Driving Through Canyonlands National Park - Island of the Sky

Standing at the edge of Island in the Sky, you'll understand why Canyonlands deserves to step out from Arches' shadow. 

Full Canyonlands Guide for Adventurers 👉 https://thebucketlistmermaid.com/canyonlands-guide-for-adventurers/

The 34-mile Island in the Sky scenic drive offers the perfect introduction to this often-overlooked national park. 

What makes this district special is how it balances accessibility with raw wilderness. 

You can experience jaw-dropping vistas like Schaefer Canyon Overlook, where a dirt road zigzags impossibly down steep cliffs, and Mesa Arch, which frames distant mountains in what becomes a photographer's dream at sunrise. The mysterious Upheaval Dome presents a geological puzzle scientists still debate, while the Grand Viewpoint delivers a finale worthy of its name.

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Transcript

Welcome to Canyonlands National Park

Speaker 0 0:00

Welcome to Canyonlands National Park , where the world stretches beneath your feet in one of the most jaw-dropping landscapes in the United States . Today , I'm going to be taking you on a scenic drive through the Island in the Sky district , which is the most accessible and arguably the most stunning section of the park , Whether you have a few hours or a full day , I'm going to be breaking down everything you need to know , including must-stop viewpoints , best short hikes , how much to spend here and a little hack that'll make your visit even better . Now , the Island in the Sky Scenic Drive is a 34-mile round trip from the entrance at the very end of the Grand Viewpoint . Without stops , it takes about an hour to two hours , but trust me , you will want to stop a lot . What I really liked about this is it felt big , but it didn't feel so big that you were overwhelmed , and I just love national parks where you have a road that starts at one end and ends at the other . It just feels nice . I also have to give a shout out to Canyonlands , because Moab and Arches just seem to get all of the attention in this area , but I was so shocked and surprised at how cool Canyonlands actually was . Give it a chance . Let it be the star of your show . You will not be disappointed , Trust me . Plus , it's literally right there . It is so accessible

Island in the Sky Scenic Drive

Speaker 0 1:10

Well , kind of so in order to get here . It is near Moab and Arches National Park . Now , it is a little bit of a drive to get there , and you do pass Dead Horse State Park , which is another thing that I would suggest if you do have time . Although the road is a little long to get into the park , it is absolutely stunning , so you will not be lacking on views here at any point in time .

Speaker 0 1:30

Now some must-stop viewpoints that let's

Must-Stop Viewpoints and Hikes

Speaker 0 1:32

talk about . The first one is the Schaefer Canyon . Overlook this . Is only about a five-minute walk , and this is your first holy wow moment . You'll get an epic view of the famous Schaefer Trail , which is a dirt road zigzagging down into the canyon , and if you ever want to feel tiny compared to nature , this is the spot .

Speaker 0 1:50

Now , if you don't know me , I run an adventure and photography blog and I do this all as a mermaid and funny story . I actually got in a little bit of trouble with my family here because I thought it would be a great idea to put my mermaid tail on here and it drew a crowd . I'm on the side of a cliff and people were like taking pictures and my whole family . I sent it to them and they were like what were you thinking ? And I was like I don't think in these situations . So please be careful . Here . There aren't a lot of guardrails , so just use your common sense . Unlike this mermaid , Do as I say , not as I do .

Speaker 0 2:17

Next one you will definitely want to hit is the Mesa Arch . This is a short hike . It's about 0.7 miles round trip and it's only about 30 minutes . If you've seen a photo of Canyonlands , it was probably taken here . It's a super short hike that leads to a picture-perfect arch framing the canyons . Now , pro tip , this is absolutely unreal at sunrise . In fact , when I did my sunrise guide at Arches National Park on the best spots to see in Moab and Arches , I actually put this one because , although it's a little bit of a drive , the sunrises here are absolutely insane and it's not as crowded as the Moab and Arches area .

Speaker 0 2:51

Now the next one is the Green River . Overlook . Now , this is a quick stop . It's only about five minutes and you get an insane view of the Green River just carving its way through the canyon . This one just looks straight out of a Wild West movie . I could not believe it was real .

Speaker 0 3:05

Now , the next stop that you are going to want to hit is the Upheaval Dome . Now , it is a short hike it's about a mile round trip and 45 minutes if you're just going to the first part of the hike , which is what I did . This one is just a mystery . Scientists aren't sure if it was caused by some meteor impact or a collapsed salt dome , but either way , it's really worth it just to see this weird colorful crater . And last but not least , you are going to want to go to the Grand Viewpoint . Now , you can just kind of stop and see the view , or you can go on a short hike , which is about two miles round trip and it takes about an hour . This is the Grand Finale . It's the furthest point on the scenic drive and you can hike along the rim rim and it's literally nothing short of legendary . If you only do one hike and you only have time for one , make it this one .

