Parking
Start at Spanish Bottom Trailhead in the Doll House, at the remote road end. Reach it via the high-clearance 4WD roads through The Maze. Walk east about 150 yards on Spanish Bottom Trail to the Granary Trail junction.
Overview
About Granary Trail
Why go
- A prehistoric granary alcove and canyon rim views in a short hike.
- The crack and graben make the route unusually varied.
Heads up
- The narrow squeeze and steep rock steps require confident footing.
- Reaching the trail takes a remote high-clearance 4WD drive.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation4,902–5,118 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 Granary 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 tour- 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 Granary Trail
The route and distanceGranary Trail is about a 1.9-mile lollipop loop in the Doll House area of The Maze.
Granary Trail is about a 1.9-mile lollipop loop in the Doll House area of The Maze. From Spanish Bottom Trailhead, follow Spanish Bottom Trail east to Granary Trail, cross a small graben, climb toward the canyon rim and granary alcove, then retrace the granary spur and return on a connector to Spanish Bottom Trail. Plan on about two hours on foot. The distance includes the short access and return within the Doll House; it does not include the separate river approach sometimes added to longer trips to the granary.
The narrow passageThe trail follows the base of the Doll House sandstone before climbing through a narrow opening.
The trail follows the base of the Doll House sandstone before climbing through a narrow opening. The crack is about 150 feet long and narrows to roughly 18 inches in places. It climbs about 25 feet through the opening, then drops about 30 feet to the flat floor of a small graben. Expect steep sandstone steps and some scrambling rather than a smooth path.
The rim and granaryAfter crossing the graben northward, the trail climbs its eastern side and doubles back toward…
After crossing the graben northward, the trail climbs its eastern side and doubles back toward the rim. Near the end, a short spur reaches a sheltered alcove with prehistoric granaries. Look from outside; do not enter or disturb the structures. The rim opens over Cataract Canyon to the Colorado River and down into Surprise Valley, a larger graben below the trail. The small sunken valley on this hike reflects movement in the Paradox salt layer beneath the plateau.
Access and route findingThe trailhead is reached by high-clearance four-wheel-drive roads through The Maze.
The trailhead is reached by high-clearance four-wheel-drive roads through The Maze. The approach is remote, and the short hiking distance can disguise the effort of getting there. NPS warns that Maze trails are steep, unmarked and minimally maintained, with difficult route finding; carry a topographic map and do not rely on GPS alone. In the Doll House area, stay on designated trails.
Water and rulesBring all your drinking water. Flash floods can occur without warning.
Bring all your drinking water. Flash floods can occur without warning. Pets are prohibited on hiking trails and four-wheel-drive roads. Overnight trips require a backcountry permit; do not enter, touch or damage archaeological structures.
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.
