Attachment_G_CANY_LRIP.pdf

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Canyonlands National Park Utah

Canyon Country Outdoor Education fi eld trip to Mesa Arch

Canyonlands Long-Range Interpretive Plan Canyonlands Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Attachment G

Canyonlands Long-Range Interpretive Plan

Canyonlands National Park Utah

Prepared by the Division of Interpretive Planning Harpers Ferry Center National Park Service

December 2003

U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, DC

Opposite: Sandstone spires in Chesler Park, Needles District.

Next Page: The Colorado River in Cataract Canyon.

Contents Page: Common raven.

4 Canyonlands National Park

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 5

Recommendations 27 Summary 27 General 27 Island in the Sky 27 Needles 28 The Maze 29 Rivers 29 Community Outreach Programs 29 Education Programs 29 Research Needs 30 Library and collection 30 Staffi ng 30

Appendix 31 Planning Team 31 Accessibility Guidelines 32

Contents Introduction 7 Executive Summary 7 Purpose 7 The Planning Process 7

Foundation For Planning 9 Park Purpose 9 Park Signifi cance 9 Visitor Experience Goals 9 Interpretive Themes 10 Issues and Infl uences 11 Visitor Experience Issues 11 Visitor-Related Resource Protection Issues 12

The Resource 15 Region 15 The Park 15 A Brief History of the Park 18 Visitor Services Project 19 Existing Interpretive Facilities, Media, and Programs 20

6 Canyonlands National Park

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 7

Introduction

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Canyonlands National Park has an excellent interpretation and education program. Visitors enjoy quality services that meet diverse needs and promote sustainable experiences. In order to maintain and even increase this high level of quality, a variety of actions are recommended over the next 5-10 years. Chief among them are:

• Expand and renovate the Island in the Sky Visitor Center

• Explore options for additional visitor amenities at Island in the Sky

• Improve services for “windshield visitors” (those staying for just a few hours) in the Needles District; this includes front-end research

• Reduce the numbers of diff erent signs at trailheads; improve appearance and eff ectiveness of signs

• Install new wayside exhibits at several locations in and around the park

• Seek ways to augment personal services capacity, including staffi ng increases

• Increase staff involvement with the Maze District. Provide professional expertise and oversight of interpretive activities.

PURPOSE

This Long-Range Interpretive Plan (LRIP):

• Describes goals and issues for visitor experience, interpretation, education, and resource stewardship

• Recommends ways to achieve those goals and address the issues through facilities, interpretive media and programs, and access to resources and experiences

• Provides relevant background information

• This is a long-range plan, spanning from 7 to 10 years. It will join an Annual Interpretive Plan (AIP) and an Interpretive Database to make up a Comprehensive Interpretive Plan (CIP) for Canyonlands National Park. Intended audiences for this LRIP include park staff , interpretive media and facility designers, partners, and regional offi ce staff .

• This plan is congruent with other park plans, including the Canyonlands Strategic Plan, Resource Management Plan, Backcountry Management Plan, and River Management Plan.

THE PLANNING PROCESS

Work on this plan began with a 3-day scoping workshop in July, 1998 in Moab, UT; the work-shop included Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which are part of the Southeast Utah Group (SEUG). Participants included SEUG staff , regional staff , Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) staff , other partners, and the facilitator/interpretive planner from Harpers Ferry Center.

At a second workshop in October, 1998, par-ticipants drafted themes and goals, formally assessed current conditions, and began discuss-ing recommendations. SEUG staff met with the interpretive planner in November, 1999 to fi nal-ize recommendations and other details. Progress on the Canyonlands plan was delayed pending completion of the Arches LRIP. Another work-shop was held in the park in May, 2000. A fi nal workshop was held November 27-29, 2001.

The goals and recommendations in this plan represent a consensus of those involved in the planning process.

Opposite: Hiking in the canyons of the Maze.

8 Canyonlands National Park

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 9

Foundation For Planning

PARK PURPOSE

The park purpose is the reason why Congress set the area aside for protection as a unit of the national park system. The Park was established

“…to preserve an area in the State of Utah possess-ing superlative scenic, scientifi c, and archeological features for the inspiration, benefi t, and use of the public. ”

Public Law 88-590, September 12, 1964

PARK SIGNIFICANCE

Park signifi cance statements tell why the park is special and deserves to be a part of the national park system. Statements of signifi cance clearly defi ne the importance of the park’s resources as they relate to the park purpose. These statements help set resource protection priorities, identify primary interpretive themes, and develop desir-able visitor experiences.

Unique to this vast, contiguous expanse of park-land is an assemblage of striking geologic features, such as multiple and varying rock layers, arches, cliff s, canyons, towers, spires and other formations.

The park provides incomparable opportunities to view this colorful, geologically signifi cant wilder-ness from various perspectives.

The park’s backcountry regions provide oppor-tunities to experience various degrees of solitude, connection to wilderness resources, and personal challenge.

The park preserves an intact remnant of the Colo-rado Plateau’s high desert ecosystem.

The park contains evidence of prehistoric and his-toric cultures and conditions of existence, including world-class archaeological sites and properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park is inseparable from a complex of parks and other public lands; this complex provides a wide range of nearby visitor experiences and activities.

As one of the 10 Colorado Plateau parks, Canyonlands provides important research op-portunities for studying protected ecosystems and environmental change over long periods of time.

VISITOR EXPERIENCE GOALS

Visitor experience goals describe what experi-ences (cognitive, emotional, active, and sensory) are important for visitors to Canyonlands Na-tional Park (NP). These goals provide direction for the design of visitor facilities and services, in-terpretive media and programs, and partnerships.