Speaker 0 3:49

Now let's talk really quickly about crowds

Crowds, Parking and Ranger Events

Speaker 0 3:51

and parking . Although it is definitely less crowded than Arches National Park , it definitely has its moments where it can be a little hectic . Now I drive a fifth wheel . I live in it full time , so I have a big , massive truck and it was a little stressful trying to get around in this thing . However , it was only stressful and crowded on those really , really big points like I've been talking about , but there's several points where you can just stop off . You can stop on the side of the road . There's like little tiny pull-off points where you can just take some photos , and I would 100% recommend this . Bring a camera , just go at your own pace and enjoy Canyonlands .

Speaker 0 4:26

I do have to recommend stopping into the visitor center and seeing if there are any ranger-led events . For example , we went in there and they were doing a moonlight hike when we were there and we hiked with nothing but the moon . We did have some red flashlights just in case , but I was so shocked that I could actually just hike through this park with nothing but the moonlight . We learned some stories about the constellations , how the park was formed . We got to ask rangers questions . So if you are here for more than one day or a long period of time , I would recommend trying to go and learn about the park as much as you can Now if you are driving on this scenic road and you are passing through , here is my pro tip , and that is get an audio guide .

Speaker 0 5:02

I had

How Much Time You Need

Speaker 0 5:03

no clue that these existed until I got to Moab and I actually ended up doing one for Arches National Park and loved it so much that I bought another one for Canyonlands . Now this park doesn't have a lot of signage explaining what you're seeing . That's where the audio guides come in . They'll give you history , geology , fun facts as you drive . Now the one that I used . I'm going to go ahead and link in the description that you can go ahead and go grab that . I would 100% recommend this . I learned so much about the park and it was way cheaper than going on an organized tour with a guide . Plus , I could do it at my own pace and that's what I loved about this .

Speaker 0 5:38

So how much time do you actually need at Canyonlands National Park to do the Island of the Sky ? Now ? First off , we do have to mention that Canyonlands is huge . I might've said that this road is really nice and it feels big , but it's really not overwhelming . That is because it's one singular district . There are actually three other districts in addition to Island in the Sky . However , Island in the Sky is the one that is the most touristy and it is the one where the most visitors go , frankly , because the other sections are just pure adventure wilderness . So if you are interested in that , I love you , that's great for you , let's be friends , but it's going to take a lot more effort to get there . If you do want more information about all the districts in Canyonlands , as well as a full , in-depth adventurer's guide , I'm going to link the full Canyonlands guide in the description .

Speaker 0 6:24

Make sure to go check it out , book some tours , learn a lot and really check Canyonlands off of your bucket list . If you're just driving through with some quick stops , plan for three to four hours . However , if you're doing some hikes , give yourself a full day , five to six hours , if you truly want to soak it in . Trust me , you don't want to rush , and if you are coming in peak season or even shoulder season , you might have to wait for parking spots . So make sure to add some extra time in for finding those parking spots and also some time to do some hiking .

Speaker 0 6:53

I really liked this section of Canyonlands because you did have the opportunity to go on these short , little quick bursts of hikes . It was so fun . It was like , instead of one big hike , it was just like a bunch of little ones and I loved it . Now , me , I am a slow adventurer and I also need to stop and nerd out on photography , so I spent about eight hours here and then I drove back to my RV spot and then I drove back for the Moonlight hike .

Speaker 0 7:16

Now , some things to know before you go

Essential Tips Before You Go

Speaker 0 7:18

. There is no gas in the park , so make sure you fill up in Moab , and there's also not really a lot of food options , so make sure to bring a snack , maybe a nice picnic . And if you are looking for that best time to visit , I would avoid summer like the plague because it's so hot . I went in early September , so it's just the start of the shoulder season . It was still a little crowded and hot . However , I can't even imagine it during the summer . So Canyonlands it's big , it's breathtaking and it is totally worth the drive if you are in the Moab area . If this helped you plan your adventure , definitely hit that like button and the subscribe for more epic road trip guides . As I said , I live full-time in an RV and I adventure full-time as a mermaid , if you do want any of those guides , or you do any more adventure or photography guides , make sure to check out thebucketlistmermaidcom . I will see you there . Until next time , keep chasing those bucket list adventures .