Canyonlands National Park was the second stop on my Wild West Sister Weekend Roadtrip. We first visited Arches then left Moab to explore the next National Park on our itinerary. 

EXPERIENCE

Canyonlands is not too far from Moab. Along the way be sure to stop at Dead Horse State Park for fantastic views of the Colorado River Goose Neck from above. This park is a great place for sunset as well. After this we hit Canyonlands, which was a pretty brief stop for us. Mesa Arch was the highlight and the stunning landscape was worth visiting for. 

STAY

We camped in the middle of the Moab Desert the night before arriving to this national park. On the road between Arches and Canyonlands, just before Dead Horse State Park, there is a great little camping area called Horsethief Canyon. We arrived late and were thrilled to secure one of the last campsites around for miles. It was a very busy weekend in Moab with it being Jeep Week, and all national park sites had been booked for months before we even began planning our trip. This was quite a hilarious story, because after weeks of gathering all the right camping provisions, I somehow forgot the tent! We spend that evening sharing a picnic table under the stars. If I were to do it again I’d try to have reserved a camping spot earlier right inside Canyondlands National Park. The night following Canyonlands, we drove on to Durango Colorado and the Strater Hotel (more details of which are in the Colorado Road Trip Post). 

EAT

There is nothing to eat here, bring food or go hungry. I was surprised to find that in both Arches and Canyonlands, no food is for sale in the national park. These places are somewhat remote, so I’d stock up on provisions in Moab before venturing out. If you are looking for a quick bite between parks, Dead Horse State Park appeared to have a food stand as well as fire wood for sale during park hours. We of course arrived so late we missed this. While setting up camp, I’d suggest trying Wyld, the local brew to sip fireside 🙂