Canyonlands National Park Overlooks

Canyonlands National Park is broken up into three areas or districts: Island in the Sky, Maze, and Needles. If you are also visiting Moab, you are going to want to stay in the Island in the Sky district. While this district is small, it is also the most family friendly and is the easiest district to do. Two of our favorite things to do were an easy sunrise hike at Mesa Arch and a fun hike up Whale Rock.

Even though the Island in the Sky district is pretty easy, we were still pretty tired by the afternoon after doing about 3 hikes. We still wanted to see more of Canyonlands but didn't want to do more hikes. So we stopped at a few of the outlooks in the Island in the Sky district and were not disappointed by the views.

How to Get There: 

We went to two outlook points on our trip to Canyonlands National Park. The first we went to was the Green River Overlook. From the Visitor's Center head southwest. Once you get to the fork in the road turn right. Follow the signs a short while later and take the first left. Follow that road to a nice parking lot. 

We tried going to Grand View Point Overlook, but with limited parking it wasn't going to happen. From what we have heard, it is the best overlook in the Island in the Sky district. So if you want to go there make sure that you're early. To get there just take the south fork where the three main roads converge. It is the farthest point South. 

After not being able to go to Grand View Point, we went to another overlook on the way called Orange Cliffs Overlook. This one had way less people but still offered a beautiful view.

What You Will See: 

The Green River Overlook was where I really saw why this National Park is called Canyonlands. For miles all you see is beautiful canyons. There is a nice paved path from the parking lot to the overlook. At the overlook there is a fence to keep you away from the edge of a cliff face and there are also large boulders that are fun to climb on and offer a slightly different view. There are also signs that give you different information about the canyons that are before you.

The Orange Cliffs overlook is very small but gives another beautiful view of the canyons. There is not a paved path;  you just walk out onto large rocks. We went off the main path a little bit and Ben was able to climb up a small mountain pretty easily and quickly.

Sum Up:  

Overlooks at Canyonlands are a great break from hiking the beautiful trails of the park. They offer incredible views that really show you why this place is called Canyonlands National Park.