North Trail

North Trail is a 6.2-mile one-way descent from the North Trailhead on North Point Road to Millard Canyon Road, losing about 1,422 feet in roughly 3½ hours. It drops through North Trail Canyon into Elaterite Basin, with Elaterite Butte ahead through much of the lower walk. This is point to point: stage a vehicle at both ends or plan it as a leg of a backcountry trip; walking back to North Point makes it 12.4 miles.

The route starts gently through trees, then bends back along a bench to the canyon head. Short, steep switchbacks descend about 150 feet into a narrow, V-shaped passage through Wingate sandstone. The orange walls slope toward a tight corridor at the bottom, an unusual break through cliffs that usually stop other canyons above the White Rim.

Below the slot, the tread becomes less rocky and follows a sandy wash through Chinle shale and mudstone. Look up for blind arches in the cliffs and toward Elaterite Butte across the basin. The canyon gradually opens into a shallow wash and broad grassy flat. Small potholes and seeps may hold water, but they are unreliable, and the seeps can leave a white alkaline crust; carry what you need rather than counting on them.

A sheep rancher named John Boline used Elaterite Basin as winter pasture in the 1890s. Local lore says he rolled rocks onto the trail each spring to keep other sheepmen from finding it. Near the road, an old steam boiler remains from the Nequoia Oil Company drilling rig brought here in 1920; it spent a year searching for oil without success.

The trailhead is off North Point Road, a remote dirt-road approach. A two-wheel-drive vehicle can be left at the road junction and the last mile walked to the trailhead. The trail is primitive but marked by cairns; routes through washes can be hard to distinguish, so carry a topographic map and know how to use it. There are no food, gas, or potable-water services in The Maze, and flash floods can arrive without warning. Overnight trips require a backcountry permit, and pets are not allowed on hiking trails. The lower route enters the Orange Cliffs Unit of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which shares the Maze backcountry plan and permit system.