November is here, and the season is definitely changing across southeastern Utah!

This month, we’re digging into a fascinating new dinosaur discovery near Arches, sharing updated winter visitor center store hours, and taking a look at how recent storms have brought everything from flooding and road hazards to fresh snow in the La Sal Mountains.

We’ll also have the latest from CNHA’s Discovery Pool and a new edition of Thoughts from Sam, along with a few other updates from around the region.

There’s plenty happening as fall gives way to winter, so take a look at what’s new around CNHA and our partner sites this month!

The application deadline for proposals for 2027 Discovery Pool grants was November 1, and the response has been astounding. We received 12 applications, with proposed research spanning public lands managed by all three of our federal partners. The CNHA Science Committee will be busy over the next two months reviewing these proposals. The difficult part will be narrowing the field to approximately six or seven projects to receive grants early next year. We'll announce the 2027 recipients in our February newsletter.

Established in 2006, the Discovery Pool was created to support innovative scientific research in partnership with our federal agencies and qualified scientists working on public lands in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. These projects help inform resource management, expand our understanding of the region, and provide valuable information that can be used to educate visitors about the natural and cultural resources we all value. The program also provides seed funding and matching funds that can help our partners secure larger research grants and encourages Tribal engagement in scientific efforts.

Since the program began, CNHA has awarded 83 Discovery Pool grants, totaling $1,172,687. That's a remarkable investment in science and research on the Colorado Plateau, and one that continues to grow. The Discovery Pool is one of the coolest things CNHA does, and it's a program I'm particularly proud of.

If you are a CNHA member or supporter, you are already part of this work. Your support helps make these research projects possible and contributes to a better understanding of the remarkable natural and cultural resources of our region. If you're not yet a member, I encourage you to join CNHA at the Discovery Level or higher, or consider making a direct donation to the Discovery Pool as part of your year-end giving. Your support helps make the next generation of discoveries possible.

While another Discovery Pool application cycle has wrapped up, there’s plenty to explore from projects CNHA has already helped support!

Many of our 2026 Discovery Pool projects are still underway, with researchers currently collecting data, conducting fieldwork, and working toward their final results. For a look at completed research, the best place to start is with 2025 projects and previous years, where final reports and other project materials are beginning to build a much fuller picture of what this research produces.

As projects are completed, scientists share their findings through final reports, project updates, photographs, presentations, podcasts, and other resources. These materials help document what researchers learned in the field and how that information can contribute to future research, resource management, interpretation, and education.

Recent completed projects include research examining pinyon-juniper mortality across Southeast Utah Group national parks, interactions between American pikas and mountain goats in the La Sal Mountains, rare stoneflies, recovery following the Pack Creek Fire, and the effects of increasing noise on desert bighorn sheep.

And that’s only a small part of the archive. Discovery Pool projects have explored everything from wildlife and alpine ecosystems to paleontology, geology, cultural resources, vegetation, and more.

Start with the 2025 projects, then keep digging through previous years to explore the reports, updates, and resources researchers have shared along the way.

Explore Discovery Pool Projects

Something very old is turning up just outside Arches National Park!

Paleontologists with the Utah Geological Survey have begun excavating the newly named Ironstone Bonebed, a site dating back roughly 138–141 million years to the transition between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Researchers have already identified fossils from several types of dinosaurs, including what may be a previously unknown species of armored dinosaur.

The site could offer scientists a rare look at a major turning point in dinosaur evolution, and researchers say they’ve only just begun to uncover what’s there!

Read the full story from SFGATE

As the season changes, visitor center store hours are shifting across CNHA partner locations. If you’re heading out this winter, here are the current hours to keep in mind:

Arches National Park

8:30 AM–4:30 PM daily beginning November 1

Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve: 8 AM–12 PM

Christmas Day: Closed

Canyonlands National Park — Island in the Sky

8 AM–4 PM through November 28

9 AM–4 PM beginning November 29

Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve: 9 AM–1 PM

Christmas Day: Closed

Canyonlands National Park — The Needles

8 AM–4 PM through the early December season

Closed for the winter beginning December 6th!

Moab Information Center

8 AM–5 PM through November 14

9 AM–4:30 PM beginning November 15

Thanksgiving: Closed

Christmas Eve: 9 AM–1 PM

Christmas Day: Closed

Blanding Information Center

10 AM–4 PM, Monday–Saturday

Closed Sundays

Natural Bridges National Monument

9 AM–5 PM

Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

Hovenweep National Monument

8:30 AM–4:30 PM

Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

Kane Gulch Ranger Station

8 AM–12 PM, Thursday–Sunday through November 13

Closed for the winter beginning November 14!

Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center & Museum

10 AM–4 PM beginning November 1

Closed Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays

CNHA store closes for the season December 27!

Hours may change during the winter season, so we recommend checking current conditions and operating information before your visit.

Recent storms have brought significant rainfall, flooding, mud, and rockslides to areas across southeastern Utah. If you’re heading out this fall, conditions may look very different from your last visit, particularly on unpaved and backcountry roads.

At Arches National Park, recent flooding has affected access in the Delicate Arch area, with closures and conditions changing as crews clear roads and debris. Visitors should check current park alerts before heading out.

In Canyonlands National Park, recent rain has left several backcountry roads muddy, slick, washed out, or difficult to travel. Conditions vary by district, and some routes that remain open may still require high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Farther south, the Bureau of Land Management has temporarily closed Sand Island Campground, Sand Island Boat Ramp, Mexican Hat Boat Ramp, and BLM-administered floodplain lands between the two boat ramps following flooding along the San Juan River. No reopening date has been announced.

On the Manti-La Sal National Forest, recent rainfall has created hazardous road conditions across portions of the Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts. Forest Road #0095 on the Monticello Ranger District has been affected by rockfalls and mudslides, including a major rockslide blocking motorized travel.

Higher elevations are seeing a different side of the changing season, with snow returning to the La Sal Mountains. As fall gives way to winter, mountain roads and trails can quickly become snowy, icy, muddy, or difficult to access. Travelers heading into the La Sals should be prepared for winter conditions and check current weather and road information before leaving town.

Conditions can change quickly following storms, so check current agency information before traveling, avoid driving through flooded roads, and be prepared to change your plans.

Check Current Conditions

Arches National Park Alerts & Conditions

Canyonlands National Park Road Conditions

San Juan River Conditions & Closures — BLM

Manti-La Sal National Forest Conditions

Bluff-Area Flood Relief

Recent flooding has also affected homes and businesses in Bluff and neighboring communities. The Bluff Community Foundation is coordinating relief for local families impacted by the flooding.

View Bluff-Area Flood Relief Information

Photo: U.S. Forest Service - Manti La Sal National Forest via Facebook

Science Moab on Tap

Science Moab’s winter lecture series is returning to Woody’s Tavern, and CNHA is proud to help sponsor another season of Science Moab On Tap!

The free series brings regional scientists together with the community for an evening of research, conversation, and, yes, beer. This season’s talks will cover everything from pikas in the La Sal Mountains and Moab’s ancient shorelines to rural air quality and ecosystem recovery following the Pack Creek Fire.

2026–2027 Science Moab On Tap Schedule

• December 2 — Keep Calm and Eat Grass: Lives of Pikas in the La Sals 
  Dr. Johanna Varner, Colorado Mesa University
• January 13 — Moab’s Volatile Past as a Beachfront Property
  Dr. Ben Brunner, University of Texas El Paso
• February 3 — Pollution (and Solutions): Air Quality in Rural Utah
  Dr. Daniel Mendoza, University of Utah
• March 3 — (After) Fire On The Mountain: Ecosystem Recovery Following the Pack Creek Fire
  Dr. Rebecca Finger-Higgens

Doors open at 5:30pm, with talks beginning at 6pm and wrapping up around 7pm. All events are free and take place at Woody’s Tavern in Moab!

CNHA is proud to sponsor this year’s series alongside the City of Moab, Moab City RAP Tax, and FireBREAK.

Moab Electric Light Parade and Community Gathering

One of Moab’s brightest holiday traditions returns on Saturday, December 5! The annual Moab Electric Light Parade, organized by the Moab Area Chamber of Commerce, brings illuminated floats, vehicles, community groups, and plenty of holiday cheer to downtown Moab.

The parade and community gathering will take place from 6–9pm. Keep an eye out for familiar faces from organizations and agencies across the Moab community as they light up the night.

Saturday, December 5 | 6–9pm

Downtown Moab

Burrowing Owl Plush

Arches Delicate Arch 300 Piece Puzzle

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Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) is a non-profit organization, which exists solely to assist the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management in their education and visitor efforts. Proceeds from sales support these agencies’ educational, interpretive, and scientific programs on the Colorado Plateau.

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