Canyonlands National Park is located in the US state of Utah, easily accessible from the city of Moab. One of the nation’s top, underrated US parks, it spans an area of 337,598 acres. Unsurprisingly, it offers visitors an assortment of exceptional opportunities for four-wheeling, camping, canyoneering, and hiking.

Indeed, hiking is one of the best ways to truly explore this vast, awe-inspiring, otherworldly natural wonder. Surprisingly, even though this park is off the beaten path and undeniably rugged, a lot of the best hikes here are short and comparatively easy. The majority are family-friendly, unique trails and offer travelers extraordinary Instagrammable opportunities. To assist you in determining which hiking trails are best for you and yours, here are the 15 best hikes in Canyonlands National Park.

The Best Time to Visit Canyonlands National Park

The best time to hike here and enjoy Canyonlands is from the fall through late spring. That’s when the weather is generally consistent and the temperature during the day is reportedly somewhere “between the upper 60s to low 80s.” While you may be tempted to visit during the summer, you should know that it is very hot and the temperature often breaks 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

If that is the only time you can venture to this park, plan on being on the hiking trails by sunrise and completing the hikes by noon. Afternoon thunderstorms are common too so bring a raincoat. This place is uniquely beautiful in the winter and heavy snowfall is rare; but it still gets old, especially after sunset.

You should also know that ice sometimes accumulates on the trails, making some of them dangerous and others totally inaccessible. On the other hand, you won’t find a lot of tourists there in the winter. Just be smart and keep yourself updated on the weather reports and be sure to make a backup plan.

Experts report that the lower-elevation Needles District is usually a wee bit warmer than popular Island in the Sky. It’s also good to know that Canyonlands National Park doesn’t attract as many travelers as Arches National Park, so tourist crowds aren’t a real problem. The popular Mesa Arch trail can get a little crowded if you decide to hike it during the peak season, but it’s still doable. As previously reported, if you arrive very early in the morning or even late in the afternoon you will avoid most of the tourists.

The Different Regions

Here is a basic overview of Canyonlands National Park’s five districts:

Colorado and Green Rivers

The confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers is found in the very heart of the park. It offers travelers both astounding views and exciting rafting opportunities.  

Horseshoe Canyon

Horseshoe Canyon is a “day-use” only region. It is comparatively isolated and well-known for its ancient Puebloan rock art.

Island in the Sky

This is the most accessible and popular area in the entire park. Here you will find nigh-iconic viewpoints, a stunning scenic drive, and a number of the park’s best hikes.

The Maze

This region is perhaps the furthest off the grid and maybe the most rugged as well. If you want to experience this area be sure you have some backcountry experience and a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The Needles

The Needles is stark and best known for its odd, Mars-like landscapes and rugged sandstone formations.   

The 15 Best Hikes in Canyonlands National Park

The Best Hikes in Colorado and Green Rivers District

This distinct district is highlighted by both desert landscapes and surprisingly lush greenery. Hiking here is limited, but you can also go rafting and kayaking.

1. The Confluence Overlook Trail

This is an out-and-back, 10-mile trail. With an elevation of 1,371 feet, it has a difficulty rating of moderate to challenging. The steep canyons here make it somewhat difficult to get a good view let alone get really close to the rivers.

This trail is the exception. It provides hikers with a real bird’s eye view of the confluence from 1,000 up. The gain in elevation is not sudden, but the ups and downs are still sometimes significant. You must also hike over slickrock and sand.  

The Best Hikes in Horseshoe Canyon

When hiking here you are actually closer to well-known Capitol Reef National Park than Island in the Sky, so you could combine your visit. 

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The Great Gallery Hike 

The Great Gallery Hike is a challenging one. It is a 7.2-mile out-and-back hike with an elevation of 660 feet. It reportedly provides hikers with a unique experience smack dab in the middle of (what seems to be) nowhere. This hike along a sandy trail includes a steep descent and will slowly lead you to a huge rock wall, the Great Gallery, where you will see some amazingly well-preserved ancient art. Indeed, a few of the figures are actually life-sized!

The Best Hikes in Island in the Sky

Island in the Sky is named thus for its sheer, striking sandstone cliffs situated 1,000 feet above the distinctive desert. If you’re not feeling athletic, you can take the scenic drive. Most of the overlooks are situated atop the mesa. 

