Canyonlands National Park Self-Guided GPS Audio Tour

The journey, in full

Shaka Guide’s Canyonlands National Park tour will take you to the Island in the Sky district - a marvel of geology and scenic views that stretch on for hundreds of miles. The two buttes you can see from this viewpoint, the Monitor and the Merrimac, were named for their resemblance to the first American made ironclad warships. Built during the Civil War, these ships helped usher in the modern era of Naval warfare.  Mountain biking is a popular activity at Canyonlands and the surrounding area. The Navajo Rocks trail is singletrack and varies in difficulty from flowy to technical. You’ll keep driving while we tell you about this spot.  Dead Horse Point State Park lies just off the road to Canyonlands, rests on the same mesa as Island in the Sky, but offers a wholly unique view. Learn about the history, ancient and modern, of this popular state park and scenic overlook.  The Canyonlands Island in the Sky Visitor Center is the only place in the district to find potable water and flushing toilets. Stop here to pay your entrance fee, talk to a ranger, and visit the bookstore. From this viewpoint, you can look down on the Shafer Trail as it winds its way down the mountain via a series of narrow switchbacks. If you’re feeling adventurous and you have the right kind of vehicle, you might consider taking the Shafer Trail back to Moab after the tour.  The trail to Mesa Arch is an easy half-mile round trip over dirt and slickrock. The views at Mesa Arch, and the arch itself, are fantastic at sunrise. And this is a sentiment shared by many because the parking lot begins to fill up while it’s still dark outside. Get started early to make sure you get a spot! If you can’t find a spot, try stopping by in the afternoon after you complete the tour.  The next stop is another iconic formation in the park called the candlestick tower. The name comes from its shape, which resembles a melting candlestick. This 450-foot tower is a popular rock climbing spot. If you visit during fall or winter, you might be able to catch a glimpse of a brave soul or two making their way up the tower. Buck Canyon Overlook offers an amazing canyon view of the gorgeous geological layers in Canyonlands and the beautiful mountains in the distance. At the White Rim Overlook, you can hike a relatively flat,1.8-mile round-trip trail and see a stunning 360 degree view of the canyon. But if you're not feeling up to it, there's also an overlook that requires just a short walk from the parking lot. From this overlook, you can see the handiwork of the Colorado river carving out the landscape. From this overlook, you can see the orange cliff section of Glen canyon recreational area which borders Canyonlands. You can also see the maze district, the most remote part of the park. Looking down from the grand viewpoint, you can see a complex network of canyons carved by the Colorado and green rivers. If you're feeling up for a two-mile round-trip hike, follow the trail to the tip of the island in the sky, mesa. This is one of the best hikes in the entire park. This overlook offers yet another breathtaking view of the canyon over a thousand feet below the road, carved out by the peaceful yet powerful Green River. The river shaped much of the landscape in this part of the country, originating from Wyoming on the left side of the continental divide. Aztec Butte Trail is a 1.7-mile round-trip hike that leads to some ancestral Puebloan stone granary structures with some amazing views. The granary was built roughly 800 years ago, around 1200 AD. The name Whale Rock comes from the rock’s resemblance to a blue whale. It does take a little imagination for you to see it though. There is a one-mile round-trip hike up to the giant rock with great views on top that’s rated as easy to moderate. Known by several nicknames including Utah’s Belly Button, this structure is the biggest mystery of Canyonlands because scientists can’t agree on how it was formed. There are two ways to explore the dome. The first is to follow a one-mile round-trip trail to the overlooks (our recommendation). The second is to hike an eight-mile trail that wraps around the Ridge of the crater. It's not only challenging, but it's also where most of the rescues in the park happen. This is a rough 12-mile round-trip hike with a steep descent into the canyon. There, you’ll find two 500-foot rock towers named Moses and Zeus.