Visitors will have access to interpretive facilities, media, and services that will:

• Help them meet their personal goals in visiting Canyonlands NP.

• Increase their awareness of the experiences and opportunities available to them.

• Inform them of methods, locations, and opportunities to experience solitude, natural sounds, long-range views, and a feeling of wilderness.

• Present Canyonlands NP within the context of the National Park System.

• Expand their knowledge and appreciation of

- geologic processes, and enhance their ability to identify geologic formations.

- plant and animal communities of the

Colorado Plateau.

- prehistoric and historic resources within

Canyonlands.

- desert safety and resource protection issues.

- minimum impact ethics and methods

- NPS policies, rules, regulations

• Increase their willingness and ability to incorporate that knowledge and appreciation into their conduct and actions while visiting Canyonlands NP.

• Visitors will have the opportunity to safely participate with minimum impact in the many recreational opportunities available at Canyonlands NP (e.g. hiking, climbing, 2W and 4W driving, bicycling, rafting, kayaking, backpacking, night sky gazing, viewing archeological sites, auto sightseeing, picnicking, and camping).

• Visitors will receive accurate and consistent information from a variety of sources, including all park staff , partners, outfi tters, concessioners, and Internet sites.

Opposite: Mountain biking on the White Rim Road.

10 Canyonlands National Park

Primary interpretive themes are summary state-ments of those ideas, concepts, and stories that are central to the nature and signifi cance of the park. Themes will be communicated with the most eff ective and appropriate methods. Visitors will have access to a variety of means of learning about – connecting with – the meanings identi-fi ed by the primary themes.

Geology Canyonlands NP is a place of geologic order.

Layers of rock have systematically recorded chapters of the area’s geologic and biotic past.

Geologic Change Water and gravity are the forces of erosion pri-marily responsible for sculpting the rock layers found in Canyonlands NP into a dramatic and colorful landscape of canyons, mesas, buttes, fi ns, arches, spires, and other geologic forma-tions.

Wilderness Traveling into the backcountry of Canyonlands NP can provide an opportunity for solitude in a location where natural systems and the feeling of wilderness predominate.

Desert Ecology Canyonlands NP preserves a desert environment where the interlocking parts of a rich fabric of geology, climate, and living organisms can be studied and enjoyed. It is a land of contrast and intensity where plant and animal life is diverse, if not obvious.

Prehistoric Cultural Resources Petroglyphs, pictographs, granaries, towers, pottery, tools, and other traces of ancestral Puebloans are found throughout the park. Pres-ervation of these artifacts and the contexts in which they are found are critical to understand-ing and fully appreciating the lifestyle and living conditions experienced by prehistoric peoples.

Historic Cultural Resources Evidence of historic explorations, land uses, inhabitants, and philosophies are apparent throughout the park. This evidence provides a link to past lifestyles and conditions of existence.

Its preservation is critical to understanding and fully appreciating how the area’s human history has infl uenced present conditions.

Interpretive ThemesGeology talk at Grand View Point

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 11

VISITOR EXPERIENCE ISSUES

Accessibility Universal accessibility – including both physical and programmatic access – is a primary goal and continuing initiative. The National Park Service strives to provide optimum access to the maxi-mum number of people possible; this includes access beyond that required by law.

Substantial attention has been given to making park facilities, programs, and experiences ac-cessible. The rugged terrain encountered in this park makes many areas and experiences diffi cult to access, especially for disabled and elderly visi-tors. Interpretive media can provide alternative methods of experiencing the park. Another issue is the accessibility of the park to audiences with little previous access (e.g., ethnic and socioeco-nomic minorities). Many minorities live in cities that are distant from the park.

Safety Park visitors may encounter rugged terrain, slip-pery sandstone, lightning storms, and turbulent whitewater which can cause accidents, injuries and occasional fatalities. Eff ective education enables visitors to safely enjoy these resources.

Several factors make safety education a diffi cult task. Some visitors may enjoy and seek danger-

Issues and Infl uences ous experiences. Modifying behavior through communication is inherently diffi cult. Although repetition is often useful in eff ective commu-nication, there may be message saturation with resulting lack of attention. Many eff ective safety messages should be delivered at the points of key decisions, which may be in remote areas with no interpretive media or personnel.

Front Country Access Much of the park is roadless, or accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles, bicycles, rafts, horseback, or hiking. Visitors who are unable or unwilling to use these methods of transportation have limited access to some spectacular land-scapes. This is especially an issue in the Needles District, where visitors may drive long distances to fi nd that access by paved road is limited. Even a scenic view of The Needles can be diffi cult to fi nd.

Oversight of Interpretation and Education The Park Service and several concessioners pro-vide interpretation and education services. The Park Service is responsible for the quality and consistency of all interpretation and education in the park. This is provided primarily through training and program monitoring. However, the need often exceeds available staff .

Commerical trip in Cataract Canyon

12 Canyonlands National Park

VISITOR-RELATED

RESOURCE PROTECTION ISSUES

Positive and Negative Impacts Park visitors and neighbors impact park resourc-es both positively and negatively. Visitor use can exacerbate harmful resource impacts. Off -road travel by motor vehicles and bicycles, and the use of social trails by hikers causes erosion and damages vegetation. Theft and graffi ti damage archaeological sites. Overcrowding can cause negative impacts to park resources and visitors, especially at scenic viewpoints, on trails, at park-ing areas, and in facilities.

Conversely, positive visitor use can enhance en-joyment and increase public support for resource protection. Public understanding, appreciation, and support of park goals and the agency mis-sion are vital to the success of park operations.

