Hikes and campgrounds across America

The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park is renowned for elevated views of immense canyons. One of the best east-facing vistas is White Rim Overlook, which offers sweeping 300-degree views from the mid-point a 1.8-mile round trip hike. From the picnic area a mile from the end of Grand View Road, hike east down the trail for a tenth of a mile and turn right at the junction. ...Read more.

The 3.6-mile round trip hike to Murphy Point provides a peaceful outing with excellent views off the western end of the Island in the Sky. This is an excellent morning hike, when the sun first strikes the expansive canyons below the mesa. Alternatively, the wide western view also makes this a recommended sunset trail. The trail is downhill most of the way with only 150 feet of elevation to contend with. ...Read more.

Mesa Arch is an easy to visit landmark in the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park. This pothole arch spans across the mesa's edge, framing a scenic canyon vista. A 0.7-mile loop trail brings you right up to Mesa Arch, one of the park's most popular points of interest. A nature guide is available at the trailhead, and can be used to learn more about park vegetation and geology. ...Read more.

Aztec Butte is one of the more unique hikes in the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park. The trail crosses level grasslands and climbs a steep slope to a dome-shaped butte rising above the mesa. Alcoves along the rim of the butte house Puebloan granaries, which early inhabitants used for storage. A loop around the top of Aztec Butte visits two such granaries and provides excellent views into Taylor Canyon. ...Read more.

Upheaval Dome in the most puzzling geological feature in Canyonlands National Park. A 1.7-mile hike visits two overlooks along the rim of this three-mile wide 1,000-foot deep crater. Geologists have two possible theories for what caused Upheaval Dome, which you can learn about along the trail. From the trailhead, a wide track heads to the right before turning uphill toward the crater. ...Read more.

Surfacing above Upheaval Dome, Whale Rock is a unique natural feature on the western end of a magnificent mesa in Canyonlands National Park known as the Island in the Sky. Two popular theories explain how the bizarre dome/crater called Upheaval Dome came to be, but neither mentions how a whale of a rock ended up stretched across the mesa nearby. Whale Rock is long sandstone formation resembling a giant beached whale that came ashore on the Island in the Sky. ...Read more.

Zion National Park boasts three campgrounds. The six-site Lava Point Campground is located on the north side of the park near the entrance of Kolob Canyon. Watchman campground and South Campground are located at the southern end of Zion Canyon near the park visitor center, and are significantly larger. The 164 sites at Watchman Campground may be reserved from March through October by calling 877-444-6777 or surfing over to recreation. ...Read more.

The Court of the Patriarchs is considered the shortest trail in Zion National Park, and in truth it barely qualifies as a hike. You will probably walk farther to get from your car to the shuttle at the park visitor center than you will to get to the end of this trail. From the Court of the Patriarchs shuttle stop, head east up the paved trail to the viewpoint. ...Read more.