Parking
Park at the Big Spring Canyon trailhead at the end of the paved Needles road, behind the large red and white signs. Lot capacity, toilets and drinking water at the trailhead were not confirmed; carry your water for the hike.
Overview
About Confluence Overlook Trail
Why go
- A rare view of two major rivers meeting from 1,000 feet above.
- A varied route through sandstone gaps, slickrock and canyon country.
- The keyhole, balanced rock and final saddle break up the long approach.
Heads up
- An exposed, strenuous 11-mile day with substantial cumulative climbing.
- Rough ledges, a ladder and a high cliff-edge finish require steady footing.
This is an 11-mile out-and-back from Big Spring Canyon trailhead to a cliff-edge view of the Green and Colorado rivers meeting about 1,000 feet below. The park estimates 5–6 hours and calls it strenuous. It’s a full day in open Needles country, not a quick walk to an overlook; the miles buy you a long, varied crossing of sandstone canyons and one remarkable finish. Dogs aren’t allowed, though service animals are.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation4,839–5,075 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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 Confluence Overlook Trail, 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 trailhead
Big Spring Canyon and Slickrock0:00 / 0:36
“You're approaching Big Spring Canyon Overlook, at the end of the paved Needles road. Stop for sandstone spires around a broad canyon bend, with some of the view visible from the parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Pothole Point
- The Moth That Packs the Pollen
- The Jay's Hidden Pantry
- How a Cliff Grows a Garden
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Confluence Overlook Trail
Plan for sun, water and rough rockTreat this as a dry, exposed hike.
Treat this as a dry, exposed hike. The park recommends 1 litre of water per person per hour, plus snacks, sturdy shoes, a headlamp and a map. You’ll descend and climb uneven sandstone ledges, use a park ladder, and cross slickrock with short steep sections. Snow or ice can occur in winter, when traction devices are recommended. One visitor’s practical tip was to start early to limit time in direct sun; that’s a single-hiker suggestion, but the park also warns hikers to prepare for sun and heat.
Big Spring Canyon and the keyholeThe trail drops over sandstone ledges into Big Spring Canyon, crosses its creek bed, then…
The trail drops over sandstone ledges into Big Spring Canyon, crosses its creek bed, then climbs a tributary through a keyhole gap between sandstone knobs. A ladder reaches the last ledge and a saddle with a balanced mushroom-shaped rock. Take a moment there to look back toward the trailhead and the Abajo Mountains before the route turns toward the next canyon.
Across Elephant and Cyclone canyonsBeyond the saddle, the route crosses a sandy basin and the broad, shallow lower part of…
Beyond the saddle, the route crosses a sandy basin and the broad, shallow lower part of Elephant Canyon, then climbs more ledges to a slickrock traverse. A red butte and rolling slickrock mark the way to a four-wheel-drive road. The trail drops into Cyclone Canyon and follows its road and drainage toward a backcountry campground. Watch the turns here: the foot route uses the road corridor before leaving it for the last climb.
The last climb to the confluenceFrom the campground area, a steep climb reaches a saddle where the far walls of the Colorado…
From the campground area, a steep climb reaches a saddle where the far walls of the Colorado gorge come into view. Slickrock ledges and a low ridge lead to a rock pile at the cliff edge. The Green and Colorado meet about 1,000 feet below; Cataract Canyon’s whitewater starts just downstream, and river runners often stop at the junction before continuing into the rapids.
Why Cyclone Canyon runs beside the riverCyclone is a graben, a block of crust that dropped between faults.
Cyclone is a graben, a block of crust that dropped between faults. As cracks widened, erosion cut parallel canyon troughs beside the Colorado River. That explains the long, straight-sided folds you cross on the approach to the overlook.
The river’s name changed in 1921The Colorado River below the junction was once called the Grand.
The Colorado River below the junction was once called the Grand. In 1921, Colorado Representative Edward Taylor persuaded Congress to rename it the Colorado River, despite objections from Utah, Wyoming and the U.S. Geological Survey. From this overlook, the naming dispute is attached to the exact meeting point that joined the two river histories.
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.
