Campground · Canyonlands National Park
A remote night below the Island in the Sky mesa.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Canyonlands Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Canyonlands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Canyonlands audio tourMore stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Murphy Hogback (A–C) is a three-site backcountry camping area along the White Rim Road, the roughly 100-mile route below and around the Island in the Sky mesa. It suits a multi-day 4WD or bike trip, not a quick drive-in night. From the Island in the Sky Visitor Center, the drive is estimated at about 5.5 hours; a typical 4WD trip takes two to three days.
All White Rim trips require a permit, and an overnight stay needs an overnight permit for a designated site. The road calls for high-clearance 4WD with low range, and has long rocky stretches, deep sand, and little shade. Bicyclists can use the route too, with a permit. Overnight permits often run short in spring and fall, so plan well ahead.
The three sites are generally set apart so camps are out of earshot and, as much as possible, out of sight of one another. Each site allows up to 15 people and three vehicles; keep camp activities inside its boundary posts. Two toilets serve the area, but there is no potable water. Bring at least a gallon per person per day, more with activity. Pets, fires, and generators aren't allowed.
Wildlife
48 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
47 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
30 sightingsWestern RattlesnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
18 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Canyonlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyGrand View Point Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA short rim walk opens up a much bigger canyon panorama.
ChallengingGooseberry Canyon Trail4.6 mi · 5 hr · 3.1 mi awayDrop to the White Rim, then climb 1,500 feet back up.
EasyWhite Rim Overlook Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayAn easy slickrock walk to wide canyon and river views.
EasyMurphy Point Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 3.3 mi awayOpen mesa grassland gives way to a huge Green River overlook.
ChallengingMurphy Loop Trail10.8 mi · 6 hr · 3.3 mi awayLeave the rim, circle the hogback, and earn the climb back.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayMurphy PointA long mesa walk pays off with a wide Green River panorama.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayOrange Cliffs OverlookA quick pullout for Green River canyon views and sunset color.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayGrand View PointA short paved walk opens onto Monument Basin and the White Rim.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayBuck Canyon OverlookA quick eastward look across the White Rim.
Picnic area · 3.1 mi awayWhite Rim Overlook Picnic AreaPicnic tables and a vault toilet beside the overlook trailhead.
Sight · 3.9 mi awayWhite Rim OverlookA short walk to White Rim country above Monument Basin.
Sight · 4.1 mi awayGreen River OverlookSee the Green River as a thin line 1,300 feet below.
Scenic pullout · 4.2 mi awayCandlestick Tower OverlookA quick roadside look at Candlestick Tower and the canyon below.Parkwolf’s Canyonlands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
