Welcome to a family friendly hiking guide, ideal for all ages. Staying in Moab isn’t just about going to Arches National Park, be sure not to miss Canyonlands National Park. It is $30 to enter or get yourself an ‘America the beautiful pass’ for $80 you can get these at https://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html or at the entrance, it will save you a lot of money if you’re visiting multiple parks. All hikes listed vary in level and are rated according to the National Park Service.
We had one full day to explore Canyonlands. At over 4 times the size of Arches National Park you’ll struggle to cover as much ground in a short amount of time, therefore, we have researched and picked out some of the highlights the park had to offer. Be sure to pick up a map as you enter the park as it will come in handy. It may have been peak tourist season, but with storms all morning it appeared to have deterred a lot of people as Canyonlands was virtually deserted. From Moab the easiest area to explore of Canyonlands is the ‘Island in the Sky' area, all the following hikes can be found within this area.
Take the trail to Mesa Arch and you can get right up close for one of the most iconic views of the park. Get up early enough and head to Mesa Arch to be greeted with the sun rising into view through the arch lighting up the canyon below.
For the Upheaval Dome Trail the first overlook is a short steady steep hike, you can continue to the second overlook another mile away, continue again for a full day hike, which through research many do unintentionally, ill prepared and get lost.
A hidden gem; close to the Island in the Sky visitor centre lies Dead Horse Point State Park. At $10 entrance (per vehicle) it is well worth the trip. The rim towers 2000 feet above the Colorado River below, known to be Utah's Grand Canyon, it provides some of the best views of the road trip and in southern Utah. Look out for wildlife and witness the contrasting colours throughout the layers of rocks exposed in the canyon.
There are a number of top viewpoints within the park which don’t require hiking:
Grand view overlook (Canyonlands National Park)
Dead horse point overlook (Deadhorse Point State Park)
Socks and Sandals
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