Parking
Use the marked Wilhite Trailhead on the left about 2.1 miles up Upheaval Dome Road. Parking capacity and facilities at the trailhead were not documented.
Overview
About Wilhite Trail
Why go
- A dramatic descent into Holeman Basin and its sandy wash.
- The lower slot beyond White Rim Road makes a distinctive optional look.
Heads up
- Steep loose talus on the way down becomes a long climb back.
- No shade or potable water for a 6–8-hour hike.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation4,255–5,942 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 Wilhite 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
Wilhite Trailhead0:00 / 0:25
“Wilhite Trailhead is ahead, for a strenuous day down in Holeman Basin. The eleven-point-four-mile round trip to White Rim Road takes six to eight hours, with a sixteen-hundred-foot climb back out.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Canyonlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Aztec Butte Granaries
- Alcove Spring and Moses and Zeus
- Willow Flat Campground
- 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 Wilhite Trail
A long, rough dayWilhite is an 11.
Wilhite is an 11.4-mile out-and-back from the Island in the Sky mesa to White Rim Road and back the same way. Allow 6–8 hours. The descent loses about 1,600 feet, then you climb it back; this is a serious day hike, not a quick viewpoint walk.
From mesa to basinThe trail starts off Upheaval Dome Road, crosses a wash and rolls across the mesa before…
The trail starts off Upheaval Dome Road, crosses a wash and rolls across the mesa before west-facing views open toward Candlestick Tower. Cairns mark the route. At the rim above Holeman Basin, the path drops steeply on switchbacks through loose talus and uneven stone; expect careful footing, and a few spots may call for your hands.
Along the washBelow the chute, a bench follows the cliff base, then the trail crosses a small hogback into a…
Below the chute, a bench follows the cliff base, then the trail crosses a small hogback into a sandy wash. The last couple of miles stay in the wash, which varies from narrow walls to wider sandy banks. On the return, keep an eye on the cairns where side channels can make the correct wash less obvious.
Where the trail endsThe named Wilhite route ends at White Rim Road.
The named Wilhite route ends at White Rim Road. A short slot canyon just across the road continues toward the Green River but stops at a spillover; treat it as an optional extra, outside the mapped 11.4-mile round trip, rather than a through-route.
Access and preparationUse the marked Wilhite Trailhead on the left after about 2.1 miles up Upheaval Dome Road.
Use the marked Wilhite Trailhead on the left after about 2.1 miles up Upheaval Dome Road. There is no shade or potable water on the trail; bring at least 1 liter per person per hour, plus sturdy footwear, snacks, a map and a headlamp. The rough, rocky steps are not wheelchair accessible, and winter can bring snow or ice. Dogs are not allowed. The lower wash is a flash-flood route, so stay out when flooding threatens.
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.