Resource Management Programs Park programs such as backcountry and river management plans, bighorn sheep transplant-ing, exotic species removal, recreation fee demonstration, wilderness designation, and use of alternative energy sources may not be well understood by the public. Quality interpretation and education programs in the park and in neigh-boring communities are required to minimize deleterious impacts and augment public support.

Water Quality Water quality can be aff ected by industrial, com-mercial, and other activities near the park, and by activities in the park. Activities in the park include vehicular traffi c in or near riparian areas, and transport of exotic species to riparian areas.

Air Quality Air quality is a major issue, with pollution com-ing from power plants on the Colorado Plateau and from major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles. Canyonlands has traditionally relied on distance from major areas to preserve both vistas and clean air; this may no longer be suffi cient.

Natural Sounds Natural sounds are just beginning to be recog-nized as a park resource; overfl ights, primarily

Grand County fi fth graders learn about air quality at the Island in the Sky air quality monitoring station.

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 13 from sightseeing aircraft, can impact this re-source signifi cantly. Park management activities (e.g., use of helicopters) can also aff ect this resource.

Night Sky A dark night sky is an important park resource.

Distance from developed areas has helped preserve dark night skies, but encroaching development and indiscriminate night lighting are threats. Lighting in the park (facilities, camp-grounds) also can obscure a dark sky.

Resource extraction and economic development Economic activities near the park can have positive and negative impacts to park resources.

Access to previously inaccessible or little-used areas may increase. Night sky and natural quiet zones can be aff ected. Wildlife can be disturbed, habitats degraded or converted to human uses, and migration routes interrupted. Exotic species and diseases may be introduced. Viewsheds may be disrupted.

Positive impacts can include increased tax revenues, which can support actions such as environmental protection and land use planning.

Standard of living tends to be positively cor-related with involvement in low-impact outdoor recreation.

Actions of Other Agencies Issues include policies and actions regarding cattle trespass (when parklands are not fenced), off -road vehicle use, Revised Statute 2477 regard-ing highway rights-of-way and promotion of previously less accessible areas.

Protection of archeological/paleontological sites Removal or alteration of archeological and paleontological resources destroys the integrity of these sites. Valuable information relating to context and provenience is lost. Park visitors and neighbors must learn that artifacts and fossils are part of our national heritage and must be respected.

Graffi ti The defacing of natural and cultural objects within the park by marking or etching adversely impacts resources and visitor experience.

Exotic species and exotic species management Nonnative species of plants and animals are liv-ing inside park boundaries. They compete with native species for habitat. Exotic species alter desert ecology as well as the appearance of the landscape.

Top: Colorado Boy Scouts assist with graffi ti removal at the Squaw Flat Campground.

Above: Alternative energy at Hans Flat, gateway to the Maze District.

Below: Needles visitors gaze through a telescope at an evening program about the night sky.

14 Canyonlands National Park

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CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

HORSESHOE

CANYON

ISLAND

IN THE

SKY

DEAD HORSE

POINT

STATE PARK

THE MAZE

GLEN

CANYON

NATIONAL

RECREATION

AREA

THE NEEDLES

Big Drop Rapids

Mile Long Rapids

Brown Betty Rapids

Confluence

The Slide

Green

R iver

C o lo ra d o

R iv er

C o lo ra do Riv er

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ANDER

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C A N Y O N

ST I LLW

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C A N Y ON

Moab to Areas in the Park Island In The Sky Visitor Center 32mi/51km Needles Visitor Center 76mi/121km

H O R S E T H I E F P O I N T

Potash

Visitor Center

Mineral Bottom

Druid Arch

Musselman Arch

B E E F B A S I N

WAT E R H O L E

F L AT

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UPHEAVAL CANYO

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LOWER RE D LAKE

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Wilhite

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NORTH

LATH

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TRAIL

F O

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M O N U M E N T B A S I N

L A

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O F S T A N D I N G R

O C

K S

Washer Woman Arch

Angel Arch

Upper Jump

Kirk Cabin

Cleft Arch

Cathedral Butte

Turks Head

Fort Ruin

Moses and Zeus

Harvest Scene

Great Gallery

Tower Ruin

Paul Bunyans

Potty

Fortress Arch

Castle Arch

Permit required for vehicle entry

Road ends at park boundary

Permit required for vehicle entry

No Trail Across River

All Glen Canyon NRA lands north of this line require backcountry permits which are issued by Canyonlands.

Special regulations apply.

Frequently impassable for 4-wheel-drive vehicles

Bobbys

Hole

No Trail Access To River

River Camp Register Box

No Access To River At These Points

6.0

5.0

.0

6.4

3.

4.5

5.5

4.5

.0

5.0

5.6

4.9

3.5

3.4

0.6

6.1

1.3

5.5

1.4

8.

2.7

11.5

2.8

2.7

11.3

5.3

1.0

5.8

6.8

4.0

5.0

12.0

2.0

6.5

1.0

0.5

7.

7.0

2.5

5.0

7.5

2.0

2.5

22.0

3.0

3.5

5.0

5.0

1.5

4.0

8.5

2.5

1.0 3.0

1.0

6.5

2.0

7.0

4.5

2.

2.

4.0

0.6

1.

3.

1.

1.2

2.

4.7

1.5

2.0

1.5 2.1

2.3

2.

0.9

2.4

3.3

0.6

0.8

1.5

2.5

11.5

1.

1.0

1.5

0.

0.5

0.5

0.4

0.5

1.1

1.

0.6

1.

0.

1.0

1.30.

0.5

0.

