Island in the Sky District, March 2015

Less than an hour’s drive from Moab, Utah, the Island in the Sky District is the most frequented of Canyonlands National Park’s four sections. What squiggly canyons and spindly knobs are to the nearby Needles District, sweeping overlooks are to Island in the Sky. While hiking is the most encouraged activity of this blog, Island in the Sky offers plenty of entertainment for the casual visitor averse to straying too far from the car. Utah Highway 313—the gateway to Island in the Sky—provides stunning vistas in itself, and easily-accessible overlooks in the park are a dime a dozen.

See below for a photo gallery covering some of the highlights from a day at the Island in the Sky. (For extra credit, try one of the short hikes in Island in the Sky District featured on this blog.)

Highway 313 en route to Island in the Sky from Moab

Monitor and Merrimack Buttes along Highway 313

View of Monument Basin from Grand View Point, at the end of the road in Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park

View of Soda Springs Basin and the Green River from Green River Overlook

Aztec Butte from the Aztec Butte Trail

Granary near Aztec Butte

View of Trail Canyon from atop Aztec Butte

Westward view from an unmarked viewpoint on the road to Upheaval Dome

A sole raven keeps watch over the Shafer Canyon Overlook at the Island in the Sky