Went in for a map but they only have maps for purchase. Restrooms available. Informational items…read moreand souvenirs offered. You can also donate to the public lands in the state of your choice. That was cool. Some nice flexible metallic, UV resistant stickers. Walking staff accessories. Fun stop.

Super friendly and helpful people staff this place. Inside, you will find dioramas and displays…read moreabout points of interest, as well as a small shop selling hats, postcards, toys, and various sundries. The bathrooms are clean. It's worth a stop!

Stunning! Absolutely stunning!…read moreI've traveled on four continents and this is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Park Avenue was my favorite, then the Delicate Arch, but holy heavens, around literally every turn there was another absolute stunner of a view. I took easily 100 pictures during my relatively short time in the park. Then, when you drive back out, you see all the same stunning views, but at different angles, and you experience those things in a brand new way. This was easily the highlight of my 3,600 mile, 12-day, 9-state road trip. You have to come here, it is nearly unbelievable how beautiful it is. You have to experience it for yourself. Absolutely one of the most beautiful places in the US, without question!

Arches NP actually was a pleasant surprise to me. I'd heard it's small and underwhelming compared…read moreto other parks (e.g. Zion) which I do believe is true re: the size comparison, but honestly I don't think you should compare this park to ones like Zion/Glacier because the expectation is just different. This park's hikes follow one long main road that ends around a campsite area that goes to several arches including Broken Arch. I drove out their first and did this hike which is really more of a long trail. The arch was MUCH bigger than I'd expected, and it was cool to see! The weather wasn't the best -- scattered light showers creeping in but thankfully it never rained too heavily, and despite the trails being all sand/sandy dirt, my shoes stayed fairly dry and it didn't get too muddy. Along this trail are some other arches e.g. tapestry arch (there's three of them connected together). The trail is pretty flat and manageable for almost anyone, just a few areas that are a little more uphill than most but no scrambling or anything. Other cool hikes are the delicate arch trail (even if you just do the short viewpoint one, which I did), the sand dune arch, and the double arch/north window arch (more of a long walk than a hike). The skyline arch is also a nice easy pull off pic (or short walk to get closer), and the Park avenue and Garden of Eden viewpoints (+- other early viewpoints in the park) are absolutely stunning. If you're in the area, I would absolutely rec a trip to Arches NP! If you only have time to do one park in the area my personal pref would be Canyonlands rather than arches, but you can certainly see near all of arches within a day (or even a few hours if you just want to hit some of the major spots) whereas Canyonlands is MASSIVE and some areas require AWD/high clearance so Arches is much more accessible. If you really just want to hit the highlights in both, you can do it in one day (that's what I did -- left around 7a to go to mesa arch and grand overlook viewpoints @Canyonlands, then drove to arches and hit all those short trails/viewpoints mentioned above. Was done by about 6p the same day).

This week's adventure took us through the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park,…read moreand every stop seemed to top the last. Stop #1: Island in the Sky Visitor Center Started the day with incredible views overlooking the famous Shafer Trail, with its dramatic switchbacks winding down the canyon walls. It's an amazing introduction to the park's vast landscape. Stop #2: Aztec Butte A short hike led us to ancient Puebloan granaries tucked into the sandstone cliffs. Standing where people lived and stored food hundreds of years ago adds a whole new layer to the scenery. Stop #3: Upheaval Dome One of Canyonlands' biggest mysteries! Scientists still debate whether this enormous crater-like formation was created by a meteorite impact or the collapse of an underground salt dome. Whatever its origin, it's a fascinating place to explore. Canyonlands is massive, rugged, and absolutely unforgettable. Every overlook makes you feel tiny in the best possible way.

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Canyonlands National Park was another fascinating stop in our Utah adventure. Canyonlands is a park of enormous scale. It is hard to truly understand the size of this landscape until you are standing at the viewpoints looking out over endless canyons, mesas, and cliffs carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers over millions of years. The views are dramatic and humbling. Located close to Moab, Canyonlands has a very different atmosphere from some of the quieter parks we visited. Moab itself is like an outdoor playground, especially for people who love off-road adventures, mountain biking, dirt bikes, four-wheel drives, and exploring the backcountry. That energy definitely carries into the park. Of all the parks we visited on this trip, Canyonlands was probably the busiest and, personally, not one of my favorites. That does not mean it was not beautiful. It absolutely was. It just has a different feeling. Much of Canyonlands is experienced from above, looking down into the incredible maze of canyons below. Getting into the deeper parts of the canyon system requires more time, preparation, and often specialized equipment, especially if you want to explore beyond the main viewpoints. Since we only had two days, we focused on hiking and exploring the more accessible areas. I enjoyed several beautiful trails, including the hike to Mesa Arch, one of the park's most iconic viewpoints. Seeing the arch framing the vast canyon landscape beyond it was spectacular. We also explored other overlooks and trails where the views seemed to go on forever. One challenge for us was accessibility. My husband has mobility limitations, and Canyonlands does not offer as many easy, accessible trails or paved perimeter paths compared with some other national parks. Many of the experiences are geared more toward people who want longer hikes, rugged trails, or backcountry adventures. That said, Canyonlands is still an impressive place. The sheer size, the geology, and the views are unforgettable. Standing above those massive canyons gives you a sense of the incredible forces that shaped this land over millions of years. For visitors who love hiking, off-road exploration, backpacking, or seeing landscapes from dramatic viewpoints, Canyonlands is definitely worth visiting. For us, it was not the emotional favorite of the trip, but it was still an important piece of the incredible diversity we experienced across America's national parks.

