Keep the trail parking clear
Parking near the trailhead is very limited. Hikers can't park off pavement or in the picnic area, even when the Grand View Point lot is full, so don't treat picnic spaces as overflow parking for the hike.
Overview
About White Rim Overlook Picnic Area
Why stop
- Picnic tables and a vault toilet make this a useful trailhead break.
Heads up
- Trailhead parking is very limited, and hikers cannot use picnic-area spaces.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Keep the trail parking clear
2 active Canyonlands alerts
- ClosureRain-damaged Needles backcountry roads impassableRecent rains have made several Needles backcountry roads impassable; do not drive these routes.Official details
- CautionMaze access roads require high-clearance 4WDOnly use high-clearance 4WD to reach Hans Flat or Horseshoe Canyon in The Maze; low-clearance vehicles are not recommended on these damaged, rutted, muddy routes.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Canyonlands Tour Guide
Your drive to White Rim Overlook Picnic Area, narrated.
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 tourRecorded for this place
White Rim Overlook0:00 / 0:26
“You're nearing the White Rim Overlook trailhead, a good choice for a canyon view if you've got about ninety minutes to walk.”
Plays as you drive up to White Rim Overlook Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Orange Cliffs Overlook
- Sand Dunes Inside the Stone
- Grand View Point
- Buck Canyon Overlook
- 43 audio storiesacross Canyonlands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Coyote, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 63 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
More about White Rim Overlook Picnic Area
A picnic stop at the trailheadThis developed picnic area sits by the White Rim Overlook trailhead in Canyonlands' Island in…
This developed picnic area sits by the White Rim Overlook trailhead in Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district. It has picnic tables, a vault/composting toilet and auto parking, making it a practical place to eat or take a bathroom break on the mesa. The overlook itself is farther down the trail; this isn't the canyon viewpoint.
The view takes a separate walkThe 1.
The 1.8-mile round-trip White Rim Overlook Trail leads to an east-facing view of the Colorado River, Monument Basin and the La Sal Mountains. Late afternoon is the best time for that view. The trail is rated easy, but the footing is rough and uneven, with a rocky rise and stone steps; it isn't wheelchair-accessible.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Canyonlands
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.
