Canyonlands, Utah Attractions
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Top Tourist Attractions in Canyonlands
The Canyonlands travel region in eastern Utah includes the counties of Grand and San Juan.
Canyonlands National Park
Views across portions of Canyonlands National Park are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon. The dramatic landscape of the park includes huge canyons, cliffs, narrow gorges, arches, and other rock formations.
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Natural Bridges National Monument
Just under 100mi/160km southeast of Canyonlands National Park is the Natural Bridges National Monument.There are three natural bridges, the Kachina, the Owachomo, and the Sipapu. They are accessible by short hikes from the trailhead parking lots. The Horsecollar Ruins feature the remains of ancient Native American buildings.
Grand County
Grand County is located in east central Utah and the Canyonland travel region. It is named for the Grande River, now called the Colorado River. The county is the ninth-largest in area of the 29 counties in the state. Over 90% of Grand County is public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park lies just outside of the town of Moab. The park is best known for the hundreds of sandstone arches scattered across the landscape, although there are many other interesting rock formations as well.
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Dead Horse Point State Park
To the west of Arches National Park is the Dead Horse State Park, with magnificent views of the northern part of the Canyonlands National Park and the junction of the Colorado River and Green River. From there it is worth taking a short trip into the Island in the Sky area of the park.The name of the park comes from wild horses that were captured by cowboys and left to die.
Westwater Canyon
80mi/130km northeast of Canyonlands National Park is a popular rafting area in the Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River.
Dewey Bridge
The Dewey Bridge was built in 1916 and is the longest suspension bridge in Utah. It spans the Colorado River on Highway 128, northeast of Moab.
Castle Valley
Near Moab is Castle Valley, with picturesque castle-like rock formations.
Four Corners Monument
Four Corners Monument is a concrete slab marking the spot where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet. It was established in 1868 and is the only place in the United States where four states intersect at the same point.
Hovenweep National Monument
The Hovenweep National Monument features six groups of ancestral Pueblo ruins on 785 acres of land. The ruins date back more than 700 years. The largest of the ruins is Square Tower, with a loop trail for hiking and a visitor center.
Hovenweep - Ranger Station
The exhibits at the Hovenweep Ranger Station include a video about the ruins. Rangers are available for guided tours. Two hiking trails begin at the ranger station.
San Juan County
San Juan County is located in the far southeastern corner of Utah. It is the largest in area of the 29 counties in the state. It is part of the Canyonland travel region and named for the river which flows through it.
Navajo Indian Reservation
The Navajo Indian Reservation, which takes in sections of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, covers 27,000 square miles. One of the most visited tourist sites within the reservation is Monument Valley.
Blanding
Blanding (pop. 3,200) is the largest town in San Juan County. The town is located 21 miles south of Monticello at an elevation of 6,036 feet in the Four Corners area of the Colorado Plateau. There are branches of the College of Eastern Utah and Utah State University in Blanding.
Dinosaur Museum
The Dinosaur Museum in Blanding has a collection of fossils and paleontology exhibits, as well as a 360-pound meteorite. The museum tells the history of the dinosaurs with skeletons, footprints, and realistic sculptures.
Edge Of the Cedars State Park
The Edge of the Cedars State Park in Blanding has Indian Pueblo ruins and a museum. The museum features a collection of Anasazi pottery and other artifacts and a fine photography exhibit.
Huck's Museum and Trading Post
Huck's Museum and Trading Post is located in Blanding. It features an excellent collection of Anasazi weapons and crafts.
Westwater Ruin
The ruins of the Westwater Pueblo is located a short drive from Blanding and features 13 rooms and 5 kivas.
Bluff
Bluff (pop. 250) is located on the banks of the San Juan River, 26mi/42km south of Blanding at an elevation of 4,380 feet. Bluff was the first major settlement in San Juan County, though many of the original settlers moved north to Blanding and Monticello due to floods and drought. It is the third-largest town in the county.
Kumen Jones House
The Victorian Kumen Jones House in Bluff was built in the late 1880's by one of the town's first settlers. It features excellent stone work. It is now privately owned.
Nick Lovace House
The Nick Lovace House was built in the 1890's and was the home of Bluff's first stone mason. It is located at the northeast end of town and is surrounded by lilacs, cottonwoods and wild roses.
