Horse Canyon Trail (The Maze)

Horse Canyon Trail is a 15.1-mile out-and-back from a cairned start on Maze Overlook Road to the junction with South Fork Horse Canyon. The mapped canyon corridor is about 7.6 miles each way; turn around at the junction and retrace it. Allow around seven hours for the hike itself. This is a backcountry route for hikers ready to navigate dry washes and carry what they need, not a quick walk from a park road. A separate roughly 17-mile loop follows Horse Canyon to South Fork, climbs by the Maze Overlook Trail, then returns 3.9 miles along the road; that is a different route.

The start is 1.4 miles beyond Maze Overlook Junction, just east of the park boundary. Look for a slickrock line of large cairns heading north from Maze Overlook Road; no developed trailhead lot is identified. The road viewpoints 0.9 and 1.5 miles beyond the start look into Horse Canyon, so check the descent from the rim before heading down. Maze trails are unmarked and minimally maintained, with only a few cairns for the descent and little marking in the washes. Carry a paper topographic map; GPS units can lead people astray here.

The route drops from the mesa over slickrock into Horse Canyon. The lower canyon bottom is dry and sandy, with relatively easy walking and few obstacles. The mapped trail ends at the South Fork junction. Turn back there for this out-and-back; continuing along South Fork or farther down Horse Canyon becomes a different backcountry itinerary.

This was a working route for moving cattle into and out of the lower canyons of the Maze. Its appeal is the quiet descent into a canyon, rather than a built trail or developed destination.

The Maze has no food, gas, potable water or other services. Reaching its canyons from Hans Flat can take three to six hours by high-clearance four-wheel drive, and visitors need to be prepared for self-rescue. Steep slickrock, drop-offs and sudden flash floods are serious hazards. Dogs are not allowed on NPS hiking trails, and overnight trips require a backcountry permit.