Canyonlands National Park Hiking Trails

Canyonlands Hiking Trails

Canyonlands contains some of the most remote landscape remaining in the United States. Its backcountry is the realm of the serious backpacker and adventurer. Most of its trails lead far from roads, and many start far from them. Below we cover a few of the short dayhikes accessible from paved roads in either the Island in the Sky or Needles District. Hiking distances given below are total, roundtrip distances unless otherwise stated. Difficulties are only a general guideline, for an adult in good condition, and do not take into account trail length.

Canyonlands National Park Trails Locator Map

(click map to open very large locator map of the hikes below)

Grandview

Length

2.0 miles

Difficulty

Easy

Trailhead

#1 - Grandview Point parking area

Rating

This hike begins from the Grandview Point parking area, located at the end of the Island in the Sky Road, 14.6 miles from the entrance. The view from the parking area is one of the best in the park, but by walking along some or all of this easy trail you can get even better views. Steep dropoffs are present all along this hike, so exercise caution.

Mesa Arch

Length

0.5 miles

Difficulty

Easy

Trailhead

#2 - Mesa Arch parking area

Rating

This hike begins from the Mesa Arch parking area, located along the Island in the Sky Road, 8.4 miles from the entrance. This short and easy loop trail provides the easiest access to an arch within the park and is an excellent choice for a quick break from the car. Beyond the arch is a large dropoff, so do not go beyond.

Pothole Point

Length

0.6 miles

Difficulty

Easy

Trailhead

#3 - Pothole Point parking area

Rating

This hike begins from the Pothole Point parking area, located at the end of the Needles Road, 7 miles from the entrance. This short and very scenic loop traverses an area of slickrock, covered with depressions over much of the surface. These "potholes" hold valuable water after rains and are an important source of water for wildlife.

Roadside Ruin

Length

0.3 miles

Difficulty

Easy

Trailhead

#4 - Roadside Ruin parking area

Rating

This hike begins from the Roadside Ruin parking area, located along the Needles Road, 2.4 miles from the entrance. This very short and easy loop trail passes by an ancestral puebloan granary. The park has many such structures throughout the area.

Whale Rock

Length

1.0 miles

Difficulty

Moderate

Trailhead

#5 - Whale Rock parking area

Rating

This hike begins from the Whale Rock parking area, located 4 miles down a paved side road off of the Island in the Sky Road, 8.7 miles from the entrance. The route goes over mostly slickrock as it climbs the Whale Rock formation; cairns and handrails mostly mark the route. At the top is an excellent 360 degree panorama of the entire Island in the Sky area.

Hiking in Canyonlands

Canyonlands Hiking Trails

Grandview

Mesa Arch

Pothole Point

Roadside Ruin

Whale Rock