Sand Island
Sand Island is located 3mi/5km west of Bluff. This is the spot where many whitewater trips down the San Juan River begin. There are also hundreds of Native American petroglyphs in the area.
Barton Cabin
The Barton Cabin is the oldest historic building in Bluff. It is the last remains of the Bluff Fort built by Joseph Barton in 1880.
Library
The Bluff Library building was once the town's first schoolhouse and the San Juan County Jail. The original structure was built in the 1890's.
Pioneer Cemetery
Near Bluff on U.S. 191 are the ruins of the Pioneer Cemetery which was established in 1880.
Mexican Hat
Mexican Hat (pop. 90) is a small town in San Juan County, named for a sombrero-shaped stone nearby. The town is located 22mi/35km north of the Arizona border and across the San Juan River from the Navajo Indian Reservation at an altitude of 4,350ft/1,326m. Oil and uranium mining are the main industries.
Goosenecks State Park
Goosenecks State Park is on the San Juan River 10mi/16km north of Mexican hat. It features a 1,000ft/305m deep chasm that shows off 300 million years of rock formations. Picnic areas, primitive camping, and an observation shelter are available within the park.
Valley Of The Gods
Near the small town of Mexican Hat in southeastern Utah is the Valley Of The Gods. The scenery in the area features red sandstone rocks and is similar to the more popular Monument Valley.
Eastland
Eastland is a small agricultural community in San Juan County, located 11mi/18km east of Monticello and 15mi/24km west of the Colorado border. The town sits at an elevation of 7,050ft/2,150m.
Newspaper Rock
Newspaper Rock is a rock wall with petroglyphs and pictographs left by ancient Native American cultures over a period of 1000 years. It is located 26mi/42km northwest of Monticello on Route 211 on the road into Canyonlands National Park.
White Mesa Indian Reservation
The White Mesa Ute Indian Reservation is part of the larger Ute Mountain Tribe. The headquarters for the tribe are in Towaoc, Colorado. Most of the residents live in the community of White Mesa which is located 12mi/19km south of Blanding.
White Mesa
The village of White Mesa (pop. 280) is located on the White Mesa Indian Reservation at an elevation of 6,200ft/1,890m.
Goulding
Accommodation and facilities for visitors to Monument Valley are available in the small town of Goulding.
Gouldings Trading Post and Museum
The Gouldings Trading Post was established in 1923. It now functions as a lodge, museum and visitor information center. It is located in southern Utah just north of the Arizona border. Film memorabilia and a recreation of the original trading post are featured.
La Sal
The small town of La Sal (pop. 340) is located in northern San Juan County next to the La Sal Mountains at 7,000ft/2,133m.
Monticello
Monticello (pop. 1,960) is the county seat and second-largest town in San Juan County. The town is located in the Blue Mountains at an elevation of 7,069ft/2,155m.
Frontier Museum
The Frontier Museum in Monticello is located in the San Juan County Library. It features exhibits on natural and local history and western frontier life.
Lloyd's Lake Park
Lloyd's Lake Park is located near Monticello. It features a hiking trail, picnic area, volleyball court, and horseshoe pits. The lake has trout fishing.
Pioneer Park
Monticello's Pioneer Park features a replica of an 1888 log church and a pioneer cabin.
City Park
The Monticello City Park at Main and Central displays a 1913 Bigfour tractor.
Manti National Forest - La Sal Division
The Manti - La Sal National Forest covers 1,238,419 acres in southeastern Utah. The La Sal Division includes the ranger districts of Moab and Monticello.
Moab Ranger District
The Moab Ranger District is located in the La Sal division of the Manti-La Sal National Forest. It includes the La Sal mountains east of Moab, with peaks as high as 12,000ft/3,660m.
Monticello Ranger District
The Monticello Ranger District is located in the La Sal division of Manti-La Sal National Forest. It includes the Blue Mountain range. There are many pictographs, petroglyphs and stone dwellings left by ancient Native American civilizations.
Dark Canyon Wilderness
The Dark Canyon Wilderness area includes 45,000 acres of the Monticello Ranger District in Manti - La Sal National Forest.The area features deep sandstone canyons with walls reaching heights of 3,000ft/914m. Wildlife in the area includes mule deer and cougars. There are also petroglyphs and rock art left by ancient Native American civilizations.
