Parking
Use the Murphy Point Trailhead parking area on Grand View Point Road in the Island in the Sky district. The park entrance fee applies, and the NPS lists auto parking at the trailhead.
Overview
About Murphy Point Trail
Why go
- Mostly level mesa walk to a wide Green River and White Rim panorama
- Historic corral and open-country scenery add variety before the rim
Heads up
- Little shade and no drinking water along the route
- Rough cairn-marked footing, a rocky rise, and stone steps
Murphy Point is a 3.4-mile out-and-back from the trailhead on Grand View Point Road to a rim above the Green River. It is a mostly level mesa walk, about two hours for a typical visit, with the long canyon view as the reward. Choose it for open country, a bit of ranching history, and a broad panorama; skip it if you want shade or a short, smooth stroll. The tread gets rougher than the mileage and elevation change suggest, so plan for uneven ground and a rocky rise.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the overlook walk for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation6,080–6,244 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 Murphy Point 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
Murphy Point0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching the Murphy Point trailhead, for a walk across the mesa to a broad view of the Green River and White Rim.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Buck Canyon Overlook
- Candlestick Tower Overlook
- Sand Dunes Inside the Stone
- Green River Overlook
- 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 Murphy Point Trail
Stay on the mesa-top routeThe trail begins across open grassland dotted with low shrubs and short trees.
The trail begins across open grassland dotted with low shrubs and short trees. The narrow path is mostly packed dirt at first, then becomes less distinct where it crosses rock and sand. Cairns mark the route; follow them and leave them where they are. A branch toward Murphy Hogback leaves the mesa-top hike partway out. That is a different route below the rim, so stay on the Murphy Point line if you are going to the overlook and back.
The corral and the changing groundThe historic corral is the main landmark on the mesa before the trail reaches the canyon edge.
The historic corral is the main landmark on the mesa before the trail reaches the canyon edge. It gives the walk a human story: this country was used for ranching before it became a national park. The route is mostly level, but NPS describes rough, uneven ground, a rocky hill and stone steps. Near the end the path shifts from packed dirt to rock and sand, and cairns matter more as the tread fades against the slickrock. There is little shade along the way.
What the rim showsAt Murphy Point, the view opens over the White Rim and the Green River canyon country, with…
At Murphy Point, the view opens over the White Rim and the Green River canyon country, with Candlestick Tower in the panorama. The district map also names the Henry Mountains and potholes in the view. Look for the pale White Rim band along the inner gorge: its cross-bedded sandstone formed from ancient wind-blown beach sands and now resists erosion above softer shale. The Green and Colorado rivers have cut through the layers, leaving the stepped canyon walls and broad basins you see from the rim. For a photo, include the river below and the White Rim Road in the same frame; they give the scale that the open view can lose on a phone.
Make the hike workPark at Murphy Point Trailhead on Grand View Point Road; the park lists auto parking at the…
Park at Murphy Point Trailhead on Grand View Point Road; the park lists auto parking at the trailhead, and the park entrance fee applies. There is no drinking water on the trail. The Island in the Sky visitor center has water during spring through fall, so fill up there before driving to the start. Stay back from the exposed rim, especially when the rock is wet or icy. Snow and ice can reach the trail in winter, when traction devices are recommended. Dogs are not allowed on hiking trails, even if carried; 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.
