What to see, what to do, and where to stay while RVing Canyonlands, Utah’s largest national park

On the road again traveling Nature’s Highways to Utah’s largest national park covering 527 square miles, half the size of Rhode Island. On the list of most visited parks in 2023, Canyonlands National Park (CANY) ranks at #28, with 800,322 visitors. CANY offers an array of natural features. From the Island in the Sky, one can view a hundred miles of landscape. The Colorado and Green Rivers carved out the “canyons” of Canyonlands, exposing over 300 million years of geologic layers. Canyonlands National Park camping has it all, and it’s all there waiting for you to explore.

Getting there

If you leave Torrey via UT-24, that will take you through Capitol Reef National Park. You are under 70 miles from CANY as the crow flies. Unfortunately, you are not a crow, so your trip covers about 170 miles. The highway takes you through the Caineville Desert up to Hanksville. Again, Utah shows its unusual otherworldly beauty. So much so that Hollywood uses this area as a movie backdrop. Here are a couple of waypoints that might be of interest.

Burpee Dinosaur Quarry, northwest of Hanksville, is an easy 5-mile hike. However, unless you are a paleontologist, identifying the several taxa of dinosaur fossils may be trying. If you have an urge to participate in excavation, the Burpee Museum of Natural History offers a few upcoming field trips.

Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), operated by the Mars Society, offers professional scientists and engineers field studies for space missions, specifically on Mars. As this is a private research facility, it is NOT open to the public. Still, it is interesting to know that it is there.

Goblin Valley State Park, about 25 miles further, reflects that Martian landscape with its “goblin” hoodoos of Entrada sandstone. Hikes are an easy 1 – 4 miles long with plenty of alluring geology for the camera. 

The town of Green River is at IH-70 Exit 160, offering a couple of decent RV parks, restaurants, and groceries. Also, you will find a Love’s RV Hookup (8 sites) and a Pilot Dealer. The Green River State Park sits on the river with 39 sites, water and electric only.

You will take Exit 182/US-191 toward Moab. In about 20 miles, at UT-313 follow the signs into CANY. From UT-313/US-191 you are only 15 minutes from downtown Moab.

(If you have time, and you like petroglyphs, drive up to Exit 187 toward Thompson Springs. That will bring you to the Sego Canyon Rock Art and ghost town.)

Canyonlands National Park camping

Willow Flat Campground at Island in the Sky has 12 sites with no hookups available. Needles District Campground has 26 individual sites with water only. Both are on a first-come, first-served basis. Needles Outpost and Campground offers that great solitude that you are looking for. It has 30 sites with no hookups, so fill that fresh water tank. Also, you are 40 miles from civilization. 

If you like BLM camping, there are 26 available campgrounds in the Moab area. All are first-come, first-served with no hookups.

Dead Horse Point State Park lies at the edge of CANY upon a 2,000-foot mesa overlooking the Colorado River. There are 44 sites available with electric hookups only. Designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2016, Rangers lead full moon hikes and star parties regularly.

You are there; now what?

Visitor Centers

CANY has two Visitor Centers with the closest being Island in the Sky in the Northern District. It is the first that you will come to entering from UT-313. At 1,000 feet above the canyon, it attracts 60% of annual visitors. In the Southern District, you will find The Needles. Named for its red and white sandstone spires, it is not as easily accessed. 

Driving tours

If you have a high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicle, then CANY has three road tours for you. White Rim Road, a moderate drive of 2 – 3 days, loops around Island in the Sky for 100 miles. The Needles and The Maze require 4WD. Check with the Ranger station for permits. A better way to explore is via commercial tour guides. These folks are the local experts at traversing the roads and the whitewater.

Hiking trails

Island in the Sky holds a variety of trails from easy to moderate to strenuous. You do not want to miss two easy hikes: Mesa Arch (0.5 mile) loop with great views of the Colorado River and Grand View Point (2.0 miles) with stunning panoramic views. Another worthy hike is the Aztec Butte (2.0 mile/moderate) leading to Ancestral Puebloan granaries. 

The Needles trails rank mostly strenuous with a couple of easy ones. Roadside Ruin (0.3 mile/easy) just past the Visitor Center, leads to an Ancestral Puebloan granary. Cave Spring (0.6 mile/easy) drops down to an old historic cowboy camp.

Pets are not allowed on any trail or unpaved road. You may keep them at campsites, leashed at all times. Karen’s Canine Campground might be an alternative for daycare.

Flora and fauna

CANY is all about the geology. However, most of its 50 species of animals are nocturnal. You may see some mule deer, desert cottontail rabbits, a kangaroo mouse and, if you’re lucky, a bighorn sheep. You might note a few ravens or turkey vultures riding the currents, but not much else. Along the riparian corridors, you can spot canyon wrens and blue grosbeaks. Riparian plants include Fremont’s cottonwood and net leaf hackberry. Around the desert grows cacti, yuccas, and pinyon pines. 

Wait. What?!

Robbers Roost, located between Hanksville and Canyonlands, served as the hideout for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. 

Have you done any Canyonlands National Park camping or exploring? Tell me about your experience and your favorite places in the comments below.

Our next stop just down the road is Arches National Park. Until then, Happy travels.

MORE LIKE THIS FROM DALE:

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• The beautiful Grand Canyon National Park: A guide for RVers
• An in-depth look at traveling by RV at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• RV tripping to Bryce Canyon National Park: What to know, what to do, where to stay

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