Island in the Sky - Canyonlands National Park, Utah - National Park Feature

Island in the Sky is an attraction at Canyonlands National Park, which is located at SW Resource Boulevard in Moab, Utah. It can be reached on US Highway 191 by driving to Utah Highway 313 and then moving 35 kilometers southwest. The Visitor Center is approximately a 40 minute drive from Moab.

The Island in the Sky mesa sits on sheer sandstone cliffs rising over 1,000 feet above the surrounding area. Visitors here can see many different views of the amazing landscape at Canyonlands National Park. This is the easiest district at the park to visit in a short period of time with places to stop along the paved scenic drive to take photographs.

One of the biggest challenges here is the 100 mile White Rim Road, which provides wonderful views of the area but can take a long time to navigate as well as being quite dangerous in bad weather. However, this is a very popular trail and can take two or three days for a four wheel drive vehicle or three to four days by mountain bike. Permits are required for overnight trips along here and visitors are advised to bring plenty of water with them.

Most of the longer hiking trails are considered to be quite strenuous with steep slopes of loose rock and sections of deep sand to negotiate. Taylor Canyon is the longest trail at 20 miles and leads hikers to the Green River, but other trails include Lathrop Canyon, Murphy Loop and Syncline Loop. There are shorter hikes to be taken as well from half a mile to three miles including the Whale Rock Trail, which does have handrails available for the steep climb.

Previous visitors to this place have noted the wonderful scenic views especially of the Green River and the Mesa Arch. The Mesa Arch is only about a half mile walk, where the arch is perched on the edge of a cliff and is a wonderful sight at sunrise. Another relatively easy walk is the Grand View Point Trail providing panoramic views from the end of the Island in the Sky mesa.

The Visitor Center is open throughout the year from 9am to 4.30pm with some extended hours between March and October. Here visitors will find various exhibits and interesting information about Island in the Sky and the rest of the park along with an orientation video. Bottled water can be purchased at the Visitor Center but is not available anywhere else, so it is important to bring a supply along as well

Camping is popular in this area with the Willow Flat Campground open throughout the year on a first-come, first-served basis. There are twelve sites furnished with tables, fire grills and vault toilets but there is no firewood or water available, and the maximum group size is ten people with vehicles limited to two for each group. There are twenty campsites arranged in ten camping areas along the various trails of the White Rim Road, with each one accommodating up to 15 people and three vehicles.