Canyonlands
Imagine wave after wave of deep canyons, towering mesas, pinnacles, cliffs and spires stretching across 527 square miles. This is Canyonlands National Park, formed by the currents and tributaries of Utah's Green and Colorado rivers.
Island in the Sky, also known as Between the Rivers, is a sheer-walled mesa that constitutes the northern part of Canyonlands National Park. Our scenic drive rises to the top of the mesa and follows along the rim, with vistas of amazing views out over the surrounding country, including rugged canyons and nearby mountains. In many places the surrounding country is 1,000 feet down, virtually straight down, from the top of the mesa.
From these lofty viewpoints you can often see over 100 miles (161 km) in any given direction, resulting in panoramic views that encompass thousands of square miles of canyon country.
Canyonlands National Park is wild and wonderful and diverse in its landscapes and travel opportunities. Due to the park’s massive size, Canyonlands has four separate “districts,” including three land districts and the rivers themselves, each with their own characteristic landscapes and experiences.
It’s a rugged piñon pine growing out of solid slickrock—and the beautiful blue piñon jay screaming at you from it. It’s the stealthy mountain lion stalking the skittish mule deer or the seldom-seen bobcat getting fat on the desert cottontail. It’s those amazingly hardy desert plants. It’s a whole lot of slickrock, those little potholes in the slickrock that evolve into microhabitats. It’s the amazing light that colors the cliffs red and pink and orange, and it’s the quiet of a region far from the hustle and bustle of our urban areas.
And, famously, it’s those breathtaking deep canyons dropping suddenly out of the desert and winding aimlessly through the plateau along with awesome sandstone spires and cliffs.
Island in the Sky, also known as Between the Rivers, is a sheer-walled mesa that constitutes the northern part of Canyonlands National Park. Our scenic drive rises to the top of the mesa and follows along the rim, with vistas of amazing views out over the surrounding country, including rugged canyons and nearby mountains. In many places the surrounding country is 1,000 feet down, virtually straight down, from the top of the mesa.
From these lofty viewpoints you can often see over 100 miles (161 km) in any given direction, resulting in panoramic views that encompass thousands of square miles of canyon country.
Canyonlands National Park is wild and wonderful and diverse in its landscapes and travel opportunities. Due to the park’s massive size, Canyonlands has four separate “districts,” including three land districts and the rivers themselves, each with their own characteristic landscapes and experiences.
It’s a rugged piñon pine growing out of solid slickrock—and the beautiful blue piñon jay screaming at you from it. It’s the stealthy mountain lion stalking the skittish mule deer or the seldom-seen bobcat getting fat on the desert cottontail. It’s those amazingly hardy desert plants. It’s a whole lot of slickrock, those little potholes in the slickrock that evolve into microhabitats. It’s the amazing light that colors the cliffs red and pink and orange, and it’s the quiet of a region far from the hustle and bustle of our urban areas.
And, famously, it’s those breathtaking deep canyons dropping suddenly out of the desert and winding aimlessly through the plateau along with awesome sandstone spires and cliffs.