Parking
Park at the Lathrop Trailhead parking area in Island in the Sky and start from the signed mesa-top access. This is the upper trailhead, not the lower White Rim Road access.
Overview
About Lathrop Trail to Canyon Rim
Why go
- Views of Airport Tower and the Colorado River at the rim
- A moderate way to see Lathrop Canyon from above
Heads up
- Open mesa crossing with no water along the route
- Uneven rock and stone steps near the rim
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation5,771–6,119 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 Lathrop Trail to Canyon Rim, 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
Lathrop Trailhead0:00 / 0:25
“Up ahead is Lathrop Trailhead, where a five-mile round trip crosses open grassland to views of Airport Tower and the Colorado River. Allow two to three hours, with rough rock and steps near the rim.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Four Wooden Boats into Canyon Country
- Shafer Canyon Overlooks
- Island in the Sky Visitor Center
- A Campaign Around the Campfire
- 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 Lathrop Trail to Canyon Rim
The shorter Lathrop hikeLathrop Trail to Canyon Rim is a five-mile out-and-back from Lathrop Trailhead across the open…
Lathrop Trail to Canyon Rim is a five-mile out-and-back from Lathrop Trailhead across the open grassland of Island in the Sky to views of Airport Tower and the Colorado River. It’s a moderate two-to-three-hour walk. If you want the canyon view without the long, steep descent, this is the route I’d choose.
Across the mesaMost of the walk crosses open grassland on the mesa top.
Most of the walk crosses open grassland on the mesa top. Near the rim, the trail gets rougher, with an uneven rocky hill and stone steps. There’s no drinking water along the trail, and the open stretch offers little shelter from sun or weather. Fill up before leaving the mesa.
Turn back at the rimThis route ends at the rim viewpoint.
This route ends at the rim viewpoint. Lathrop Trail continues below it into the canyon; the separate White Rim Road option is 11.8 miles round trip and strenuous, with a 1,600-foot descent before the return climb. Turn around at the Airport Tower and Colorado River views unless you have planned that longer hike. The two landmarks in one frame help show the scale of the canyon.
Ground, weather, and dogsThe trail is rough and uneven rather than wheelchair accessible.
The trail is rough and uneven rather than wheelchair accessible. Snow or ice can make the rocky steps more difficult in winter, when traction devices are recommended. Dogs aren’t allowed on hiking trails; service animals are allowed.
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.
