Private Canyonlands hike tailored to your group, with flexible difficulty
Approximately 8 - 10 hours
Lunch, snacks, guide
Hike Canyonlands National Park on a private, full-day tour customized to your group’s goals and pace. Choose routes in Island in the Sky or the Needles, with options from easy walks to longer, more challenging hikes.
Each person must sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form on arrival. If you don’t have a national park pass, your guide will cover entrance fees.
Less than 10: Cancel 2+ weeks out for full refund; within 2 weeks but outside 48 hours: $20/person deposit charged; within 48 hours: no refund. 10+: 10% deposit required and non-refundable unless guides cancel due to weather; balance due within 48 hours. Full refund if your guide cancels due to bad weather.
Wear closed-toe hiking shoes and hiking clothes appropriate for the weather. Bring reusable water bottles (at least 2 liters per person) and any extra food you want beyond the provided lunch and light snacks. Optional but recommended: sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and a camera.
Yes. Your full-day hike includes lunch (meat, cheese, hummus, and veggie wraps—buffet style) plus light snacks. Your guide also provides water refills and sparkling water.
Bring enough water for 7–9 hours of activity (at least 2 liters per person). You’ll have a way to refill your bottles along the way, and single-use water bottles are available if needed.
Canyonlands National Park, Moab
Standing at the rim of Canyonlands National Park, the scale of what lies before you takes a moment to absorb. Layers of red and orange sandstone drop away in terraces toward the distant river canyons below. The silence here is its own presence. Canyonlands National Park divides into four distinct districts, each with its own character, its own light, and its own demands on the visitor who comes to know it.
Jake, Kai, Joe, Eliza, Skyeler, and the rest of the crew have built something genuinely special in Moab. Reviewers consistently rave about the depth of knowledge their guides bring, whether it's geology, local wildlife, or plant life, with many noting it transformed a fun outing into a real learning experience. The booking process gets just as much praise as the trips themselves, with Kai in particular highlighted for taking time to understand what guests are actually looking for and matching them to the right adventure. The range of experiences on offer is broad, from multi-day hiking itineraries across Arches and Canyonlands to canyoneering routes with 200-foot rappels that you simply couldn't find on your own. Families with kids, school groups, and solo adventurers all show up in these reviews, and the guides seem genuinely skilled at calibrating the experience to the group. One Seattle school has been returning every year for six years, which says a lot about consistency. Safety protocols are mentioned frequently and always in a reassuring, confidence-building way rather than feeling restrictive. It's hard to find a single complaint across the board, and that kind of sustained reputation in a competitive outdoor guiding market is worth paying attention to.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed 4 full days of guided hiking with Desert Highlights. I called Kai prior to booking and she listened carefully as I explained our past hiking experience and what we were looking to accomplish. We spent one day in Arches, one day in the Canyonlands Island in the Sky, one day in the Canyonland Needles and one day in Bureau of Land Management. The hikes were exactly what we were looking for in terms of length and distance. Our guide Eliza was very professional, knowledgeable and fun! We were very happy that we used Kai's recommendations for lodging and restaurants. We will recommend Desert Highlights to our friends.
Jack Berger
April 29, 2026
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed 4 full days of guided hiking with Desert Highlights. I called Kai prior to booking and she listened carefully as I explained our past hiking experience and what we were looking to accomplish. We spent one day in Arches, one day in the Canyonlands Island in the Sky, one day in the Canyonland Needles and one day in Bureau of Land Management. The hikes were exactly what we were looking for in terms of length and distance. Our guide Eliza was very professional, knowledgeable and fun! We were very happy that we used Kai's recommendations for lodging and restaurants. We will recommend Desert Highlights to our friends.
Jack Berger
April 29, 2026