1.51.0

12.9

1.5

1.7 3.8

1.0

11.0

10.0

1.5 1.3

Island In The Sky Visitor Center to 29mi 47km

Horseshore Canyon Unit to and Green River 49mi 79km

Horseshoe Canyon Unit to 32mi 51km

No through road in Horseshoe Canyon Unit

Hans Flat to 46mi 74km

Road ends 3 miles

Poison Spring Road Often impassable to vehicles

Hans Flat to and Hite Marina 58mi / 93km

Cathedral Butte to

18mi 29km

Needles Visitor Center to

34mi 53km

Needles Overlook to

22mi 35km

To Kane Creek

Road / Moab

To Highway 191 and Moab

9 miles from to park boundary

15 miles from to park boundary

5.

2.2

2.

2.

Overlook/ Paved road

High-clearance, 4-wheel-drive road

Hiking Trail

Unpaved 2-wheel-drive road*

Locked gate

Picnic area

Ranger station

Water available

Self-guiding trail

Boat launch

Developed Campground

Rapids

Backcountry Vehicle Camp

Backpacking Site Trailhead ParkingT

Name Name of Backpacking Zone

At-large Backpacking Zone

*NOTE: Unpaved 2-wheel-drive roads may become impassable after storms.

Mileage (Approx.)1.5

NORTH

Confluence Overlook

Big Spring Canyon Overlook

Colorado River Overlook

Needles Overlook

Dead Horse Point Overlook

Grand View Point Overlook

Green River Overlook

Upheaval Dome

(BLM)

Gooseneck Overlook

Buck Canyon Overlook

Willow Flat

Squaw Flat

Needles Outpost (private)

Indian Creek

(BLM)

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Hans Flat

Elephant Hill

B asin

R o ad

Potash Road

Shafer Trail

A lcove

Spring

Syncline

Loop

CANYON

Joint Trail

Long Canyon Road

Mineral Bottom Road

Lockhart

Fl in t

Trail

White

Road Rim

G oo seberry

Lathrop

W hi te Rim

Road

C h o co la te

D ro ps Tr ai l

P e tes M esa R o u te

T h e

P lu g

(H orsethief T rail)

Mesa Arch (0.5)

Aztec Butte (1.0)

Whale Rock

Neck Spring

Pothole Point

(0.6)

Roadside Ruin (0.3)

Cave Spring (0.6)

Slickrock (2.4)

Cleopatra's Chair

Panorama Point

Ekker

Maze Overlook

The Wall

Chimney Rock

Standing Rock

The Doll

House

Teapot

The Neck

Happy Canyon

Flint Seep

Golden Stairs

North Point

Devils Kitchen

Bobby Jo

Horsehoof

New Bates Wilson

Peekaboo

Shafer

Airport

Gooseberry

White Crack

Murphy Hogback

Candlestick

Potato Bottom

Hardscrabble

Millard

Labyrinth

Taylor

High Spur

Sunset Pass

CP4

CP2

CP5

CP3

CP1

DP1 EC1

EC2

EC3

SQ1

SQ2

LC3

LC2

LC1

BS1

BS2

Syncline

SC3

SC4

SC2

SC1

Orange Cliffs

Maze Area

High Spur

Maze Area

Red Lake/Grabens

Butler/West Side Canyons

Davis/Lavender

Salt/Horse

Needles North

Murphy Point

Upper West Basins

Taylor

Lower Basins

Gooseberry/ Lathrop

High Spur

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 15

Region

Canyonlands is in southeastern Utah, on the Colorado Plateau. The area is mostly high desert characterized by eroded sandstones. It is rugged and spectacular country. Summers are hot and dry. Winters can be cold with occasional snow.

Spring and fall are usually quite pleasant.

Most visitors arrive by automobile from the north or south. Interstate Highway 70 runs east and west, about 50 miles north of the park. Many visitors take Highway 191 south from I-70 and in about 25 miles turn west on Highway 313 to reach the park (an additional 20 miles) to the Island in the Sky District. From the south visitors come north on 191 and turn west on Highway 211 to reach the Needles District. In both cases, visitors can get to the park without stopping fi rst in Moab, where the area’s primary orientation center – the Moab Information Center (MIC) -- is located. Secondary orientation centers are located in Blanding and Monticello.

The Park

Canyonlands National Park was established in 1964. It presently encompasses about 527 square miles. The confl uence of the Colorado and Green Rivers lies within the park. The rivers di-vide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers them-selves. While the districts share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and off ers diff erent opportunities for exploration and encounters with natural and cultural history. The four districts are not directly linked by any roads, so travel between them requires two to six hours by car. Generally, people fi nd it impractical to visit more than one or two districts in a single trip.

ISLAND IN THE SKY

The Island in the Sky sits between two great riv-ers, the Green and the Colorado, and forms the northern and most-visited region of the park.

It is a broad, nearly level mesa that descends about 1200 feet to a sandstone bench known as the White Rim, and from there 1000 feet to the rivers. From the Island visitors can look down on the rivers and upon much of the rest of the park.

Every overlook off ers a diff erent perspective on Canyonlands’ spectacular landscape. The mesa top is accessible by automobile and foot; and the White Rim is traversed by splendid mountain bike, four-wheel-drive, and hiking trails.

The Resource Utah Highway 313 leads to the Island district.

The intersection with US Highway 191 is 10 mi/16 km north of Moab, or 22 mi/35 km south of I-70.

Some travelers on 191 from the north are tempted to take 313 into the Island before continuing south to Moab and the comprehensive informa-tion available at the Moab Information Center.

