Carved out of vast sedimentary rock deposits by the Colorado River, Canyonlands National Park preserves a fascinating and colorful landscape full of canyons, mesas, and buttes. The river and its tributaries divide the park into four natural districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers themselves, each with its own character and opportunities for exploration. Hiking, biking, boating, horseback riding, and four-wheel driving are the most common activities in the park's backcountry, though there is plenty to see for daytrippers as well.
The accessible Island in the Sky offers expansive views and short hiking trails, while kids will like the cowboy camp and prehistoric pictographs at the Needles, and the rock art in Horseshoe Canyon. For an unusual evening, stargazers should spend a moonless night in the canyon, where they can see more than 2500 stars with the naked eye and, in the right conditions, even the rings of Saturn.
