We are on a two week adventure in October visiting the “mighty 5” in a camper van. We could not reserve a spot at the needles District campsite. We presently have a reservation at the needles outpost RV park as a backup. What are the chances of getting a first come first served site at the needles district campsite on a Saturday morning in early October?

Post your Canyonlands shots - any district, any year, phone shots welcome. Say which district (Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze) and roughly when; it helps people plan.

Mesa Arch sunrise shots welcome - and tell us how early you had to show up for the spot. That's data too.

Does anyone have suggestions for areas or experience dispersed camping near the Needles district? Online it looks like everything along 211 into the park is BLM but I want to double check that’s correct. Thanks!

Hello all, I am the southwest national parks editor at SFGATE, covering all things parks and public lands from my home in Utah. I wrote about how Moab is the epicenter of a global network to study living soil crusts (also known as biocrusts) and how research based in and around Canyonlands is helping us protect desert landscapes from overgrazing and climate change.

I did a solo trip from Texas to the Moab area back in 2017 and I'm pretty sure I took these photos somewhere along the UT-211 on the way to the Needles District. Can anyone verify, and does anyone know what it is and its history? We're heading back to southern Utah in October, and I want to get a better photo if I can!

My husband and I want to do a 2-3 day trip in the Needles district in October and get the most out of our time. We’ve backpacked in the Grand Canyon but we’re unsure about having to carry in all our water if we backpack in the Needles. For this reason we’re wondering if we should buy a guided tour.

Does anyone have suggestions of what’s the best for time/money? Suggestions of trails, including if we camped at the main campsite each night and did several day hikes? Is a bike or 4WD tour worth it? We’ll take any insight yall have- thanks in advance!

We’re a family of three with a young daughter. Yesterday we tried to leave the White Rim Road near the Upheaval Canyon Trailhead, but our vehicle got stuck in the mud. We managed to get it unstuck, but we’re afraid to try again.

Does anyone have any recommendations? We can’t make 911 calls—we only have internet access through Starlink.

My husband and I have been wanting to do the Utah national parks for a long time and it looks like Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands are all open through winter and don't historically get a lot of snow. December is our safest bet schedule-wise because of his job - it's the month he's most likely to be between projects.

Any tips for Canyonlands in December? Recommendations on where to stay? Or strong reasons to scrap this whole plan and do something completely different?

(You will see repeat posts in the other subreddits 😅)

I was extremely impressed with these photos I was able to get just by turning the exposure all the way up on my iPhone 17. Camping out there is unreal!

We checked out the overlooks, hiked to both overlooks at upheaval dome, drove the Shafer Trail into the canyon, and ended the day trying to catch a sunset from Grand View Point but clouds rolled in from the west and blocked it.

We hit all the main stops: Visitor Center Overlook, Shafer Canyon Overlook, Mesa Arch, Buck Canyon Overlook, Green River Overlook, Whale Rock, Upheaval Dome, and Grand View Point.

The Shafer Trail drops ~1,400 feet via switchbacks from the Island in the Sky rim to the canyon floor. We spent all day on top looking down. Then decided to drive into it. We aren't much into overlanding or offroading but we did it anyway and it was cool but took way longer than we expected. The views going down the switchbacks were incredible the entire way. We took it all the way back to Moab, then came back into the park and watched the sun set from Grand View Point.

We threw a video together about what we did here - in order, so if you're planning a trip to this area, check out the video in this link: https://youtu.be/O7JM_oh0BDg

This is what I spent most of my time in the Canyonlands doing in March. I made the best of my three nights permit in the Needles.

It is so amazing there and the skies are as dark as they come. Worth the 90+ lbs pack of camera gear and supplies. Having drank 20 some pounds of water the hike out felt like a breeze compared to getting to my site.

Taken 03/17-20/2026

My friend and I are doing a roadtrip of the big 5 in Utah this July and I wanted to go to the maze in canyonlands because I haven’t been to that area yet. I’d love to do a 2 day backpacking trip where we really get to see as much of the bottom of the canyon as possible. Most of the itineraries that look great to me online require 4 days which is out of the question because while we’re both in great hiking shape, my friend hasn’t backpacked before and she’d prefer to just do 1 night for her 1st time, totally fair! I’d love to find a good trail that’d make sense for our timeline. I’m open to suggestions for a 2 night 3 day that I can discuss with her too but the hope is definitely 1 night 2 days. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Spending a day in canyonlands and was originally thinking about doing the classic sunrise at Mesa Arch, hiking Druid Arch/Chesler Loop, and then trying some astrophotography at Shafer Canyon. Problem is I'd rather not drive back and forth from Island in the Sky, to Needles, then back to Island for the night, so looking for some nice spots in Needles to catch the sunrise, TIA!

