BEST Trails For Short Canyonlands Hikes
Canyonlands National Park is a place of immense beauty and unimaginable scale, with soaring cliffsides and expansive canyons that stretch across the horizon. And the best way to see these incredible sights is to venture through the best Canyonlands hikes. These trails provide memories and experiences that every person dreams of seeing when they enter this park. From the miles of cliffside views at Murphy Point. To a Canyonlands sunrise at Green River Overlook so perfect you would think it’s fake. It’s experiences like the hikes found within this park that make Utah such an extraordinary place.
Sure, you won’t find the rushing water of Kannara Creek Falls or the soft sands of Sand Bench Loop, but what the best Canyonlands hikes do offer is endless sightlines that are second to none. They offer staggering, unaltered ledges that make you wonder how something like this is even possible. And most importantly, the Canyonlands hikes offer memories you will never forget.
Keep reading to see all of the BEST TRAILS FOR SHORT CANYONLANDS HIKES!
1.) Mesa Arch
Difficulty: 2
Distance: 0.5-miles total out and back
Parking lot on site
Found 5 minutes from Aztec Butte, Mesa Arch is the Canyonlands’ most popular attraction. This low natural arch is the perfect window connecting the plateau to the open canyon vista beyond. While this hike may be one of the more easy and popular trails, the rewarding view is well worth it!
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Low to the ground rock arch
– A lookout point that stretches for miles
– Natural stone stairs leading down to the open landing where the arch is found
– One of the best Canyonlands sunrise spots
Pro tip- If you want to see the infamous Canyonlands sunrise through the arch, be sure to get here at least 30 minutes beforehand to secure a parking spot.
2.) Murphy Point
Difficulty: 2
Distance: 3.4-miles total out and back
Parking lot on site
The Canyonlands are full of open views, dangerous sky high ledges, and enough room to feel as if you have the whole park to yourself. Murphy Point captures all of these. Here, you walk the flat grassy plateau all the way to the cliff edge as you enjoy nothing but the peaceful sights and sounds of nature.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Explorable areas wrapping around the whole plateau
– Level trail atop a plateau
– Open grasslands and desert plant life
– Many ledges and overlooks
Pro tip- Murphy Point is an extremely underrated sunset spot that sees very few visitors during the evening.
3.) Corona Arch Trail
Difficulty: 3
Distance: 3-miles total out and back
Large parking lot on site
Maybe a thousand foot cliff seems a bit much for you. No worries, the Corona Arch Trail provides a wonderful alternative. With not 1 but 3 massive arches along the trail, you can marvel at the beauty of the Canyonlands hikes without worrying about falling off them.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– A final towering arch perfect for pictures underneath
– Mainly a smooth rock trail
– 3 natural arches to explore
– A more technical area of climbing up a steep rock and a metal ladder
Pro tip- Be sure to catch the shadows of the arch at a Canyonlands sunrise for the best sights and the least people!
4.) Cave Spring Trailhead
Difficulty: 2
Distance: 0.6-miles total out and back
Parking lot on site
A great introduction hike to the canyonlands, Cave Spring is an easy going trail that does more than just showcase nature. Within the trail of green trees and rocky overhangs are plaques and interesting displays about the ecosystem, formations found around the park, and settlers over the centuries that have called this place home.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Plenty of shaded spots under the rock overhang
– Cutting through trees and other Utah plant life
– Information and insights on the history of the park
– 2 metal ladders connecting the loop trail
Pro tip- Start the loop clockwise for an easier, more downhill descent.
5.) Aztec Butte
Difficulty: 4
Distance: 1.6-miles total out and back
Parking lot on site
Back to the more adventurous Canyonlands hikes, Aztec Butte is a great trail to get the blood pumping. With very steep and uneven footing all the way up a massive boulder, this may not be a very strenuous hike, but it can be a tricky, potentially dangerous, and fully exciting hike.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Ancient native American dwellings
– Up a smooth rock boulder
– Almost entirely uphill
– A large plateau atop the hill to overlook the park
Pro tip- Have good traction hiking shoes and solid balance before attempting this Canyonlands hike.
6.) Upheaval Dome Overlook 1 and 2
Difficulty: 3
Distance: 1.3-miles total out and back
Large parking lot on site
This Canyonlands hike is a bit different from the others. Here, harrowing cliffs are replaced by steady uphill treks through desert landscapes to 2 dome like formations that grant fantastic 360° views over the Utah environment.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Full views without the danger
– Desert wildlife and plantlife scatter the trail
– Steady incline up the hills
– Tables at the beginning of the trail to sit and relax
Pro tip- Best to go during morning or evening to see a gorgeous painted sky over the park.
7.) White Rim Overlook
Difficulty: 2
Distance: 1.8-miles total out and back
Small parking lot on site
A very underrated hike in Utah, White Rim Overlook has all the factors that make the Canyonlands such a special place. Open and beautiful areas to explore 
. Adrenaline inducing ledges that appear miles off the ground . And, of course, the best sunset spot in the whole park and one of the best picture spots in all of Utah .
WHAT TO EXPECT
– One of the best Canyonlands hikes for sunset
– Many lookout points
– Ledges hundreds of feet off the canyon floor
– A level trail with a couple natural stairs
Pro tip- White Rim Overlook can easily be accompanied by Grand View Point for 2 of the best sunset spots in Utah.
8.) Grand View Point Overlook
Difficulty: 2
Distance: 1.8-miles total out and back
Large parking lot on site
Sunset over the open Canyonlands National Park is a sight to behold, and one of the top places to witness that sunset is at the Grand View Point Overlook. With great picture spots at the end of the hike as well as a fantastic lookout point right at the beginning, this trail is a perfectly peaceful Canyonlands hike to end your day.
WHAT TO EXPECT
– Sky-high vantage points over the park
– Some sections of stairs
– Well maintained trail
– Gorgeous views along the entire way
Pro tip- If you don’t feel like hiking down to the edge, there is also a fantastic overlook right at the parking lot.
9.) Green River Overlook
Difficulty: 1
Distance: 2-miles total out and back
Large parking lot on site
Sure, Mesa Arch is known as the premier sunrise spot in the Canyonlands, but the Green River Overlook is arguably better. Here you can gaze out into the wide, unobstructed beauty this state is known for from a lookout point that appears too good to be true. If you only have time for one Canyonlands sunrise, make sure it’s here!
WHAT TO EXPECT
– One of the best sunrise spots in Utah
– Many ledges far above the canyon floor
– The most scenic lookout point in all of Utah
– A paved lookout spot, then untamed gravel areas
Pro tip- Explore off the beaten path to find the best spots, like this one!
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