Parking
Joint Trailhead is at the end of Joint Trail Road. Reaching it requires a 4WD, high-clearance vehicle and a backcountry vehicle permit. Without that access, the full 10.7-mile Chesler Park / Joint Trail outing starts from Elephant Hill.
Overview
About Joint Trail
Why go
- A deep, narrow rock passage makes this short walk stand out.
Heads up
- The short route still requires remote 4WD road access and a permit.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation5,308–5,659 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 Joint 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
- Elephant Hill and Druid Arch
- The Needles Campground
- The Moth That Packs the Pollen
- 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 Joint Trail
A short walk with a memorable middleJoint Trail is an out-and-back from its own Joint Trailhead to Chesler Park Campsite 2: about 1.
Joint Trail is an out-and-back from its own Joint Trailhead to Chesler Park Campsite 2: about 1.5 miles out and 3.0 miles round trip. Allow around two hours. The first half-mile leads to the south entrance of the fracture; the narrow passage takes about a quarter-mile to cross, then another seven-tenths of a mile brings you to the campsite. Turn around there and retrace the same route. If the Joint is what you came for, this focused walk is much shorter than the full Chesler Park outing from Elephant Hill.
Inside the JointThis is a rock fracture, not a slot canyon carved by running water.
This is a rock fracture, not a slot canyon carved by running water. The high, straight walls squeeze the trail into a dark, shaded channel with a sandy floor. It feels cooler in the crack than out in the open desert. At the north end, the walls open back onto Chesler Park and views of the Needles.
Footing and paceThe walk is rough and uneven, with stone steps.
The walk is rough and uneven, with stone steps. The passage gets dark enough that the National Park Service recommends a headlamp. Cairns and signs mark intersections, but this is a remote part of the Needles: there is no reliable water on the route, so carry what you need before leaving the trailhead. The park recommends planning for sun, heat, rain, and cold.
Getting to the right startJoint Trailhead is at the end of Joint Trail Road, a rough 4WD road that requires a…
Joint Trailhead is at the end of Joint Trail Road, a rough 4WD road that requires a high-clearance vehicle and a backcountry vehicle permit. Without that access, the alternative from Elephant Hill is the full 10.7-mile Chesler Park / Joint Trail outing, not this short version. Dogs aren't allowed, though service animals are.
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.
