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Canyonlands National Park– an Introduction
The Canyonlands National Park of Utah is one of the well known U.S national parks lying in nearness to the city of Moab. This popular national park in U.S is actually located at the Utah Canyon Country. Moab, the small town acts as the serene gateway to it. The Arches National Park is another USA national park located at the proximity of the Canyonlands National Park. The park is divided into three individual districts by the Colorado and Green River. The districts are known as the Island in the Sky, the Needles and the Maze. It is truly an experience for life to visit the Canyonlands National Park and will ever last as a cherishing memory.
Visiting Canyonlands National Park
If you are really planning to visit the Canyonlands National Park then make it sure to make the itinerary elaborate enough as there is enough to explore in the park and in the neighborhood in proximity to it. If you want to divide the attractions in a broad scale, then each of the three districts of Canyonlands National Park should be explored. Apart from that, the White Rim Road, the Orange Cliffs unit or the Glen Canyon, the Horseshoe Canyon, the Green river, the Colorado River and the Cataract River are places worth to be visited. Besides, there are couple of other places dispersed throughout the region and the most important them happens to be, Arches National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Hovenweep National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument.
Camping: The major camping sites in the Canyonlands National Park are the Squaw Flat Campground and the Willow Flat Campground. The Squaw Flat is located in the Needles district. The accommodation is mainly based on first come first serve. There are various facilities such as, bathrooms, fire grates, picnic tables; tent pads and water are available here round the year. A group of maximum 10 people with 2 vehicles at most are accommodated here. The Willow Flat on the other hand lies in the Sky District. It is also available on first come first serve basis. The facilities offered are, fire grills, tables and vault toilets. There are 12 sites in it.
Guided Tours: One can go for planned guided tour itineraries around Canyonlands National Park. The most exciting guided trip happens to be the Guided raft trip through Cataract Canyon. The guided tours provide an opportunity to experience and discover the wonderful Canyonlands National Park.
Opening Hours
The Island in the Sky Visitor Center:
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During March through October the hours get extended.
The Hans Flat Ranger Station in Maze:
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Needles Visitor Center:
Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., During March through October the hours get extended.
How to Reach
Air: The airport that serves Canyonlands National Park is the Canyonlands Field Airport. The Great Lakes Airlines is one of the major carriers operating in this airport and offer flights to Denver. The airport is situated at a location lying at a distance of 16 kilometers from downtown Moab towards its north on US Route 191.
Road: There are different routes taking which one can well reach the different districts of Canyonlands If you follow the US Highway 191 en it will be easy to reach the Sky district taking the Utah Highway 313. One can by drive 40 miles (south of Moab or about 14 miles north of Monticello on US Highway 191 and then take Utah Highway 211. Thus the Needles district can be reached. The district of Maze is somehow inaccessible and is difficult to reach. One can drive for about 2 and half hours along the river Green and then take the Utah Highway 24. thus after driving for quite a distance turning to a wheel drive road to the left of the Goblin Valley State park, the Ranger station will be reached and from their the Maze is about 3-6 hours journey.
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