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The Mesa Arch Trail

This is a 0.5-mile loop at an elevation of 56 feet. Thus, it’s rated as an easy hike. Nevertheless, experts say it is the “quintessential” hike here in Canyonlands National Park.  

Indeed, for such minimal physical effort, the payoff here is noteworthy. The views of the La Sal Mountains through the iconic Mesa Arch itself are quite breathtaking. The best time to complete this hike is just before sunrise. Veteran visitors confirm that seeing the sun slowly rise up over the massive mountains as its earliest beams shine through the well-known arch is truly unforgettable.

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Grand View Point Trail

If you’d like another easy trail, this one is just 1.8 miles out and back with an elevation of 160 feet. Most importantly, despite its “easy” rating, it really pays out! As you might infer from its name, this trail takes you along the edge of the canyon and provides pretty panoramic views of everything, including both of the rivers for comparatively little effort.  

Stop at the Grand View Point Overlook first and take in the sights. They get even better as you go too. This trail may be rated easy, but it should also be called “short and sweet.”

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The Green River Overlook Hike

Okay, this is not really a hike. This is more like a 0.2-mile, out-and-back stroll at an elevation of six and a half feet. Need we even note it is rated “easy”?

The viewpoint that faces south overlooks the mighty Green River from 1,300 feet above. Green River Overlook is also said by many visitors to be one of the very best spots in the entire park to see the sunset. It’s also a great place to see White Rim Road, The Maze, and maybe even a marriage. It is actually reported to be a popular place for elopements.

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The White Rim Overlook

This easy hike to this overlook is at an elevation of 160 feet and has a total out-and-back distance of 1.8 miles. Yes, it is yet another Canyonlands hike that comes complete with a super effort-to-reward ratio, providing hikers with incredible views at the close of an easy walk along the rim. Get a good gander at the White Rim Road and the Colorado River on the canyon floor. Additionally, you’ll find the trail’s generally never busy. 

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Murphy Point Trail

At 3.6 miles, out-and-back, this trail is one of the longer ones here. Nevertheless, it rated easy and at an elevation of 148 feet, hiking can still be comparatively relaxing. As you skirt the canyon’s edge, you’ll hike through brush ‘til it widens to a place where you’ll enjoy striking views of Candlestick Tower, the Green River, and White Rim Road. The best time to complete this hike is after you watch the sunrise at the popular Mesa Arch.

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Aztec Butte 

This hike may only have an out-and-back distance of 1.8 miles, but with an elevation of 260 feet, it’s rated as a moderately difficult hike. It’s a unique hike through a sandy wash which also makes the hike a little more difficult than others and slows you down a bit. The trail splits where the sand ends.  

Head one way and, after scrambling over some rocks, you’ll reach the top of the Aztec Butte. Choose the other route and you will circle a shorter butte. Either way, you’ll see ancient Puebloan granaries. 

The Best Hikes in The Maze

Remember, you shouldn’t attempt hiking these trails unless you’re an experienced backcountry hiker. Access is limited to the canyon’s depth and some trails are unmarked. A 4X4 vehicle is required to reach the trailheads. Maps are essential.

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Chocolate Drops Trail

Even though this trail takes some effort to access, has an elevation of 580 feet, and an out-and-back distance of 7.3 miles, it is not really that physically demanding and is thus considered “easy.” The trail follows a notably flat ridge to a quartet of giant wall-like formations of sandstone. (It is unclear who thought these look like chocolate drops.) It’s a great hike if you want to avoid crowds too. That makes sense since the trailhead is over four hours off of Highway 95 and you need four-wheel-drive to navigate the rough road.

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The Maze Overlook 

The hike to the popular Maze Overlook is a challenging one. It has an out-and-back distance of eight miles and an elevation of 965. Also known as a popular mountain bike route, it begins at the Hans Flat Ranger Station and provides a striking view of the whole district before you head into a veritable labyrinth of canyons.

You will also come across hoodoos, sand, slickrock, and slot canyons. You will have to do some scrambling but there are enough footholds and ledges to manage. A four-wheel drive is reportedly required for going anywhere past the ranger station. 

