Canyonlands National Park Facts
Canyonlands National Park Facts
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| Interesting Canyonlands National Park Facts: |
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| The land of Canyonlands National Park was once inhabited by the ancient Puebloans (2000-1000BC), early Native Americans that left behind stone and mud dwellings, and petroglyphs that can be seen in the park. |
| The Island in the Sky district in Canyonlands National Park is a high mesa (table hill or table mountain-shaped piece of land) in the park's northern area. |
| The Needles district is named after the white and red rock pinnacles that make up much of the landscape, along with a combination of other canyons, grabens (depressed land section with escarpment on each side), and arches. This district is located east of the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. |
| The Maze district is remote and more difficult to reach, made up of spires and clefts, west of the Colorado and Green Rivers. This is also one of the most inaccessible areas in all of the continental United States. |
| The Colorado River and Green River combine to make up the Rivers district, and these rivers divide the park into the other three districts. |
| The Island in the Sky district is the most popular district in Canyonlands National Park, because it is closest to Moab and the most easily accessed. The Needles district is the second most popular district, and the Maze and the Rivers districts only draw about 3% of the total number of park visitors. |
| Mammals that can be found living in Canyonlands National Park include kangaroo rats, desert cottontails, black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, desert bighorn sheep, and mule deer. |
| Reptiles are common in Canyonlands National Park and include species such as desert spiny lizards, northern whiptail lizards, and western collard lizards, and midget faded rattlesnakes (the only venomous snake in the park). |
| There are more than 273 different bird species found in Canyonlands National Park including pelicans, loons, grebes, herons, egrets, geese, ducks, swans, vultures, ospreys, hawks, eagles, falcons, quails, pheasants, plovers, sandpipers, owls, hummingbirds, kingfishers, and woodpeckers, among others. |
| Despite being a desert region there are a variety of plants found in Canyonlands National Park including trees, grasses, flowers, and cacti. |
| In 2003 an adventurer named Aron Ralston became famous after he was trapped in a canyon slot near the Maze district in Canyonlands and had to remove his arm to get free. |
| The hideout of outlaw gang Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, called the Robbers Roost, is located in the Maze district of Canyonlands National Park. |
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