Shafer Trail Viewpoint

Shafer Trail Viewpoint is a roadside overlook in Island in the Sky, above the famous road as it drops 1,500 feet through colorful sandstone. It is a quick, high-payoff stop if you want to understand the route without driving it yourself. The switchbacks cut across the canyon wall, and a vehicle negotiating them gives the view a vivid sense of scale.

Drive 0.9 mile beyond the Island in the Sky Visitor Center. The paved pullout fits only a handful of cars, then a short, uneven unpaved path leads to a fenced viewing area. The path is rough underfoot, so this is not a flat paved lookout.

You do not need to drive the Shafer Trail to reach the viewpoint. The road below is a separate backcountry route; the park recommends high-clearance four-wheel drive with low range for anyone driving it.

The road's bends are the reason to stop. Frame several switchbacks with the sandstone wall and canyon basin so the descent reads as a route, not just a strip of dirt. You may see four-wheel-drive vehicles below, but the road itself is the main event.

The Shafer name comes from a Mormon pioneer family. John “Sog” Shafer began using the trail in 1916 to move cattle between mesa-top summer pasture and winter range, and he improved the route. Decades later, the Atomic Energy Commission widened and extended it so trucks could haul uranium-bearing rock to Moab for processing. After Canyonlands was established in 1964, ranchers received a ten-year extension to continue ranching in the park.