The Best Hikes in The Needles

The Needles interlinking trails include narrow sections, rough terrain, and steep drop-offs. Experts recommend hikers have previous backcountry experience. 

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Cave Spring Hike 

This is an easy hike with an elevation of 39 feet. This 0.6-mile loop is a great hike, especially for history buffs. You get to see the spring, ancient rock markings, and the old cowboy camp full of original artifacts. You’ll need to climb a pair of wooden ladders to get to the top.

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Pothole Point

This is an easy, family-friendly 0.6-mile loop trail with an elevation of 39 feet. Here you follow cairns over slickrock past the potholes that fill with rainwater. The views are memorable and if the namesake potholes have water in them, you might spot shrimp, snails, and worms too.

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Slickrock Foot Trail 

This popular 2.4-mile loop trail has an elevation of 138 feet and is rated as moderately difficult. Your journey begins at the Big Spring Canyon Overlook and leads to the very top of a sandstone plateau. You can enjoy remarkable panoramic views from this series of overlooks here. We suggest the third one, Lower Little Spring Canyon. 

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Druid Arch

The hike here is a challenging 11-mile loop at an elevation of 1,615 feet. The trail begins at the Elephant Hill Trailhead and continues along the Chesler Park Trail prior to branching off into Elephant Canyon’s bottom. You’ll encounter deep sand and slot canyons. Finally, you’ll do some steep scrambling and climb a ladder. The view from the top is well worth the effort.

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Squaw Flat Trail to Lost Canyon

Last is another challenging hike on a 9.5-mile, out-and-back trail. The elevation here in this remote area is 1,490 feet. It starts at the popular Peekaboo Trail from the popular Squaw Flat Campground. You will come across steep drop-offs, sand, narrow colorful canyons, and a ladder located in the Lost Canyon area.

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The USA has some beautiful, unspoiled places whether it is a huge national park, a remote little, uninhabited island, or some far-flung nook or remote cranny. Some of these places may be a bit less accessible at present, yet they are all worthy of attention. Thus, without further ado, here are America’s most unspoiled places.

America’s Most Unspoiled Places

1.  Cumberland Island, Georgia

Cumberland Island can be found just off the southeast coast of Georgia. Here you will discover almost 10,000 acres of vast unspoiled wilderness including marshes, salt-sprayed forests, and wetlands. It is a barrier island where loggerhead turtles nest and wild horses gracefully graze on the dune grass that sprouts from the pale sand here.

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Molokai, Hawaii

Hawaii is no stranger to tourism. Still, some places are comparatively less-visited than others. You can find teal water and palm-fringed beaches on all these islands. Molokai, a.k.a. “The Friendly Isle”, is significantly more rural. This little isle is only 10 miles wide and 38 miles long but it is highlighted by the world’s highest sea cliffs and the world’s officially longest continuous fringing reef too.

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Big Bend National Park, Texas

Prior to the pandemic, the only time this park was ever closed was in the summer due to high temperatures. Thus, the best time to visit is during cooler months. This vast park includes part of the Chisos Mountains, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Rio Grande. Veteran visitors suggest hiking the Lost Mine Trail. See the sunset here too!

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Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

The bleak Bonneville Salt Flats actually resemble Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni. This stark white cracked, and curled, lunar-like landscape spans 30,000+ acres. Once ancient Lake Bonneville dried up, these salt pans were pretty much all that remained. Perhaps unsurprisingly, you will find absolutely nothing growing here.

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Supai, Arizona

At the bottom of the famous Grand Canyon is the remote little village of Supai. It was founded by people who chose to avoid the hustle and bustle of urban areas and live a much more isolated life. Members of the Havasupai Tribe have lived in this place since 1300. Mail is delivered here via pack mule. Highlights here include the Navajo Falls, Beaver Falls, Fifty Foot Falls, Havasu Falls, and Mooney Falls. 

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Painted Hills, Oregon

The pretty Painted Hills’ peach, gold, and apricot stripes are both natural and memorable. These colorfully highlighted hills are the result of volcanic activity and reveal the changes in geology and local climate. They are quite reminiscent of the Rainbow Mountains in China. You will find them in the well-known John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.   