There is a small kiosk at the intersection of 191 and 313 which gives people a good orientation with several wayside panels. Even if they pass that, the scenery is spectacular, and much of the front-country Canyonlands experience is acces-sible in the Island district. The distance on 313 into the district is about 22 mi/35 km. The visitor center is located just inside the park boundary, and several sites farther along the road provide great sightseeing and hiking as well as more chal-lenging experiences. Driving time to the visitor center from Moab is roughly 40 minutes.

The Island in the Sky Visitor Center is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except some winter holidays), with extended hours March through October. Exhibits, information and publications are available.

Willow Flat Campground is open year-round on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis. There are twelve sites with tables, fi re grills and vault toilets. Fire-wood and water are not available.

White Rim Road The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island mesa top and provides expan-sive views of the surrounding area. Trips usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive ve-hicle or three to four days by mountain bike. All vehicles and bikes must remain on roads. ATVs are not permitted. Under favorable weather conditions, the White Rim Road is considered moderately diffi cult for high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is a challenging mountain bike ride, and requires caution for both vehicles and bikes during inclement weather.

Permits are required for all overnight trips along the White Rim. During the spring and fall, de-mand for permits frequently exceeds the number available; visitors need to make reservations well in advance. Bicyclists and four-wheel driv-ers must stay in designated campsites. Twenty individual campsites are arranged in ten camping areas. Toilets are provided at each campsite.

When there is more than one site at any particu-lar location, they are generally positioned to be out of earshot and, whenever possible, sight of each other.

16 Canyonlands National Park

NEEDLES

The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area. The district’s extensive trail system provides many opportunities for long day hikes and overnight trips. Foot trails and four-wheel-drive roads lead to such features as Tower Ruin, Confl uence Overlook, Elephant Hill, the Joint Trail, and Chesler Park.

Visitors access the district from US Highway

191. About 40 miles (60 km) south of Moab or 14 miles (22 km) north of Monticello, Utah Highway 211 intersects with 191, and heads west roughly 35 miles (56 km) into the district.

Highway 211 ends in the Needles, and is the only paved road leading in and out of the district.

The Needles Visitor Center is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except some winter holidays), with extended hours March through October. Exhibits, information and publications are available.

Squaw Flat Campground is an ideal base camp for day hikes to popular destinations like Chesler Park, Druid Arch and the Joint Trail. There are 26 sites available on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis. Restrooms, fi re grates, picnic tables, tent pads and water are available year-round. The campground typically fi lls every day from March through May and again from September through October. There are also three group campsites which may be reserved in advance.

THE MAZE

The Maze is the least accessible district of Canyonlands. Due to the district’s remoteness and the diffi culty of roads and trails, travel to the Maze requires more time, as well as a greater de-gree of self-suffi ciency. Rarely do visitors spend less than three days in the Maze, and the area can easily absorb a week-long trip.

The Orange Cliff s Unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area shares Canyonlands’ western boundary and is administered under the same backcountry management plan and permit/ reservation system.

The Hans Flat Ranger Station is two and one-half hours from Green River, Utah. From I-70, visitors take Utah Highway 24 south for 24 miles. A left hand turn just beyond the turnoff to Goblin Valley State Park begins a drive on a two-wheel-drive dirt road 46 miles (76 km) southeast to the ranger station. From the ranger station, the canyons of the Maze are another 3 to 6 hours by high-clearance, 4WD (more if traveling by foot).

Another four-wheel-drive road leads into the Maze north from Highway 95 near Hite Marina (driving time is at least 3 hours to the park boundary).

There are no amenities like food or gas, no en-trance fees and no potable water sources in the Maze District.

HORSESHOE CANYON

Horseshoe Canyon contains some of the most signifi cant rock art in North America. The Great Gallery, the best known panel in Horseshoe Canyon, includes well-preserved, life-sized fi gures with intricate designs. Other impressive sights include spring wildfl owers, sheer sandstone walls and mature cottonwood groves along the intermittent stream in the canyon bottom. Horse-shoe Canyon was added to Canyonlands in 1971.

Above: Chesler Park, a popular hiking destination in the Needles District.

Below: Part of the Great Gallery rock art panel in Horseshoe Canyon.

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 17

Most visitors access Horseshoe from the west.

Two-wheel-drive access to the west rim of Horseshoe Canyon is from Utah Highway 24 via 30 miles of graded dirt road, or from Green River on 47 miles of dirt road. Driving time is roughly 2.5 hours from Moab or 1.5 hours from Green River. A four-wheel-drive road leads to the east rim of Horseshoe Canyon from the Hans Flat Ranger Station. All access roads may become impassable during storms.

Visitors may camp at the west rim trailhead on public land managed by the BLM. A vault toilet is provided but there is no water. Overnight camp-ing is not allowed in Horseshoe Canyon within the Park boundary.

From the west rim trailhead, the hike to the Great Gallery is 6.5 miles round-trip, descending 750 feet and requiring about six hours. Pets are prohibited below the rim of Horseshoe Canyon.

Group size is limited to 20 people. There is no water above the canyon rim and water sources are unreliable within the canyon.

The trail into Horseshoe Canyon from the west rim trailhead is an old 4WD road that is suitable for horses. Group size limit is ten animals and ten people. Permits are free.

Rangers lead guided hikes in Horseshoe Canyon April through October. Walks depart the west rim parking lot Saturday and Sunday mornings.

THE RIVERS

The Colorado and Green rivers wind through the heart of Canyonlands, cutting through layered sandstone to form two deep canyons.

Both rivers are calm upstream of the Confl uence, ideal for canoes, kayaks and other shallow water craft. Below the Confl uence, the combined fl ow of both rivers spills down Cataract Canyon with remarkable speed and power, creating a world-class stretch of white water.

