Top Things to do in Canyonlands National Park
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What to do and see in Canyonlands National Park, Canyonlands National Park: The Best Outdoor Activities
A great location with trails for mountain biking and sightseeing.
1. White Rim Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 133 reviews
A challenging mountain biking trail.
Reviewed By 1466martin - Park City, United States
The white Rim Trail is simply unbelievable. Most of the geologic features should not exist and should have fallen over long ago. Everywhere you go there is a 1,000 foot drop to the bottom below and views that are hard to comprehend. When you see some of the Islands in the Sky up close, you will understand why they are called Islands in the Sky. Now to the details about the drive. I believe you can drive from Canyonlands on the Shaffer Trail (the crazy switchbacks with 1,000 foot drops) out to the White Crack camp area in most vehicles. Now that will get you pretty close to the amazing overlook but the last 1.2 miles of road to the White Crack camp area are rugged and should not be attempted unless you have 4 wheel drive (not all wheel drive). So if you made it out here without a 4x4 at least plan to hike the last couple miles. The section from Canyonlands to White Crack is traveled some and we saw about 6-8 vehicles on a Saturday. It took about 5 hours to cover the 36 miles. We were not rushing, stopped often and enjoyed the views. expect to travel at about 7-10 MPH. Alright! You made it this far! All the way to White Crack, 36.8 miles of hard dirt road and spectacular views. If you’re not in a four wheel drive vehicle turn back now! Go back the way you came and be happy about what you saw and the pictures you have. If you continue, you will destroy your vehicle and have a very long walk back where you will probably die. I’m not joking. If you are in a 4 x 4, let’s go! The next 50 miles get rough. This is a marathon for 4 x 4’s not a sprint. There are steep climbs you will want low range to climb in. There are several sections with an 800 foot cliff on your side, hair pin turns and barely room for your wheels because it’s so narrow. This was not extreme or difficult 4 wheeling but you do need to pay attention and not get in a big hurry. On our second day doing the back 50 miles we did not see a sole. No one. No airplanes. No high flying jets. No help. No cell phone service. Nothing at all. It was beautiful. Silent. So plan ahead, go with a second vehicle like we did. You are alone in the back and no one is coming to help you. Be prepared. It took us about 7 hours to cover the 50 miles. Again, we were not rushing and stopped a lot to look at everything but the road is rough. We were in a lifted Jeep Rubicon and a Toyota 4Runner and had no issues with the climbs or ground clearance. Be sure to carry tools, water and extra gas. Be sure to stop at the “Black Crack”.
2. Confluence Overlook Trail
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
Popular, scenic hiking trail.
Reviewed By MountainMan-Kim - Copper Mountain, United States
I did the Convergence Overlook 11-mile hike on May 11, 2017. At mid-day, the temperature rose to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) on a fry pan of exposed slickrock. I drank 3 liters of ice cold water during the trek. The trail descends steeply into three canyons on challenging terrain for a five-hour hike. I enjoyed the rock formation views along the way as much as the merger of the Green River and Colorado River a thousand feet below the overlook.
3. Lost Canyon Trail
4. White Rim Road
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 43 reviews
100-mile Road Which Most Visitors Bike Or Drive By Four-wheel Vehicles.
Reviewed By JPWalker10 - Poznan, Poland
If you don’t have much time to travel around Moab, this road should be your no. 1 priority! It’s extremely beautiful, views are spectacular. It took us about 1.5hrs to get from Potash to Visitors Centre.
5. Wilhite Trail
6. Murphy Point Trail
7. Shafer Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 218 reviews
Cattle trail which can be used by sport vehicles.
Reviewed By TeddySall
So much fun to drive! Did it in a rented Ford Taurus with 5.1" of ground clearance, so it is doable in a 2 wheel drive sedan if you have some testicular fortitude, are a good driver who knows where your tires are/understands how to approach rocks without bottoming out, and of course do not care about wear and tear on the vehicle. Did it going down the canyon along Potash Rd all the way to Moab (as we thought going up would be more difficult with tires spinning) and did not bottom out once. We were the only non SUV or truck we saw on the trail though so definitely not common. Definitely do not do without 4WD if it is wet/muddy though. The switchback portion is the easiest of the drive. Once you get down the switchbacks but are still in the park the road is ok with a few spots of rock that you need to navigate and pick lines but nothing too hard. When you get out of the park boundary the road becomes much more rough, with more rock faces and chunks to go over and made decisions about how to attack. There are a couple spots where you will be going uphill and need to have some momentum and quickly choose lines to make it up the loose rock. As the road approaches Potash it gets better but is still rough until you hit the pavement. Absolutely worth it though. View are spectacular all the way down and along the route, and it is a absolutely blast to overcome the challenge. So overall you can do it in a front wheel drive sedan if you are a confident and skilled driver. Obviously it is much easier in a higher clearance vehicle, but the challenge of doing it in a sedan probably made it even more fun for me!
8. Cave Spring
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
About a mile long this trail will lead you pass some petrogliffs.
Reviewed By Harrison-F-Carter - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Great for families - suitable for adults and kids - and is a circular trail that offers a few exciting experiences, like a cowboy camp, ladder climbs, a cave spring / overhang... really enjoyed it and glad we decided to do it as we weren't planning to.
9. Aztec Butte Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By LSUTraveller - Denham Springs, United States
What a wonderful hike to both the butte top and the granaries. It's easy and flat to the fork, and starts climbing across the rock thereafter. Exercise caution as it may be slippery going up the butte.
10. Syncline Loop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By bechler - Grand Junction, United States
I did this hike last week by myself. I am a park ranger at another park and have good hiking skills. I have to say that I met several people on the trail who kept getting lost or turned around because they couldn't handle the terrain. Everyone made it out safely, but I was glad to have a lot of water. The cairns are well placed but hikers must be alert or they will go off trail easily. The flowers were blooming and the scenery was superb.