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Alvord Desert, Oregon

This unspoiled mountain-fringed landscape was once a lovely lake. Over a period of time, it evaporated leaving nothing but a number of pale alkali beds. It is reminiscent of Chile’s Atacama Desert. It features multiple natural hot springs. Alvord Hot Springs is popular for its mountainous backdrop. Mickey Hot Springs comes complete with mud pots that hiss and turquoise pools that bubble.     

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The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas

While huge sections of the USA were once carpeted with prairie land, one of the few places this specific ecosystem still remains is here on this unspoiled preserve in Kansas’ Flint Hills. Here you can hike the winding trails through the flowing fields of copper-tinted grass, past fields often grazed on by white-tail deer and bison. 

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Caddo Lake, Texas and Louisiana

Caddo Lake is situated on the border between the states of Louisiana and Texas. It spans an area of 25,400 acres and is not just a simple lake. It is an ethereal, almost eerie network of mysterious marshes, ponds, bayous, and Spanish moss-covered cypress trees whose knotted, broad trunks are underwater. Even Bigfoot was once supposedly sighted here! 

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Monhegan Island, Maine

You will find this inspiring isle off the coast of Maine. Monhegan Island includes some lovely, lush landscape. There are under 80 people living here on this impressive mountainous enclave, and most of them are actually artists. It has a vibe all its own and features craggy outcroppings, wild woodlands, ocean bluffs, and refreshing, salty sea air.

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White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

This strange 275-square-mile distinctive desert is nestled in Tularosa Basin between the Sacramento and San Andres Mountain ranges. These shortbread-tinted dunes are actually composed of rare gypsum sand. They curve, dip, rise, and fall, and seem to go on forever. While gypsum easily dissolves in water, the state’s dry climate allows this special sand to thrive here. Take a ranger-led tour and learn more!

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Apostle Islands, Wisconsin

While Lake Superior is pretty popular with Northerners, few put this awesome archipelago on their bucket list. This group of often underrated isles offers visitors numerous natural wonders to witness. Visit during the winter months, and you can see the ice caves that form here. As previously reported, the untouched coastline is said to be gorgeous.

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Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

This vast national park is highlighted by crystalline lakes, snow-capped mountains, and wild woodland. Here you can discover Jackson Hole, and the park’s popular namesake, the 13,775-foot Grand Teton Mountain. This is a great place to visit in the winter. Indeed, every year, more than 3 million people visit to hike to the great glaciers. 

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Finger Lakes, New York

The famous Finger Lakes region is famous for its wineries and vineyards. It also includes 11 different long lakes. Here you will also see gorgeous gorges, dense woods, rolling hills, and waterfalls. Indeed, you can hike to 19 different waterfalls in Watkins Glen State Park. Looking for more to do? Do some fishing at sparkling Skaneateles Lake.  

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Carova Beach, North Carolina

This is a little place in the northern Outer Banks. Here herds of wild horses run free across the rolling dunes and pale beaches. These stunning steeds are believed to be the descendants of Spanish mustangs that were shipwrecked here back in the 15th century. This unspoiled area has made it easy for these graceful animals to live here wild and free for centuries.

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Black Hills, South Dakota, and Wyoming

The Black Hills are well-known for their beauty and all the outdoor adventures available there. The area encompasses 5.4 million acres of canyons, cascading waterfalls and lovely lakes, majestic mountains, open grasslands, and pine forests in the state’s southwestern region. This noteworthy natural belt is impossible to entirely cover on just one trip. See Mount Rushmore too!

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Whidbey Island, Washington

Whidbey Island is one of a pair of islands just off the mainland of Washington State in the Pacific Northwest north of Seattle. Take the ferry and get back to nature here. See the clusters of oysters clinging to the shoreline, and try to spot orcas. Visit Deception Pass State Park and see the centuries-old trees there.

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North Cascades National Park, Washington

North Cascades National Park is nestled on the beautiful border between Washington and Canada. One of the country’s least-visited parks, it’s only open in the summer as the connecting highway is usually closed by October 1st. Nicknamed “The American Alps”, It includes more than 1,000 glacier-crowned peaks, waterfalls, and over 500 pretty ponds and turquoise lakes.

