Canyonlands National Park, UT
A rough-road walk ends at an unguarded view over the Colorado River.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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!!!!”
Trail guide
The Colorado River Overlook Walk is a roughly 3-mile out-and-back along the final stretch of road and a short footpath to the canyon rim. The National Park Service recommends walking the last 1.5 miles to the overlook; the 3-mile total treats that as one way and back. It gives no fixed roadside pullout, so stopping farther back adds distance. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours.
The overlook is about 7 miles down a rugged, unpaved road. The final 1.5 miles has large rocks and stair-step drops, so the NPS suggests parking on the road and walking that section. Leave enough room for other vehicles to pass. Reaching the area requires a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle or a mountain bike; no permit is required for the overlook. This is a road walk, not a built trail.
The Colorado River winds below layered red canyon walls. The overlook is unprotected, with no barrier at the edge. Keep well back from the rim, and include some river in a photo to show the canyon's scale. Pets aren't allowed on Canyonlands hiking trails.
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
ChallengingConfluence Overlook Trail11 mi · 5.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA strenuous day hike to the Green–Colorado rivers’ dramatic meeting point.
ModerateSlickrock Trail2.4 mi · 2 hr · 2.5 mi awayFour canyon overlooks on an open slickrock loop marked with cairns.
EasyPothole Point Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 2.9 mi awayA short cairn-marked loop among rain-fed pothole gardens.
EasyStone Storehouse Trail0.3 mi · 20 min · 4.3 mi awayA short loop to an Indigenous storehouse beneath a sandstone alcove.
ChallengingWooden Shoe Canyon to Lost Canyon Loop Trail8.7 mi · 5.5 hr · 4.8 mi awayTwo canyon floors, slickrock climbs, and one ladder in a rugged loop.
ChallengingPeekaboo Trail10.8 mi · 6 hr · 4.8 mi awayTwo ladders and high slickrock make this a serious Needles day hike.
ModerateBig Spring to Wooden Shoe Canyon Loop Trail7.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.8 mi awayTwo canyons, one high saddle, and a rougher route between them.
ChallengingBig Spring Canyon to Elephant Canyon Loop Trail10.5 mi · 5 hr · 4.8 mi awayTwo ladders cross a slickrock pass between Big Spring and Elephant.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayBig Spring Canyon OverlookSpires and sandstone benches line a bend in Big Spring Canyon.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayPothole PointRain-fed pools bring a small world to life on bare sandstone.
Picnic area · 3.3 mi awayNeedles Scenic Drive Picnic AreaA shaded stop where rain brings tiny desert creatures to life.
Visitor center · 4.2 mi awayThe Needles Visitor CenterGet ranger advice before choosing a Needles hike or 4WD road.Sight · 4.4 mi awayStone StorehouseA quick loop to an ancient granary beneath a sandstone alcove.
Sight · 4.4 mi awayConfluence OverlookAn 11-mile hike to where the Green and Colorado meet.
Entrance station · 4.4 mi awayThe Needles Entrance StationBuy your park pass here before continuing into The Needles.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayWooden Shoe Arch OverlookA quick stop for one unmistakable shoe-shaped arch.Parkwolf’s Canyonlands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