River fl ows are dependent upon snowmelt and rainfall. The character of the rivers changes dra-matically depending on the season. High water generally stretches from early May to late June

All launch ramps on both rivers are outside the park. There is no vehicle access to the rivers near the Confl uence or in Cataract Canyon. While hiking trails lead to the rivers from each of the districts, these trails are too long and rugged to be seriously considered for shuttles, even for infl atables and other lightweight boats. Groups wishing to avoid the white water must arrange an upstream shuttle back to Moab.

Cataract Canyon contains fourteen miles of rapids ranging in diffi culty up to Class V. It is a particularly hazardous and isolated section of the Colorado River and is subject to extreme water level fl uctuations. A permit is required for all trips through Cataract Canyon. Personal water craft are not permitted on the rivers in Canyonlands.

Private river trip pulled over to scout Big Drop One in Cataract Canyon.

18 Canyonlands National Park

The fi rst humans known to visit Canyonlands were Paleoindians, who searched for large game animals and edible plants as long as 10,000 years ago. Some of their stone projectile points have been found in the park.

It was not until the Archaic period, about 5,000 years ago, that people routinely lived in the area. From about 5000 years ago to A.D. 250, people continued to gather wild plants and hunt animals, utilizing stone tools and the atlatl, a spear-throwing device. The importance of grasses is recorded on many archaic rock art panels, es-pecially those representative of the “Barrier Can-yon” style that can be seen in Horseshoe Canyon.

By A.D. 250, farming techniques from Me-soamerica had reached the southwest, and ancestral Puebloans were cultivating corn and constructing storage structures for grains. Ini-tially, these agriculturalists did not have much use for the hot, dry climate of Canyonlands.

However, growing populations in nearby Mesa Verde and new techniques of fl oodwater farming caused people to take advantage of bottomlands and alluvial banks in many canyons of the south-west. By A.D. 1200, there was a major occupation in Salt Creek Canyon in the Needles District.

You can see the storage structures or granaries used by the ancestral Puebloans in the Needles District at Roadside Ruin, and at the Island in the Sky on Aztec Butte. Around A.D. 1300, the ancestral Puebloans left the region and moved south to Arizona and New Mexico.

Ute Indians moved into the area as early as A.D.

1300, living without permanent dwellings much like the hunter-gatherers in the Archaic period.

Ute, Navajo and Paiute Indians all occupied southern Utah when Spanish explorers entered the area in the late 1700s, though their use of the Canyonlands area appears to have been minimal.

In the 1770s, the Escalante and Dominguez par-ties circled Canyonlands, looking for a route between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterey, California. French and American trappers en-tered the area in the early 1800s. The US Army sent Captain John N. Macomb on an expedition to explore the Colorado Plateau for a wagon route from New Mexico to Utah in 1859. The Macomb expedition drew the fi rst accurate maps of southeast Utah, and compiled geographical and geological information of the area.

Europeans knew little of the Colorado River and its tributaries until 1869, when Major John

Wesley Powell completed his fi rst expedition from Green River, Wyoming through the Grand Canyon. Powell repeated the expedition in 1871- 72, continuing his studies of the natural and cul-tural history of the area. Bert Loper, Charles S.

Russell, and E.R. Monett made the fi rst pleasure run down the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon in 1907. In 1937 Norman Nevills started commercial river trips down the Colorado.

In March 1883, the Denver & Rio Grande railroad joined with the Rio Grande Western railroad near Green River, Utah, providing rail transportation to southeast Utah. This, com-bined with the removal of Native Americans to reservations during the late 1800s and early 1900s, nurtured the growth of communities like Moab, Monticello and Bluff .

From the 1880s until 1975, much of Canyonlands was used for ranching, and features in each dis-trict of the park bear the names of cowboys. The Dugout Ranch, outside the Needles District, is still operated by the Indian Creek Cattle Compa-ny, under ownership of the Nature Conservancy.

Much of Canyonlands was accessible only by foot or horse until the uranium boom of the 1950s. With the growth of the country’s nuclear arms program, the Atomic Energy Commission off ered monetary incentives for the discovery and delivery of uranium ore. Certain rock layers in Canyonlands contain uranium, and prospec-tors built many exploratory roads on public lands in search of radioactive “gold”. Many of these routes, including the White Rim Road at the Island in the Sky, are popular four-wheel-drive roads today; others exist as remnants of past human use that are slowly revegetating.

In the 1950s and early 60s, Arches National Monument Superintendent Bates Wilson began advocating for the creation of a “Grand View National Park” in what is now Canyonlands.

Wilson fi rst visited the area by horse in 1951, and spent four years working on a National Park Ser-vice archeological investigation of the Needles District. The Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall, visited the area in 1961, and began lobby-ing Capitol Hill for a national park on what were then Bureau of Land Management lands.

On September 12, 1964, President Lyndon B.

Johnson signed Public Law 88-590 establishing Canyonlands National Park Initially consisting of 257,640 acres, the park was expanded in 1971 to its present 337,570 acres.

A Brief History of the Park

Top: Ancestral Puebloan granary.

Middle: Cowboy camp in the Needles District (circa 1939).

Bottom: Mining activity at the Island in the Sky in the late 1960s, just after Canyonlands was established.

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 19

Summary The Visitor Services Project (NPS Offi ce of So-cial Science) conducted a survey of Canyonlands visitors from May 10-16, 1990. Four hundred and fi fty-fi ve questionnaires were distributed and 399 returned, an 88 % response rate.

Experiences The most important experiences to visitors during their visits were scenic views, clean air, wilderness, and solitude. Commercial tours were the least important. Several educational topics – geology, archeology, and history – were considered to be of about equal importance;

biology was rated as somewhat less important.

