Sight · Canyonlands National Park
A sandstone spire city at the end of a six-hour 4WD route.
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 tour“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
The Doll House is a cluster of tall Cedar Mesa Sandstone spires and hoodoos in Canyonlands’ remote Maze District. It’s a destination for a full backcountry trip, not a quick stop. From Hans Flat, the vehicle route is listed at 41 miles and more than six hours; Maze roads require high-clearance four-wheel drive with low range and are extremely remote and difficult. If you’re inexperienced on rough 4WD roads, don’t take on the drive.
A separate route starts at Spanish Bottom on the Colorado River. The park describes a jet-boat shuttle from Moab, followed by a foot trail that climbs more than 1,000 feet to the Doll House. Check that a shuttle is available before building your trip around it; this is a steep hike, not an easy shortcut.
The formations rise in a crowded field of rounded towers and narrow sandstone fins. A walking loop heads south through Surprise Valley; past the last official campsite, the jeep road narrows into a foot trail. A trip account describes granaries along this loop, among the rock formations. For photos, get close enough to include a fin or tower in the foreground, with the rest of the cluster behind it.
There are three vehicle campsites in the Doll House area, and overnight trips require a permit. The sites have no pit toilets or picnic tables; groups must bring a reusable toilet system. Don’t count on potable water: none is listed at the Doll House, and backcountry water is limited, so carry what you need.
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
ModerateColorado and Green River Overlook Trail8.9 mi · 5 hr · 0.1 mi awayBeehive Arch and two river views reward a long Maze approach.
ModerateGranary Trail1.9 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayA tight sandstone squeeze, an alcove granary and Colorado River views.
ChallengingFins Trail through Ernie’s Country8.1 mi · 8 hr · 0.4 mi awayA remote cairned crossing through fins, sandy flats and narrow canyons.
ChallengingSpanish Bottom Trail2.1 mi · 2.4 hr · 0.9 mi awaySteep river climb to the Doll House, with fossils in the rock.
ChallengingHarvest Scene Route8.7 mi · 7 hr · 2.5 mi awayA rugged loop reaches the Maze’s famous Harvest Scene pictographs.
ChallengingShot Canyon Route10.1 mi · 8 hr · 2.6 mi awayCairns lead from Chimney Rock into Shot Canyon's broad floor.
ChallengingPete's Mesa Route8.4 mi · 6 hr · 2.6 mi awaySlickrock miles with the Maze spread out below.
ChallengingChimney Rock Route2.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayA steep old stock route drops into Pictograph Fork.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayChimney RockA sandstone tower worth stopping for once you're deep in the Maze.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayStanding RockA roadside spire reached by a five-hour, low-range 4WD drive.
Sight · 4.1 mi awayConfluence OverlookAn 11-mile hike to where the Green and Colorado meet.
Campground · 4.9 mi awayDevils Kitchen CampgroundA four-site backcountry camp reached by the technical Elephant Hill road.Parkwolf’s Canyonlands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
