $20/night for a standard site | 26 sites available |
| Island in the Sky (Willow Flat) Campground | $15/night for a standard site | 12 sites available |
| Parking | Free with park entry | Public parking also available in Moab, Utah. |
| Personal expenses | Varies | Don’t forget to budget for gas, food and drink, souvenirs, other lodging, any other activities. |
🎒 What to Pack for Canyonlands National Park
Some of the biggest essentials while hiking in Canyonlands National Park are ample hydration and sun protection. Our favorite ways to hit both of these are by carrying water bladders with our favorite electrolytes instead of tons of heavy water bottles and wearing a mix of sunscreen, sun shirts, and wide-brimmed hats. In this section, we outline everything else that came in handy for us.
Sun Protection
Hiking Essentials
Safety Essentials
🐕 Pets in Canyonlands National Park
If you’re traveling with a non-service animal, keep in mind that pets are not permitted on the overlooks or trails of Canyonlands National Park. They are allowed on campgrounds, front-country roads, parking lots, and picnic areas. For more information on pets in Canyonlands National Park, click here. We were able to keep Ollie in our van as we can control the temperature from our phones. If you need a kennel, here’s a list of several in Moab, Utah.
🪧 Learn More: How to Help Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park in Moab, Utah, is a rugged desert landscape of deep canyons, towering buttes, and dramatic vistas. As visitors, the best way to help conserve this park during your visit is by following Leave No Trace Guidelines.
If you wish to support conservation efforts to combat droughts, invasive species, and other issues exacerbated by climate change, you can do so by donating to the National Parks Conservation Association, who help fund conservation efforts throughout the entire US National Park system. 💚
📰 Related Articles
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- 11 Best Easy Hikes in Arches National Park
- Top 11 Hikes in Arches National Park (Ranked in Order)
- How to See Arches National Park in One Day
- More Coming Soon!
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