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Canyonlands National Park - Hiking

Guided Van Tours
Guided Van Tours

There are numerous good day hikes and backpacking trips available throughout Canyonlands National Park. The network of trails within the Needles backcountry are especially rewarding. They can be combined in lots of different ways to create loops and to turn day trips into overnighters.

A complete list is below. Click on any name for more information.

Select Hiking Guides & Outfitters for a list of companies that lead trips and/or rent equipment in the Canyonlands National Park area.



Big Spring Canyon Trail Intermediate
3.75 miles oneway 2-1/2 hours
Big Spring Canyon Trail traverses slickrock for 3/4 mile before entering and following the nicely wooded canyon bottom. Branch canyons lead left and right along the route providing nice isolated camping spots.

Cassidy Trail Easy
Intermediate
Difficult
8.7 miles 5-6 hours
Believed to have been used by the famous outlaw Butch Cassidy in his many escapes from the lawmen of the day. Relive some Old West adventures of your own on this wonderful red rock trail.

Cassidy, Rich, & Ledge Point Trails Intermediate
3-9 miles 4-6 hours
These three trails intertwine with each other to form several loops ranging from 3 miles to 8 or more miles.

Casto Canyon Trail Intermediate
7.4 miles
This trail takes you into a wonderful world of red hoodoos, sandstone cliffs of white, pink and even green colors. The spectacular red rock is evident along most of the Casto Canyon ride until you reach the forested areas of ponderosa pines where the colors change with every turn of the trail.

Cave Spring Trail Easy
.6 mile loop 1/2 hour
The Cave Spring Trail takes you past a pictograph panel with ancient handprints and past an authentic, preserved cowboy line camp.

Chesler Park Loop Trail Intermediate
4.5 mile loop 3 hours
The Chesler Park Loop circles Chesler Park meadow. The southernmost portion of the loop consists of the Joint Trail, a fantastic 1/2 mile long, extremely narrow crack through 50 foot tall cliff walls.

Confluence Overlook Trail Intermediate
10 mile roundtrip 5 to 6 hours
The Confluence Overlook Trail begins from the main scenic drive and travels through a few small canyons to a great overlook of the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers.

Coyote Gulch Intermediate
Difficult
2-13 miles 8 hours+
Coyote Gulch is an awe-inspiring side canyon of the Escalante that can be explored as an intense hike or a not-quite-so-intense hike, depending on your preference.

Coyote Hollow Trail Intermediate
Difficult
8 miles 4-6 hours
The Coyote Hollow Trailhead is the eastern access point to the Thunder Mountain Trail.

Devils Pocket Trail Intermediate
5 mile loop 3 hours
Devils Pocket Trail passes through some of the best spires in the park, through the flat grassy bottomed valleys ("grabens") of Devil's Pocket and finishes along the northern edge of Chesler Park. It is a wonderfully scenic route and not much used.

Elephant Hill to Chesler Park Trail Intermediate
3 miles oneway 2 hours
The trail from Elephant Hill traverses slickrock with nice panoramas of the park. It proceeds through joints formed by sandstone fins and climbs through Elephant Canyon before reaching beautiful Chesler Park, a desert meadow set among the famed spires.

Elephant Hill to Druid Arch Intermediate
5.2 miles oneway 3-1/2 hours
The Druid Arch Trail starts at the 2.1 mile mark of the trail to Chesler Park and travels south up the sandy wash of Elephant Canyon. Druid Arch is large interesting arch with two narrow vertical openings. It derives its name from its suggestion of the Stonehenge rock formations in southern England, created by the "Druids."

Fremont Trail Intermediate
Difficult
50 miles+
Along this trail, you will take in spectacular views of red rock cliffs, and wind your way through ponderosa pine forests, quaking aspen stands and sage flats as you climb in and out of the canyons.

Golden Stairs Trail Intermediate
2 miles oneway 1 hour
Golden Stairs Trail is a steep 2-mile long trail that descends from the Maze Overlook 4wd Road to the Land of Standing Rocks 4wd Road.

Golden Wall, Castle Bridge, & Buckhorn Trails Intermediate
4 miles 2-4 hours
Although these trails were once separate, the Golden Wall Trail was extended so they now connect to make a nice loop that showcases the colors of the Claron Formation.

Gooseberry Canyon Trail Difficult
6 mile roundtrip 4 hours
This is the shortest trail down to the White Rim Road, but it is very steep. Once down, you can find exposed camping areas with great views of the Colorado River canyon, or climb back out.

Grand View Point Trail Easy
2 mile roundtrip 1 hour
The Grand View Point Overlook provides the most impressive view in the entire park, and one of the best views in the state. At the overlook is a popular and easy trail with equally wonderful views of the expansive canyon country.

Grays Pasture Trail Difficult
11 mile roundtrip 5 to 7 hours
This trail runs through flat grasslands of Gray Pasture for two miles before dropping down over ledges to the White Rim mesa. You'll be provided with great views in all directions.

Green River Overlook Trail Intermediate
10 mile roundtrip 5 to 6 hours
The Colorado and Green River Overlook Trail climbs up and down slickrock with nice panoramas to a good overview of the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers.

Hogback Trail Difficult
9.75 mi. semi-loop 5 to 7 hours
Hogback Trail (a.k.a. Murphy Trail) follows a wash then plunges over the mesa rim steeply down to the desert basin of the White Rim mesa.

Holeman Spring Trail Difficult
12 mile roundtrip 6 to 8 hours
Holeman Spring Trail (a.k.a. Wilhite Trail) is probably the most difficult trail in the Island in the Sky District. The descent from the Island in the Sky peninsula is exceptionally steep and once on the mesa, the trail disappears and you have to make your own way.

Losee Canyon Trail Intermediate
2.9 miles 3-6 hours
Located at the bottom of Losee Canyon, the trail follows the canyon floor, winding through the red hoodoos and the many colored sandstone cliffs up to the higher elevations of the Red Canyon area.

Lost Canyon Trail Easy
3.25 miles oneway 2-1/2 hours
Lost Canyon Trail is a lightly used trail that climbs slickrock slopes before descending, sometimes steeply, along slickrock to the floor of the heavily vegetated canyon floor. Along the route are numerous good camping opportunities.

Lower Red Lake Canyon Trail Difficult
1-2 days
Lower Red Lake Canyon Trail leads to the Colorado River and the beginning of the famous whitewater of Cataract Canyon. The route consists of lots of slickrock, grassy valleys ("grabens") and a wonderful desert canyon. The trail ends with a steep 700 foot drop in a 1/2 mile to the sandy banks of the river.

Mesa Arch Trail Easy
1/2 mile loop 1/2 hour
Mesa Arch is a good sized arch clinging to the edge of the canyon rim. An easy .5 mile loop trail through desert vegetation leads to the arch. Framed through the arch is a nice view of the La Sal Mountains.


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