Grand View Point Construction

 

This summer, Canyonlands will perform Phase Two of a multi-year reconfiguration of Grand View Point parking lot to improve visitor access and vehicle and pedestrian safety. Construction work will begin July 28 and cause intermittent area closures through late September.

To minimize the impact on park visitors, work will be done on weekdays only during late summer when visitation traditionally slows down. Starting July 28, Grand View Point Overlook, Grand View Point Trail, and 0.3 mi (0.5 km) of park road will be closed from 6 a.m. Mondays to 4 p.m. Thursdays for up to six weeks.

The closure applies to all uses, including vehicles, tour buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Buses and vehicles with long trailers that cannot safely turn around at the closure may not proceed past Green River Overlook when closures are in effect. The work area will reopen for public use at 4 p.m. each Thursday and stay open through weekends, closing again at 6 a.m. Monday mornings. Parking may be limited due to construction materials and equipment along the roadway.

Grand View Point, built in 1973 and expanded in the mid-1980s, currently has only 44 formal parking spaces. Visitation to Canyonlands has increased over 200% since the 1990s, with nearly half a million annual visitors. This parking lot is overfull most days, with 40-50 cars routinely parked along the roadside, contributing to road edge deterioration and damaging native plants and soils. Large vehicles parked this way sometimes prevent emergency vehicles from completing the one-way driving loop, delaying the arrival of rescue personnel.

The new parking lot design will provide safe, formalized parking stalls, pedestrian walkways, and expanded toilet facilities to accommodate the growing number of visitors to this popular site. The final project phase is scheduled for July–September 2026.

“Continuing this long-planned upgrade of Grand View Point furthers our commitment to providing safe, enjoyable visitor access to this iconic location,” says Superintendent Lena Pace.

This project is funded by the Congressionally-authorized Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Under this program, parks keep 80 percent of fees collected on-site and use the money to fund important projects that improve visitor services and protect resources for current and future generations to enjoy.