Canyonlands June 2021

Member I

203
Memphis, TN, USA
First Name
David
Last Name
T
Member #

27468

New member looking for any advice regarding Canyonlands NP for 2021. Want to Camp the Island in the sky route.
*best times of year
* what are the best sites to reserve
* how many days should I plan for
* any other must see items
Welcome any and all feedback!!!
 
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New member looking for any advice regarding Canyonlands NP for 2021. Want to Camp the Island in the sky route.
*best times of year
* what are the best sites to reserve
* how many days should I plan for
* any other must see items
Welcome any and all feedback!!!

Are you wanting to do the white rim trail?
 
Heading that way in the spring most likely. I'll keep tabs on the Calendar for a Rally Point. I'm making my way to SoCal to get my stuff out of storage and wanted to do multi-week trip out west.
 
We did White Rim on a 3 days mountain bike trip, in November 2019. it's beautiful. By car you can do it in 2 days but I heard it could be pretty challenging to find a campground as they usually are sold-out the day they become available online, there is no dispersed camping. Best time of the year is October-November as the weather is cooler.

Arches NP is a must see if you're travelling in the area.
 
White rim campsite reservations are likely sold out by now, you have to reserve well in advance. I just reserved 4 nights in the Maze and there were very few of those left - and nobody goes to the Maze compared to the other districts.
June is very hot in Canyonlands. Even early June is 90’s every day pretty much. Do a bunch of research and go check out the White rim, Elephant hill in the Needles & a bunch of others. I love Canyonlands and pretty much all of Southern Utah is amazing!
 
We were on white rim in June. We only camped at the first campground ( Air Strip ? ) or something. It was fully booked, but we were the only ones there. We saw a ranger while on the trail and he told us that was fairly common.
 
New member looking for any advice regarding Canyonlands NP for 2021. Want to Camp the Island in the sky route.

*best times of year

May, or October. Sorry, you did ask :-)

* what are the best sites to reserve

You are too late, however you will have BLM land on either end of the Island routes to which you can find a spot. June will be less crowded, but not by much.

* how many days should I plan for

You've only identified a small percentage of Canyonlands. Do you have interest in Needles or the Maze?

* any other must see items

As stated above, I would highly recommend Needles, or any of the tracks a few ticks north of Hite Outpost. You will have significantly less people, with just as dramatic of scenery and adjacent to the Park.
 
Hello. I did the White Rim trail in September 2018. Weather was great in the Fall. I did it in 2 days, but 3 days / 2 nights would be better. More time to relax and explore side trails. The picture below is the Airport C/D campsite. That was great, but can be windy. My ground tent was fine, but it might get loud for higher rigs/RTTs. If you want other camping near Moab/Canyonlands, check out the sites on the Gemini Bridges trail, just outside Moab. There are a handful of sites in the canyon (first-come basis). That’s the second picture with the canyon wall behind the tent.
 

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whatever block you fall in you need to book the day it opens Reservations opens at 8am PST

Important Dates
Important Dates

DATESINFORMATION
November 10, 2020All locations for March 10 – June 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
February 10, 2021All locations for June 10 – September 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
May 10, 2021All locations for September 10 – December 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
August 10, 2021All locations for December 10 – March 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
 
Hello. I did the White Rim trail in September 2018. Weather was great in the Fall. I did it in 2 days, but 3 days / 2 nights would be better. More time to relax and explore side trails. The picture below is the Airport C/D campsite. That was great, but can be windy. My ground tent was fine, but it might get loud for higher rigs/RTTs. If you want other camping near Moab/Canyonlands, check out the sites on the Gemini Bridges trail, just outside Moab. There are a handful of sites in the canyon (first-come basis). That’s the second picture with the canyon wall behind the tent.

You mentioned a stay at Airport, what was the other campsite you used?

I’m planning a trip in May and have only been able to secure spots at Taylor and Hardscrabble (both on the western side of the trail). Are we setting ourselves up for too long of a day trying to complete the trail from Hardscrabble?
 
Hello. I did the White Rim trail in September 2018. Weather was great in the Fall. I did it in 2 days, but 3 days / 2 nights would be better. More time to relax and explore side trails. The picture below is the Airport C/D campsite. That was great, but can be windy. My ground tent was fine, but it might get loud for higher rigs/RTTs. If you want other camping near Moab/Canyonlands, check out the sites on the Gemini Bridges trail, just outside Moab. There are a handful of sites in the canyon (first-come basis). That’s the second picture with the canyon wall behind the tent.

You mentioned a stay at Airport, what was the other campsite you used?

I’m planning a trip in May and have only been able to secure spots at Taylor and Hardscrabble (both on the western side of the trail). Are we setting ourselves up for too long of a day trying to complete the trail from Hardscrabble?

Hey. In Canyonlands NP, I just spent the one night at Airport, and finished the trail late on the second afternoon (exiting the west side). Assume you’re starting on the west side to finish via Shafer switch-backs? If so, that’s a long day, but I think it’s possible to finish in daylight. You’ll just need to keep moving. One note- When I went it was dry, and the conditions were great for driving. If it was wet/muddy, I would add a few hours to the plan. I hope this helps- so many variables in how people like to travel, pace, etc.
 
whatever block you fall in you need to book the day it opens Reservations opens at 8am PST

Important Dates
Important Dates

DATESINFORMATION
November 10, 2020All locations for March 10 – June 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
February 10, 2021All locations for June 10 – September 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
May 10, 2021All locations for September 10 – December 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
August 10, 2021All locations for December 10 – March 9 available for reservation. Reservations close two days prior to a trip start date.
Thanks for sharing this. May i ask if this is to reserve site within Utah? is it the same recreation.gov site?
 
them dates are for the White rim campsite overnight permits, once you reserve campsite it will send link to obtain permits
 
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