Parking
Use the marked Whale Rock Trailhead parking area on Upheaval Dome Road. The trail starts from this lot.
Overview
About Whale Rock Trail
Why go
- Distinctive whale-shaped sandstone dome on a short hike
- Broad mesa views for about an hour of walking
Heads up
- Bare slickrock makes the cairn-marked route less obvious
- Steep drop-offs on the dome
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation5,700–5,866 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 Whale Rock 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
Whale Rock0:00 / 0:24
“Whale Rock Trailhead is coming up, where you can climb a sandstone dome shaped like a whale for broad views across the mesa.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Alcove Spring and Moses and Zeus
- Upheaval Dome
- Wilhite Trailhead
- Aztec Butte Granaries
- 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 Whale Rock Trail
A short sandstone climb with a real edgeWhale Rock is a 0.
Whale Rock is a 0.8-mile out-and-back from the marked lot on Upheaval Dome Road, climbing over a long sandstone dome to broad Island in the Sky views. Plan on about an hour; it’s rated moderate. It’s a good pick if you want a brief rock scramble and a big mesa-top view without committing to a long hike.
Follow the whale’s outlineThe route skirts the dome’s flank, then works around its tail toward the rounded head.
The route skirts the dome’s flank, then works around its tail toward the rounded head. Cairns mark the trail, and they matter on bare slickrock: stay with the marked line instead of following a tempting direct track up the steeper sides. At the top, look west toward Upheaval Dome and south across the canyons.
Slickrock, steps, and steep edgesExpect rough, uneven rock and stone steps, with a short scramble on the dome.
Expect rough, uneven rock and stone steps, with a short scramble on the dome. Wear shoes with good grip and keep back from the steep drop-offs. Snow or ice can cover the route in winter, when traction devices may be needed. Dogs aren’t allowed on the trail; service animals are.
The dome’s place in the landscapeWhale Rock is part of a large outer ring of sandstone around nearby Upheaval Dome.
Whale Rock is part of a large outer ring of sandstone around nearby Upheaval Dome. The walk is short, but you get to climb that landform rather than just view it from the road, then turn around on the same route.
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.