Interpretive Services According to visitors, the most useful interpre-tive services were the park map/brochure, highway directional signs, visitor centers, and trail brochures.

Group type 53% were in families, with 59% of those in groups of two. 36% of visitors were 26-40 years old and 29% were over 55 years of age. Most (65%) were fi rst-time visitors.

Visitor Origins Foreign visitors constituted 11 % of total visitation, and commonly came from Germany, Canada, and Switzerland. Americans came from Colorado (29%), California (15%), Utah (11%), and other states.

Time in Park Of the visitors spending less than one day in the park, 43% spent four to six hours. Of the visitors who spent one day of more, 61% visited for two to three days.

Activities Most visitors viewed scenery (99%) and hiked less than four hours (65%).

Annual Visitation

Year Recreation Year Recreation Year Recreation Year Recreation Visits Visits Visits Visits

1965 19,400 1975 71,700 1985 116,672 1995 448,769 1966 20,200 1976 80,000 1986 172,987 1996 447,527 1967 23,200 1977 75,500 1987 172,384 1997 432,697 1968 26,300 1978 85,932 1988 212,100 1998 436,524 1969 26,000 1979 74,545 1989 257,411 1999 446,160 1970 33,400 1980 56,505 1990 276,831 2000 401,558 1971 55,400 1981 89,915 1991 339,315 2001 368,592 1972 60,639 1982 97,079 1992 395,698 2002 367,077 1973 62,500 1983 100,022 1993 434,844 1974 59,000 1984 102,533 1994 429,921

2002 Monthly Visitation

Month Recreation Visits

January 4,093 February 6,319 March 29,731 April 42,027 May 58,935 June 44,019 July 34,974 August 38,388 September 49,280 October 41,444 November 12,747 December 5,121

Total Visits 367,077

Commercial Tours Most visitors were aware of commercial tours in the park prior to their visit (71%). Nine percent of the visitors took commercial tours. They most often relied on travel/tour books (41%) to fi nd out about the tours.

Visitor Services Project

20 Canyonlands National Park

PARKWIDE

Southeast Utah Group Headquarters Headquarters for the Southeast Utah Group (which includes Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, and Natural Bridges and Hov-enweep National Monuments) is located about three miles south of Moab on Highway 191.

Information services are available for the public.

Off-site Programs and Services Community outreach programs are an important component of the Canyonlands interpretive program and are off ered year-round. Activities include presentations at agency and community organization meetings, senior citizen and com-munity centers, and staffi ng a booth at county fairs.

Canyonlands National Park Web Site <www.nps.gov/cany > Overall this is a high-qual-ity and valuable web site, and is frequently used by the public. Information is now more accessi-ble and consistent than in the past. Reservations cannot be made online due to security issues.

Education Program The Canyon Country Outdoor Education pro-gram connects area students with the resources and experiences of Canyonlands National Park, as well as Arches National Park and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments. The program employs two permanent Education Specialists (one based in Moab and one in Mon-ticello), as well as seasonal Education Techni-cians as funding allows.

In Grand County (Moab) the program serves some 750 students from grades one through six.

Each student receives classroom visits before and after fi eld trips, and participates in from one to three fi eld trips per school year. Subjects are based on the Utah State Core Curriculum for Science Education, and add a fi eld-based unit of study for required subject matter.

In San Juan County the program is similar how-ever the logistical challenges are great. Unlike Grand County where all county schools are lo-cated in a single town, there are fi ve towns in San Juan County with schools. The programs there concentrate on two grade levels each year.

The curriculum-based activities published in the teacher’s guide (Red Rock Adventures) is avail-able on the website.

Partnerships Partnerships with other area organizations and agencies are numerous and invaluable. They include:

• San Juan County Multi-agency Visitor Center (Monticello) – includes San Juan County, National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Canyonlands Natural History Association, and the City of Monticello.

• Moab Information Center (Moab) – includes National Park Service, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Moab Area Travel Council (Grand County) and Canyonlands Natural History Association.

• Canyon Country Partnership – a consortium of federal, state, and county land managers;

authorized by the Secretary of the Interior; a forum for sharing information and working on common issues.

Publications Canyonlands off ers visitors the following free publications:

• Newspapers: Canyonlands Trip Planner, Canyonlands Park Guide Newspaper

• Unigrid Park Brochures: Canyonlands National Park (translations available in French, Spanish, German and Italian)

• Orientation/Information site bulletins and handouts: Island in the Sky Hiking Trails and Four Wheel Drive Roads, Needles Hiking Trails and Four Wheel Drive Roads, Maze Hiking Trails and Four Wheel Drive Roads, Commercial Tour Operators, Directions to Moab Hospital, NPS Volunteers-In-Parks brochure

• Regulations: Pets & Canyonlands, Rock Climbing, Pack & Saddle

• Natural History/Cultural History: Geology, Cryptobiotic Soils, Desert Varnish, Natural History, Gnats, Bighorn Sheep, Cultural History

• Species Lists: Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, Fish

ISLAND IN THE SKY DISTRICT

Visitor Center The Visitor Center is the primary contact facility for Canyonlands. It is located one mile inside the park boundary. In FY 2002, 103,588 visitors used the facility. It was built in the late 1980’s. It includes a lobby, information counter, exhibit area, sales area, small auditorium (which seats about 11), and detached vault toilets. The loca-

Existing Interpretive Facilities, Media & Programs

Top: The Canyon Country Outdoor Education program.

Bottom: Cover of the 2003 Canyonlands Park Guide which is handed out at entrance stations and visitor centers.

Long-Range Interpretive Plan 21 tion provides good access to visitors and allows contact of many visitors before they visit other areas of the park.

