Parking
The Fort Bottom trailhead is where the path leaves White Rim Road. Reaching it requires a 4WD vehicle and a permit to drive the road.
Overview
About Fort Bottom Trail
Why go
- A stone tower and Green River bend reward the exposed crossing
Heads up
- Narrow ledges above steep drops
- Reaching the trail requires a 4WD White Rim Road permit
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation3,957–4,357 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 Fort Bottom 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- Upheaval Dome
- Whale Rock
- 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 Fort Bottom Trail
The river-bend payoffFort Bottom Trail is a 3.
Fort Bottom Trail is a 3.4-mile out-and-back from White Rim Road across a narrow, exposed mesa to a high point above a bend in the Green River. An ancestral Puebloan tower marks the historic home at the end. Allow about two hours; the route has roughly 418 feet of elevation change. The distance is manageable, but the exposed edges are the deciding factor.
The exposed crossingExpect uneven, rocky footing as the route crosses the narrow mesa.
Expect uneven, rocky footing as the route crosses the narrow mesa. Some sections have drops of several hundred feet on both sides, so this is a poor choice if heights make you uneasy. The route leads to the tower viewpoint and returns the same way. Stay on the marked trail and give the fragile stonework space.
Access and rulesThe trail leaves White Rim Road, a rough 4WD backcountry road; a vehicle permit is required to…
The trail leaves White Rim Road, a rough 4WD backcountry road; a vehicle permit is required to drive it. There is no potable water along the hiking trails, so bring plenty of water and snacks. Dogs are not allowed on the trail, though service animals are. The rocky tread is not wheelchair accessible.
Frame the tower with the riverAt the high point, the tower and Green River bend make the clearest view of why this trail…
At the high point, the tower and Green River bend make the clearest view of why this trail crosses the mesa. For a photo, include both the stone structure and the curve of the river rather than filling the frame with the tower alone. Do not enter, touch, or climb on the archaeological site.
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.
