1 caution
The Mineral Bottom Road switchbacks and west side of the White Rim Road still have slippery and muddy sections due to recent rains. Travel is not recommended until the roads fully dry out.
Island in the Sky Campground (Willow Flat) has 12 sites, first-come, first-served. The campground is open year-round. The spectacular Green River Overlook is nearby. Nightly camping fee is $15 per site. Sites fill quickly spring through fall. There are toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings in the campground. There is no water at the campground. You can get drinking water outside the visitor center spring through fall.
The Needles Campground has 26 individual sites. Nightly camping fee for an individual site is $20. You can reserve some individual sites spring through fall. Other times of the year, individual sites are first-come, first-served. There are toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings in the campground. This park district also has three group campsites described on a separate page.
The Needles district has three group campsites in different locations, which can accommodate up to 15, 25, or 50 campers (respectively). Group campsites may be reserved for nights between mid-March and mid-November.
The central backcountry office is located at park administrative offices south of Moab. Rangers can answer questions about backcountry travel over phone or email and issue permits online.
Canyonlands administrative offices are about five miles south of Moab on US 191.
The remote Hans Flat (Maze) Ranger Station is normally open daily year-round. This ranger contact station has a picnic table and vault toilet, and a small selection of books and maps for sale. There are no services, food, gas, trash collection, electricity for visitor use, nor potable water in The Maze. The nearest communities with amenities are Hanksville (68 miles) and Green River (86 miles).
Getting to the Maze requires four-wheel-drive and a lot of time. To reach Hans Flat Ranger Station, from I-70 take UT 24 south for 24 miles. A left turn just beyond the turnoff to Goblin Valley State Park will take you along an unpaved, two-wheel-drive dirt road, 46 miles to the ranger station. Blowing sand dunes or precipitation can degrade the road condition at any time. Roads beyond the ranger station require high clearance and four-wheel drive year-round.
The Island in the Sky Visitor Center offers exhibits, book & map sales, park orientation film, backcountry permits, general information, vault toilets, and park rangers on duty. You can get drinking water inside (during open hours) or outside (24 hours a day) during summer and fall. Water is only available inside (during open hours) in winter.
On US 191, drive 10 miles north of Moab or 22 miles south of Interstate 70 (Crescent Junction), then take UT 313 southwest for 22 miles. Follow signs for Canyonlands National Park. Drive time from Moab is roughly 40 minutes to the visitor center.
The Needles Visitor Center normally offers exhibits, book & map sales, backcountry permits, information, picnic area, and park rangers on duty. The park orientation movie (15 minutes) is available on demand. Water is available year-round. When the visitor center is closed in winter, you must self-register for backcountry permits outside the visitor center entrance.
On US 191, drive 40 miles south of Moab, Utah, or 14 miles north of Monticello, Utah, then take UT 211 roughly 35 miles west. Highway 211 ends in The Needles, and is the only paved road leading in and out of the area.
Changes detected in official NPS alerts for Canyonlands.
High desert with wide temperature swings. Flash floods can occur in canyons during summer monsoon season.
Before embarking on hikes, backcountry routes, or winter travel, verify immediate conditions directly with National Park Service staff:
Alerts, closures, and operating notices on this page are fetched directly from the official U.S. National Park Service Developer API. Records are compared using content hashes to detect genuine status updates over time. Secondary topic labels assist quick trip scanning and do not alter official NPS classifications.