We took this as a side trip and we really should have given this more time. If you are thinking of…read morecoming here, I recommend looking at all the activities offered to see how much is here to do so you won't feel as though you missed out on some of what makes this park FUN! As for us, we ran around the valley, played hide and seek, marveled at how these "goblins" were made and just had a great adventure with the time we had.

A triumph of both western topography and federalism. This is one of those awesome parks that would…read morein some ways be less special if it were "upgraded" to a national park. It's great the way it is. Just a few notes: -- the campsite is just amazing; you are nestled in among caves and washes, and your kids can merrily wander off "to the kids cave" or climb up onto a crest and watch the sunset or the rhythm of the campsite. They do have a shared bathroom with running water, which keeps the place just civilized enough for moderately experienced car campers. -- at the same time, this place is really remote. If you realize at campside that your propane stove doesn't work, you would have to drive an hour each way to Green River to get more. Instead, you will just have to figure out how to boil coffee and macaroni and cheese over a campfire. -- the stars. The city lights are far far far away, and the desert sky is clear, so you can see so so many stars. And if you sit and stare at them you see more. The only place I have ever seen so many stars in my life is standing on the side of the road outside Marfa, TX. -- two decades ago this was one of the first camping trips of my life, and it remains a special place in my heart.

I had friends in town from out of state. I took them to the Eastern Utah Tourism and History…read moreAssociation to get some ideas on where to go. They helped us so much! They gave us so much good information! They know so much about the area and they really helped make our visit great! My friends even got some great books and rocks from them to remember their trip!

From the owner: We are your one-stop shop for all things Eastern Utah. We carry a full line of brochures to help…read moreyou plan your trip and our Interpretive Bookstore features great titles in local and regional history, prehistory and geology. We also carry a wide variety of maps and guidebooks.

Back in June 2022, I went to Canyonlands National Park (NPS). I dropped by their visitor center to…read morepick up some magnets as I always do. It's a very nice visitor center with tons of souvenirs. The center wasn't that big, but organized and clean. Staff was friendly and very helpful. Tons of people looking around and shopping. They have lots of goodies and souvenirs. Restrooms are outside... they have actual little potty stands in a building. So do drop on by and check them out when you're at Canyonlands NPS. You may find something nice to bring back home as a remembrance of your lovely visit. Happy Canyon'ing!

I had most incredible experience solo camping and canoeing out here. The peacefulness, the awe of…read morebeauty, the sheer magnitude of it all, it's really something quite special. Photos and videos do not do it justice. You have to experience it for yourself, seriously! Every new bend around the corner was even more breathtaking than the last. If you get a chance, definitely paddle the river. It's a whole new perspective down there!!

Dead Horse Point State Park is absolutely stunning--and pet friendly! The overlooks alone are worth…read morethe stop, but there are also several trails to choose from. We hiked the East Rim Trail, which connects to the West Rim Trail, for a total of about 3.9 miles. I'd rate it as easy to moderate: mostly flat with a few sections of light climbing. The views throughout the hike are breathtaking, and when we went, it wasn't crowded at all. Keep in mind that the park is very hot with almost no shade, so bring plenty of water. If you're traveling with a dog, be mindful of the ground temperature to avoid burning their paw pads. The visitor center itself isn't pet-friendly, but the bathrooms are located outside and accessible. My only complaint is that the trail markers could be clearer--since some trails overlap, it can get confusing. Entry is $20 per vehicle, paid at the gate. We spent about 2.5 hours exploring, though you could easily stay longer if you want to sit, relax, and take in the scenery. Overall, this is a must-visit stop in Moab.

Island in the Sky is the most popular/visited part of this massive national park (Canyonlands)…read more This is because it is the most easily accessible part for most people traveling in regular cars/RVs (whereas other parts of the park e.g. the needles require high clearance/AWD). This visitor center is clean, nice, and well equipped. The NPS staff are friendly and helpful and the info video is very interesting (that's where I learned about the other three main sections of the park!) and runs often. The gift shop is located here too, and there are water fill stations. Do note that the bathrooms here are all the "glorified portapotty" kind where you don't flush/there is hand sani but they are not air conditioned and do have that classic outdoor bathroom smell. Nevertheless, they were fairly clean/well taken care of. The parking situation is decent; there is one main row of spots that do fill, but there is a lot of turnover so I did get a spot quickly and most folks behind me did too while others were leaving. Of note, the overlook just across the street from the visitor center of the monument basin is one of the best views in the park -- definitely stop here for pictures before you go!

