Canyonlands National Park & Dead Horse Point State Park

Here’s a brand-new national park for our books: Canyonlands. Located right outside Moab, pretty much across the street from Arches, this park couldn’t be more different than Arches from the other. We head out north of Moab, to the Island In the Sky part/entrance of the park. How to describe it? A must-see. A blend of Grand Canyon and Monument Valley meets off-roaders dreams! But for day 1, we’ll stay on the paved roads…

After getting our bearings at the Island In the Sky visitor center we explore the various sights including Shafer Canyon Overlook, Whale Rock, Aztec Butte, Green River Overlook, Orange Cliffs Overlook and Grand View Point. With a dog in tow, the hiking trails are all off-limits to us, but the overlooks provide a stunning insight into this amazing park.

Before sunset, we leave the National Park and head into the adjacent Dead Horse Point State Park, just off the north entrance. From here (dogs allowed), we have a beautiful view of the Colorado River, Potash Road, Shafer Trail and towards Canyonlands National Park. In addition, we get to people-watch, check out a young couple getting their engagement photos taken and families around us enjoying the sunset with us. This park is absolutely not to be missed!