This is the primary visitor contact point in the district. Its primary functions are:

• Orientation, information

• Visitor Services

• Interpretation

• Resource protection, safety

• Permits

Exhibits interpret park geology, plants, animals, and history. They were installed in the late 1980’s when the building was built. They are in good condition, and provide interesting information, but don’t cover all primary park themes. Orien-tation is not suffi ciently covered. However, the most popular and eff ective exhibit seems to be an orientation panel (what to do if you have one hour, two hours, or all day).

A video program, “Wilderness of Rock,” is shown on request in the auditorium. The video includes general orientation and interpretation.

It seems to be popular and eff ective, and is requested frequently. It is shown on a monitor.

Staff offi ces are located downstairs.

Summary Assessment of Island Visitor Center The building is too small. It is frequently crowded and circulation works poorly, produc-ing a substandard experience and restricting the eff ectiveness of interpretive media and personal contacts. Exhibits are adequate but too narrow in scope. Orientation media are lacking. Bus tours are increasing in frequency and the current visitor center is woefully inadequate to accom-modate even moderate size groups. Restroom facilities are likewise completely inadequate, con-sisting of two single vault toilets detached from the visitor center itself. These two toilets must accommodate both visitors and staff members.

Grandview This site, 12 miles from the visitor center, provides a spectacular view of the park. It is the most-visited place in the park; this is the answer to visitors who have time only to visit one place. The three land districts of Canyonlands and the Green River are visible. There is an adequate-sized parking lot with a short trail to the overlook. A moderate two-mile round-trip trail is quite popular. Two wayside exhibits interpret geological formations and identify visible features. Personal services include roving interpretation and daily overlook talks from March through September. Guided walks are also frequently provided.

Mesa Arch About six miles south of the visitor center is the trailhead and parking lot for Mesa Arch. This is an easy one-half mile loop trail that rewards hikers with a close up experience of impressive Mesa Arch, and a panoramic view of the White Rim and La Sal Mountains. A trail brochure concentrates mostly on plant identifi cation. The trailhead wayside is obsolete.

Above: Mesa Arch

Below: Hikers on the Grand View Point Trail.

22 Canyonlands National Park

Upheaval Dome At the end of the road, this site is a trailhead for a popular one-half mile trail and an eight-mile trail, with a parking lot (not large enough) and picnic area. There is an outdated trail brochure.

Upheaval Dome provides scenic and scientifi c interest, since geologists diff er as to its origin.

Wayside Exhibits & Trailheads Some panels exhibit color deterioration from sunlight. Two panels contain errors. There are some gaps in interpretation, and nothing on wilderness.

All wayside panels are 24”x36”, horizontal for-mat, low-profi le, fi berglass embedment. Frames are metal and are mounted on either freestand-ing masonry block bases or on horizontal wooden fence railings.

Wayside Titles and Topics:

1. There’s Something in the Air - air quality

2. The Neck - explains Island in the Sky name, historic uses of Island in the Sky

3. Anatomy of a Canyon - geology (Note:

panel incorrectly states “Indians created pictographs by pecking…”)

4. Dropping into the Canyon - cattle ranching and uranium mining activities

5. Track in the Canyon - eff ects of cattle ranching and uranium mining activities

6. Grand View Point Overlook - identifi cation of topographic features

7. The Three Worlds - geologic history

8. What Shall We Find? - J.W. Powell’s fi rst expedition

9. Green River Overlook - identifi cation of topographic features

10. A Salt Dome? - salt dome theory re.

formation of Upheaval Dome

11. Ground Zero - meteorite theory re. formation of Upheaval Dome

All trailhead panels are 32”x48” vertical format, fi berglass embedment. Frames are metal and are mounted in freestanding masonry block bases.

All panels include a trail description and one other subject.

Trailhead Panel Titles/Locations and Topics:

1. Mesa Arch Trail - resource message re.

cryptobiotic soil (Note: uses outdated term “cryptogamic”)

2. Aztec Butte Trail - ancestral Puebloans

3. Whale Rock Trail - plant adaptations in a pinyon-juniper woodland

4. Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail - salt dome

& meteor impact theories

There are three 32”x 48” vertical plexiglass-cov-ered bulletin cases in Willow Flat Campground that provide seasonal interpretation and ranger-guided activity schedules, orientation, safety suggestions, and fee information.

Four 32” x 48” interpretation/orientation panels and one plexiglass-covered bulletin case are located at the U313/US191 information kiosk.

Panels are of fi berglass embedment. Orientation is not especially well done. The site is not over-run by tourists.

Topics addressed by the Interpretation/ orientation panels:

1. Canyon Country

2. Canyonlands National Park

3. Dead Horse Point State Park

4. Island in the Sky

Topics addressed in the bulletin case:

1. Seasonal orientation and safety

Self-guiding Trails Trail brochures currently sell for a nominal do-nation at trailheads and in the visitor center. Two are available: Mesa Arch (desert ecology) and Neck Springs (desert ecology).

A self-guiding auto tour booklet for the Island in the Sky is also available from the cooperating association.

Campfi re Circle Located at the southern end of 12-site Willow Flat Campground, the site features a campfi re ring and natural rock seats to accommodate an audience of approximately 20 people.

Personal Interpretive Presentations From March through October, interpreters pres-ent evening programs several times a week at Willow Flat campground. Program attendance averages 10 to 15 people.

Twenty minute geology talks at Grand View Point are off ered daily in the morning mid- March through October. Spring attendance averaged 10 people per talk during spring FY02.

Additional talks and/or guided walks are of-fered daily in the afternoon mid-March through September.