Shoshone Point Trail

Shoshone Point Trail is a 2-mile out-and-back from an unsigned pullout on Desert View Drive to a quiet overlook on the canyon rim. The old dirt road gains only about 100 feet over roughly a mile each way. It is a good choice if you want a short walk through the forest before a broad canyon view; allow about 1–2 hours with time at the point. Look for the gate at the pullout just west of mile marker 246, about 1.2 miles beyond Yaki Point Road.

Follow the old road through ponderosa pine. Near the rim, the trees shift to pinyon-juniper. The route stays easy underfoot for most of the way, then gets rockier near the viewpoint. Return the same way. During spring snowmelt, the dirt road can turn very muddy, so stay on the road rather than cutting across the woods.

The point faces north-northeast, toward the Desert View Watchtower and across the canyon to the North Rim. From firm ground, frame the mushroom-shaped rock with the canyon behind it for a sense of scale. There is a covered pavilion, picnic tables, grills and a vault toilet at the event area, but no water or electricity; those facilities are at the point, not the trailhead.

The last ledges are narrow and loose, with no guardrail. A fall could be fatal, so enjoy the view from stable ground instead of pressing to the edge. The point can be reserved for private gatherings. A reservation permit is for those events, not a normal hike; if the gate is open or unlocked, the park asks visitors to reconsider and give event users space.

The point is named for the Shoshone people. Their historic homeland extended across parts of today’s Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and California, and Shoshone communities still live across the West. Leashed pets are allowed on trails above the rim; keep a dog on a leash no longer than six feet here.