Murphy Loop Trail

Murphy Loop is a 10.8-mile lollipop loop from the Murphy Trailhead in Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky district. The round trip drops from the mesa, circles below the rim by Murphy Hogback, a stretch of unpaved White Rim Road and Murphy Wash, then climbs the shared upper trail back to the start. Plan on five to seven hours and about 1,448 feet of elevation change. It is a strenuous, full-day hike with a wide view from the Hogback as its big reward.

Choose it for a long desert route with changing terrain, not for a quick overlook. The path is rough and the upper descent and climb are steep; the lower loop is exposed for long stretches. If that sounds like too much, the separate Murphy Point Overlook walk from this same trailhead is about 3.4 miles round trip and much easier.

Most hikers go counterclockwise: descend the switchbacks, cross the Hogback, walk the White Rim Road section, then climb back through Murphy Wash. At the early junction, watch for the Murphy Loop signs and cairns; the same approach also leads to Murphy Point Overlook. The trailhead is a pullout shared by both hikes. The district map marks a toilet there, and there is another vault toilet at Murphy Vehicle Campsite on the lower road.

There is no potable water on the trail. Carry plenty for a five-to-seven-hour hike; park guidance calls for at least one liter per person per hour. Bring snacks, sturdy shoes, a map and a headlamp, and start early in hot weather. Dogs are not allowed on hiking trails in the park.

The opening crosses open mesa-top country before the trail tips into a steep, rocky descent. Cairns mark the way down switchbacks and stone steps, through a narrow rocky notch with a wooden bridge, then onto longer, gentler turns below the tall Wingate cliffs. Keep your attention on the tread: the drop is substantial, and the same climb will be waiting at the end.

The lower circuit opens onto the Hogback, a narrow, exposed stretch of slickrock, sand and brush. A short spur reaches a viewpoint; from here the Green River lies far below, with the White Rim and Candlestick Tower spread across the canyon country. This is the signature panorama, and a little foreground trail in a photo helps show how the route crosses the bench.

The route then uses a stretch of rough, unpaved White Rim Road, passing Murphy Vehicle Campsite before turning into Murphy Wash. Vehicles use this road, so stay alert while walking along it. The wash is a different kind of hiking: its channel alternates between broad and narrow, with short climbs across exposed rock layers and several cairned forks. A rock obstruction has a marked bypass. Follow the cairns and your map rather than assuming every branch of the wash is the trail.

Murphy Wash leads back toward the steep switchbacks and the final climb to the mesa. The route is a real circuit below the rim, but the upper stem is shared, so you retrace that section to the trailhead. The route passes through several of the region’s visible rock layers: Wingate sandstone forms the high cliffs, while colorful Chinle, White Rim sandstone and Moenkopi appear along the Hogback and wash. The changing rock is part of what makes this longer loop feel different from a point-to-overlook walk.

Trail accounts describe remnants of two cattle corrals, one on the mesa and another in the wash, and identify this as an old cattle route. The specific operation and dates sometimes attached to that history are not well established, so the corrals are best understood as traces of earlier ranching rather than a precisely dated story.