This visitor center is on the smaller side, but packed with information about points of interest…read moreand great hikes. There is a small gift shop area that is standard through all the NPS visitor centers. The parking lot is small and many people had to park on the side of the road. Pit toilets - as this is a water scarce area, I can see why they would want to avoid the water usage from all of the visitors they receive. If you need potable water they do have a spigot out in front to refill water bottles. It's the only place to get water in the park.

The delicate arch is probably the most famous of the arches in Arches national park. There is a…read moreshort walk to the "viewpoint" where you can see the arch from a few miles away, but there is a longer hike where you can actually get up close to the arch itself. I went to the viewpoint because I was short on time and couldn't do the whole hike. Even from far away you can see pretty clearly what it is, and that there are points on the arch that are skinnier than the rest so it looks like it could easily fall (hence the name "delicate arch"). I think it's worth it to at least go to the viewpoint if you don't have time to do the full trail! It's just a short drive off the main road to get to the parking lot that leads to the viewpoint, and the walk takes about 10 min or less (there is a pretty good sized hill though -- be mindful if you have mobility restrictions that getting to the top of the viewpoint could be difficult). Of note, there are a couple national park bathrooms at the lot (the kind with sanitizer that don't flush). They had just been pumped out when I arrived (saw the staff undoing the pumps and leaving) so they were actually very clean and didn't have any smell. I don't know if they're usually like that but it was one of the cleanest experiences I've had involving a national park bathroom!

Delicate Arch is the face of this national park, maybe for the entire park service, Moab, UT, and…read moreeven the American West. The first known photo of this arch was taken in 1906, and it appeared in LIFE magazine in 1953.  We climbed up to the top of the hill, which is opposite the arch. The Green Rock signifies the change of time. The green sediments come from a humid era in Archer's Jurassic past, which included braided rivers, floodplains, and a nearby volcano. Volcanic ash full of iron settled atop clay, silt, and other sediments here.

As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Capitol Reef National Park became one of the most beautiful surprises of the entire journey. The drive from Death Valley to Capitol Reef was already an adventure, with constantly changing landscapes along the way. But nothing prepared us for the moment we arrived. Suddenly, the desert opened up into an incredible world of red rock formations, towering cliffs, and colors that seemed almost impossible. It was breathtaking. Capitol Reef is a smaller national park compared to some of the giants we visited, but it has a beauty and personality all its own. In fact, it became my husband's favorite park of the entire trip. There is something about the combination of landscapes, colors, history, and peacefulness that makes this park truly special. The scenery changes dramatically throughout the park. One area is filled with the famous red rock formations, cliffs, and sandstone walls that look like they were painted by nature. Then, as you explore other areas, the landscape changes into lighter limestone formations, with shades of yellow, cream, and gray. Everywhere you look there is a different view, a different texture, and a different color. One of the unique things about Capitol Reef is the historic Fruita area, where early settlers planted orchards along the Fremont River. Today, visitors can still see these beautiful fruit groves, which feel almost magical surrounded by the desert landscape. There is also a historic building in the Fruita area where they sell homemade fruit pies, and it is incredibly popular for a reason. The pies are absolutely delicious. We could not resist and enjoyed having pie and ice cream one morning for breakfast. When you are traveling, sometimes breakfast rules become a little more flexible! The park also has fascinating history, including ancient petroglyphs left by the Fremont people. Seeing these markings carved into the rock walls was a powerful reminder that people have been connected to this landscape for thousands of years. The hiking was another highlight. I especially enjoyed hiking through the Narrows, where I was able to explore on my own and experience the beauty and quiet of the canyon. Walking through the towering walls, surrounded by the colors and textures of the desert, was unforgettable. Capitol Reef feels like nature's own painting. The reds, oranges, yellows, blues, turquoise, and greens all come together to create a landscape that is constantly changing depending on the light. It is a park that invites you to slow down, look around, and appreciate the incredible creativity of the natural world. Capitol Reef may not always get the same attention as Utah's more famous parks, but it deserves it. It is beautiful, peaceful, full of history, and absolutely worth the visit.

This is an amazing national park. One thing I noted about the park is that it offers things for…read morepeople to do regardless of their activity level. If you're super fit and want to do hikes, good for you as there's plenty of strenuous hikes! If you aren't as active or use a mobility assistive device, you can travel on the very, very scenic drive and also learn about the ghost town of Fruita (although the NPS employees live there). If you time your visit right, you can even pick fruits from the orchards. I combined the Rim Overlook trail with the trail to Hickman Bridge to get amazing views, as well as hiked the Cassidy Arch trail. The trails weren't too crowded, so it was a great place to listen to nature and focus on hiking. You're rewarded with amazing views. Definitely hit up Gifford Homestead for fruit pies. They often sell out in the afternoon.