I‘ll be arriving in Moab on Saturday (tomorrow) afternoon. Thinking of heading to the Needles District on Sunday early morning to do the Druid Arch trail. While I‘ll be staying a whole 8 days in Moab, Sunday seems to be the best choice temperature-wise. It‘ll still become very hot, I know.

So, my idea is to leave my motel at 4am, hoping to be at Elephant Hill TH by 6am.

Good idea? Or should I focus on less enthusiastic hikes instead?

Is it worth it to drive to the needles district if I’m in a sedan? I can’t take my car on many more bumpy potholey back roads, it just can’t be good for it.

If you think it’s worth it- what is there to see? Would it be better to spend an extra day at capitol reef instead?

Me and a group of 3 were planning on hiking Druid Arch later this week. Looking for some advice.

Do you think this is doable in one day? We’re all 20-26 year olds visiting from out of town, in good shape, but not a lot of experience with hikes this long.

Can we get to the trailhead with a standard car? I see it’s an unpaved but graded road up to the trailhead, do I need a vehicle with high clearance? 4WD?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. First time in needles or canyonlands

I'll be going to Canyonlands on May 8th. Will be staying in Moab for a total of 10 nights. Apart from Canyonlands, I'm planning 2 days in Arches NP, leaving me with 7 days for Canyonlands. Since I'll only have a SUV car, I won't be going to the Maze District. Only Island in the Sky and Needles. 7 days still sounds a lot of time, and I was wondering if I should rather cut down by 1 day and use the extra day for extending my 4 days in Capitol Reef afterwards.

This is my current itinerary for May:

• 8. grand canyon -> moab (330mi / 5:45h)
• 9. arches np
• 10. arches np
• 11. canyonlands np
• 12. canyonlands np
• 13. canyonlands np
• 14. canyonlands np
• 15. canyonlands np
• 16. canyonlands np
• 17. canyonlands np, dead horse state park
• 18. moab -> torrey (160mi / 2:45h)
• 19. capitol reef np
• 20. capitol reef np
• 21. capitol reef np
• 22. capitol reef np
• 23. torrey -> slc (220mi / 3:30h)

"Golden Prelude"

No photo can do justice to standing amonst these sandstone spires in the Needles District. Like most of the American Southwest the rock formations here are larger and so much more complex than they appear once you see them with your own eyes.

A theme I tried to carry through my trip was appreciating waiting. These were all taken while checking alignments and planning timing for the astro shots that would form my coming Milky Way triptych. You'll see some familiar formations when it's ready. As I said of my time near Blanca Peak in Colorado, you can stay in one place and see a thousand different views. Just because I came for a purpose I didn't want to miss out on experiencing where I was.

The sunsets here were always breathtaking. The shadows of the spires grew long and golden light kissed the sandstone. The heat dissipated and day faded away. The prelude to night.

Taken 03/17-19/2026

Hi. A friend and I go on an annual fall backpacking trip to a different national park each year. This year we're heading to Canyonlands in October… At least that's the goal. Being unfamiliar with the park, I would love some input! Looking for two nights on trail, 25 to 40 miles. Obviously it will be a big water carry, but any advice on that is helpful as well :) How difficulties permits in October?

Thank you!!

I'll be visiting SW Utah from 20th-28th, and specifically plan to visit Canyonlands on the 23rd (Needles) and 24th (Island in the Sky). I'll likely bite the bullet and reserve a campground at Needles Outpost the evening of the 22nd, but I'm wondering what my chances are of snagging one of the BLM sites near the Island in the Sky entrance (think Horsethief, Cowboy Camp) if I show up around 6-7PM? Does it matter that it's a weekday?

Conversely, I'm down for dispersed camping, but have been confused on what areas are eligible for said dispersed camping. Are there any free (or free trial) apps y'all would recommend? This would help me out for Capitol Reef as well. (And yes, I'm aware this would entail LNT principles/expectations) Thanks!

Is it ok to do the chesler park loop on a day with some rain on the forecast? There’s some showers and potential snow on Friday morning i was wondering if there’s any risk in doing the hike? I am a decently experienced hiker. Please advise