Lower South Desert Overlook Trail

Lower South Desert Overlook is a roughly 0.6-mile out-and-back from the road-end parking area to an unmarked rim viewpoint. Follow an old, rutted two-track about 0.29 mile each way; allow about 20 minutes for the return walk and a look around. It is an easy walk once you are there, but getting there is a much bigger commitment. Turn back at the overlook: continuing down the old track becomes the separate 4.5-mile Jailhouse Rock and Temple Rock hike.

Jailhouse Rock rises above the sandy South Desert, with smaller Temple Rock beyond it and the Waterpocket Fold curving behind and to the left. From the rim, keep a little of the pale ledge in the foreground to show the drop and the scale of the desert below.

The gray-green Curtis Formation caps Jailhouse Rock. Weathering has rounded it into bubbled, mushroom-like shapes you can spot near the viewpoint. Red-orange Entrada sandstone forms the rocks below, including Jailhouse Rock and Temple Rock; the Waterpocket Fold behind them is dominated here by Navajo sandstone.

This is a remote backcountry stop, not a signed, maintained park trail. The short track is rutted and the overlook is unmarked; the old road drops steeply beyond it. Hartnet and Cathedral Valley roads are unpaved, maintained infrequently and can become impassable when wet. The Fremont River ford can be unsafe during high water. High-clearance is necessary for the access roads, and four-wheel drive is recommended. Pets are not allowed on trails or off-trail in the backcountry.