Trails in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park are either short, easy routes to viewpoints on the rim, or longer and more strenuous paths that descend from the plateau, to the White Rim Road or further down towards the Green and Colorado rivers.
|
Trail |
Length
(one way)
(miles) |
Elevation Change (feet) |
Trail Description |
Hikes on the Mesa Top
|
| Aztec Butte |
1.0 |
300 |
Aztec Butte rises 300 feet above the plateau right at the center of the Island district, just north of Willow Flat campground. The easy trail to the top passes a cliff dwelling and several ancient Anasazi granaries, some reached by short spur paths, and also has good views over Trail Canyon that starts just to the north. |
| Grand View |
1.0 |
level |
The Grand View Trail leads from the carpark at the end of the park road to the very southern tip of the Island in the Sky plateau, at 6,265 feet, which offers a 270° panorama over the White Rim and the river canyons, the best view in the whole of Canyonlands. |
| Mesa Arch Loop |
0.5 (loop) |
level |
A short, easy route through pine-juniper woodland to Mesa Arch, perched on the east rim of the plateau high above the middle fork of Buck Canyon. The view through the arch, looking out towards the distant and often snow-covered La Sal Mountains, is one of the most photographed in the park, especially at sunrise. |
| Murphy Point |
0.7 |
level |
Murphy Point is a narrow mesa on the west side of the Island in the Sky, and can be reached by an old vehicle track, now for foot travel only, that leaves the park road a little way north of Buck Canyon Overlook. The western edge looks out over a vast area of canyons and mesas, including Soda Springs Basin, the White Rim, and Murphy Hogback - a westwards continuation of the main mesa 1,000 feet lower down. Along the track begins the 9 mile Murphy Loop Trail, which descends steeply down the south side of the point and follows the hogback, meeting a primitive campsite beside the White Rim road and returning via a parallel ravine a short distance to the south. |
| Neck Spring Loop |
5 (loop) |
260 |
The well used, 5 mile trail past Neck Spring starts just south of the visitor center, opposite Shafer Canyon overlook, and winds around some upper tributaries of Taylor Canyon, also passing Cabin Spring and various old cattle ranching relics. The trail has good views westwards, towards the Green River. |
| Upheaval Dome Overlook |
1.0 |
200 |
Upheaval Dome is a large crater at the west side of the plateau, thought to result from meteoric impact. An easy trail leads to two viewpoints along the south rim, and a nearby cross-country route descends Upheaval Canyon to the Green River. |
| Whale Rock |
0.5 |
225 |
The short path up Whale Rock begins near the end of the road to Upheaval Dome; the route ascends the slickrock slope of a distinctively-shaped sandstone outcrop, affording good views of the edge of the dome, and adjacent Trail Canyon. |
| White Rim Overlook |
0.9 |
140 |
The White Rim can be seen from every high elevation viewpoint, but best of all from the end of a very narrow promontory that projects eastwards, off the main plateau, a mile north of Grand View Point. The largest, flattest area of the rim is far below just to the east, and also in fine view are Monument Basin and Gooseberry Canyon |
Hikes towards the Rivers
|
| Alcove Spring |
20.0 |
1,700 |
The longest trail in the Island in the Sky area is the route down Trail Canyon and Taylor Canyon to the Green River, starting near the end of the road to Upheaval Dome. The route switchbacks steeply down a side ravine near the head of Trail Canyon, passing below Alcove Spring nestled in a big overhang in the sandstone cliffs - a good, reliable water source - then follows the streambed downcanyon to the junction with Taylor Canyon. The remaining 10 miles are along a rough 4WD track, eventually meeting the river just north the end of the trail down Upheaval Canyon. |
| Gooseberry |
6.0 |
1,500 |
Formerly known as the Government Trail, the Gooseberry Trail begins a mile north of Grand View Point, on the east side. It descends 1,500 feet via many switchbacks, down from the plateau to the White Rim Road, joining it close to the upper end of Gooseberry Canyon. A primitive campsite is located a short distance south. |
| Lathrop |
8.5 |
2,200 |
Lathrop Canyon provides the only route from the plateau to the Colorado River, though the round trip may need one overnight stay. The path begins 1.8 miles south of the visitor center, heads southeast across the grassy plateau (Grays Pasture) to a promontory above Upper Lathrop Canyon, turns sharply west and switchbacks down the cliff face, reaching the White Rim after 5 miles. The second part of the route is along a 4WD track down the less steep lower canyon, which winds its way gently to the Colorado. |
| Syncline Loop |
8 (loop) |
1,300 |
This loop trail circles all the way around Upheaval Dome, close to the top of the rim on the east side but mostly far below it, along Syncline Valley on the north, across the streambed of the main canyon then back south along a lesser drainage ending with a steep ascent back to the access road. |
| Wilhite |
7 |
1,600 |
The Wilhite Trail is another that descends the sheer Wingate Cliffs that encircle the Island-in-the Sky, then follows a rocky canyon to the White Rim road. The route begins half way along the spur road to Upheaval Dome, at first crossing brush-covered flat land at the edge of the mesa, before descending 1,000 feet quite steeply down a narrow ravine into Holeman Spring Basin. The path then follows a streamway through the wide, open basin, joining the White Rim road about half a mile from the Green River. On the far side of the road the Holeman Spring drainage forms a short slot canyon, though a sheer pour-off prevents continuing all the way to the river. |
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