Parking
Use the circular Shafer Canyon Overlook parking area in the Island in the Sky district. Pick up the path on the west side of the lot.
Overview
About Shafer Canyon Overlook Trail
Why go
- Big canyon views for very little walking
- Two distinct angles: Shafer’s switchbacks and the La Sal Mountains
Heads up
- Uneven steps and an uphill return
- Some rim edges may be unguarded
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation5,741–5,812 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 Shafer Canyon Overlook 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
Shafer Canyon Overlooks0:00 / 0:34
“Up ahead are the Shafer Canyon overlooks, where you can see the switchbacks without driving the backcountry road yourself.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Island in the Sky Visitor Center
- Lathrop Trailhead
- A Thin Coat on the Cliffs
- Four Wooden Boats into Canyon Country
- 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 Shafer Canyon Overlook Trail
A short walk to the canyon rimShafer Canyon Overlook Trail is a 0.
Shafer Canyon Overlook Trail is a 0.25-mile out-and-back from the circular parking area to a rocky rim shelf. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes. The path drops down uneven ground and short steps, then climbs back to the lot. It is a good pick if you want a close look at the canyon without taking the longer Neck Spring route. The Shafer Trail below is a backcountry 4WD road, not part of this hike.
Follow the shelf for two viewsAt the south end, the canyon’s switchbacks line up below you.
At the south end, the canyon’s switchbacks line up below you. Turn north and the layered rim opens toward the La Sal Mountains. The views change as you move along the shelf, so take a few minutes there instead of stopping at the first open spot. For a photo, frame the road from the south side, then look north for the mountain horizon.
The road belowThe road visible from the overlook began as a cattle route used by John “Sog” Shafer in 1916 to…
The road visible from the overlook began as a cattle route used by John “Sog” Shafer in 1916 to move livestock between mesa summer pasture and winter range on the White Rim. The Atomic Energy Commission later widened it for trucks hauling uranium-bearing rock to Moab. That history belongs to the road in the canyon, not to the short walking trail.
Before you goThe trail is short, but the rock shelf sits beside steep drops.
The trail is short, but the rock shelf sits beside steep drops. One description identifies a fenced viewing area, while another warns that some edges lack guardrails; don’t assume every edge is protected. Stay on the path and well back from any open rim. Pets are prohibited on Canyonlands hiking trails. No water or restroom is listed at the overlook; purified water is available separately at the Island in the Sky Visitor Center.
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.