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Lost Coast, California

The famous Pacific Coast Highway, or California’s Highway 1, ends in Mendocino County where it merges with the busy 101 freeway. The coast itself, of course, continues. This 25-mile section beyond the above-mentioned highway is known as the Lost Coast. It is too wild and raw for a highway and is essentially a remote area of driftwood beaches and fog-filled forests.  

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Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

This national park is actually part of the well-known Great Lakes. It’s an attractive archipelago of over 200 islands. Some of them even have waterfalls, lakes, and entire shipwrecks of their own. Isle Royale is the largest of them and is home to a lot of wildlife such as moose and wolves.

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Rawah Wilderness, Colorado

Travel to the southern end of the mighty Medicine Bow Mountain Range. For it is here you will find the Rawah Wilderness. It is an unspoiled place spanning over 74,000 acres. This raw, wild area includes sapphire lakes, glacier-carved valleys, and mountain slopes dotted with fir trees too.

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Everglades National Park, Florida

This vast, subtropical wilderness, roughly 45 minutes out of Miami, is yet another noteworthy unspoiled place. The best time to visit is in the winter when the weather is usually warm and dry. Spanning an area of 1.5 million acres, it’s the third-largest national park in the entire continental United States and home to the endangered Florida panther.

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Assateague Island, Maryland, and Virginia

If you’re an equine aficionado, you’ve probably heard of this unspoiled place. It is a barrier island extending from Maryland to Virginia. Here you’ll find feral horses running free across sandy beaches soft as castor sugar. The two herds of wild horses are managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and one by the National Park System.

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Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Keys

This park is a seven-island chain located in the gleaming Gulf of Mexico just 70 miles off the shore of Key West. It’s most famous for its 19th-century structure, Fort Jefferson. Nevertheless, the focus here is on the water and marine life. Here you can see sea turtles nest, go kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, and stargazing.

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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota

This unspoiled attraction found in the Superior National Forest encompasses an area of 1,090,000 acres and stretches along the state’s border with the northern nation of Canada. It’s a watery expanse including 1,000 lakes, streams, and rivers and is very peaceful. This watery expanse is an incredibly peaceful place but beware of black bears.

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Denali National Park, Alaska

Here you will find North America’s tallest peak. The park’s namesake, massive Mount Denali, is 20,320 feet tall and the highest mountain in the country. High adventure enthusiasts enjoy its numerous remote campsites and backcountry hiking trails within this six-million-acre park. It is the home of such wildlife as dall sheep, elk, caribou, wolves, and brown bears.

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Washington Island, Wisconsin

Also known as Teraina, this atoll spans an area of 23 square miles. It remains largely unspoiled as it has under 700 residents. Here you will find a famous stone beach, and impressive hardwood forests as well. What’s more, the very air is scented with fresh lavender, which grows wild here.

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Shasta Cascade, California

Shasta Cascade is situated in the area bordering Nevada and Oregon. US President Theodore Roosevelt was particularly fond of Burney Falls. He said the spring-fed waterfall that cascades into a shining pool was the “eighth wonder of the world”. Veteran visitors find the forests, lakes, lava beds, and mountains there also praiseworthy.

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Texas Hill Country, Texas

The east meets the west just one hour out of Austin. The Texas Hill Country is a large area of unspoiled natural beauty that comes complete with rugged hills, pastoral plains, and vista-filled valleys. It is arguably most known for its wildflowers, especially bluebonnets, which you can see for yourself if you visit in the spring. This geographic region actually forms the southeastern portion of the popular Edwards Plateau.  

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The Adirondack Mountains, New York

Swap views of skyscrapers for views of a more natural nature by heading a few hours north out of New York City. These breathtakingly beautiful mountains are roughly within the boundaries of Adirondack Park. Here you will see snow-capped mountain peaks that eventually melt away into the lakes and rivers once spring arrives. Here you can hike tree-lined trails or wander in meadows of wildflowers. 

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Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

While unspoiled Kenai Fjords is one of the state’s smallest national parks, it receives high marks for its beautiful scenery. Nestled on the stunning Kenai Peninsula, it includes great glaciers, harsh headlands, and, naturally, fjords. Highlights here are Resurrection Bay, the Harding Icefield, situated along the Harding Icefield Trail. This coastal park is also home to black bears, clown-faced puffins, coyotes, harbor seals, moose, sea otters, and wolverines.  

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