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Canyonlands National ParkRock art at Peekaboo Arch
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Canyonlands National Park
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photo of Bates Wilson, one of the earliest advocates for the creation of Canyonlands
Bates Wilson, one of the earliest advocates for the creation of Canyonlands
 

Native Americans
Humans first visited Canyonlands over 10,000 years ago. Nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers roamed throughout the southwest from 8,000 B.C. to 500 B.C.

European Explorers
For early European explorers, Canyonlands offered more of an impediment to travel than a destination.

Miners & Ranchers
From the 1880s to 1975, local ranches used much of Canyonlands for winter pasture. Cowboys searched the canyons for good feed and water.

Park Founders
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Arches National Monument Superintendent Bates Wilson advocated the creation of a National Park in what is now Canyonlands.
Living Ruins
Living Ruins
Archeologists survey the river corridors in Canyonlands.
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Detail of the Harvest Scene pictograph panel
Reading Rock Art
Searching for meaning in the symbols of prehistoric cultures
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Tower Ruin
On the Edge: A visit to Tower Ruin
Join a park archeologist and others on a survey of one of the park's best-known Indian dwellings.
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Rapids in Cataract Canyon  

Did You Know?
The highest recently recorded flow in Cataract Canyon is 114,900 cfs in 1984. However, scientists dating driftwood piles estimate that in 1884, the river may have reached 225,000 cfs.
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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:23 EST