Parking
Use the roadside pull-off on Cape Royal Road at the north end of the mapped route. The available references do not establish its capacity, surface or facilities.
Overview
About Walhalla Glades Trail
Why go
- A distinctive old-road traverse through open and wooded plateau country.
Heads up
- A long, isolated route with primitive tread and hard-to-follow sections.
Walhalla Glades Trail is a 15-mile out-and-back across the Walhalla Plateau on a primitive former forest road, crossing grassy openings, burned snags and pine woods above the North Rim. It's a long walk through an isolated corner of the plateau, not the short Pueblo path near Walhalla Overlook. Allow about six hours; choose it if you want a substantial walk at elevation and are comfortable with faint wayfinding.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Canyon map
Full mapElevation7,907–8,520 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Grand Canyon alerts
- ClosureInner Canyon and North Rim trail closuresMentions North Rim, referenced in this guideDo not enter the closed trails, bridges, campgrounds, and inner-canyon areas.Official details
- ClosureNorth Rim scenic roads closed for repairsMentions North Rim, referenced in this guideCape Royal Road and Point Imperial Road are closed from sunset October 15 through sunrise November 3, 2026. - The roads are closed to accommodate critical road repair and rehabilitation work.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Canyon Tour Guide
Your drive to Walhalla Glades Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Canyon 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 Grand Canyon audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Walhalla Glades’ Old-Road Hike0:00 / 0:27
“The pull-off for Walhalla Glades Trail is ahead, the start of a long walk across the high plateau.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grand Canyon Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Vista Encantada’s Picnic Stop
- Roosevelt Point’s View and Plaque
- Rain That Never Lands
- A Movie Camera in the Rapids
- 79 audio storiesacross Grand Canyon’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Bighorn Sheep, American Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 73 trails, 96 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 Walhalla Glades Trail
Follow the former roadStart at the pull-off along Cape Royal Road.
Start at the pull-off along Cape Royal Road. The route includes the old-road approach to the Walhalla Glades junction, then heads south through rolling grassland. It first runs near the paved road, bends away into open fields of burned snags, and alternates those clearings with wooded stretches. Keep the François Matthes branch separate; after the Walhalla Connector junction, Walhalla Glades continues toward its closest approach to the canyon rim. The southern end lies near the peninsula's tip, across from Cape Royal and Angels Window. Turn around there and retrace the same corridor.
Effort and navigationPlan for roughly 15 miles round trip and about six hours.
Plan for roughly 15 miles round trip and about six hours. Published elevation-gain estimates range from about 660 to 720 feet; the grade is moderate, but the distance, high elevation and route-finding take more effort than that label suggests. The route sits roughly 7,900 to 8,500 feet above sea level and is described as isolated and hard to follow in places. No dependable water source is identified along the route, so carry what you need for the full walk.
Access and rulesThe access is a roadside pull-off along Cape Royal Road; its parking capacity and facilities…
The access is a roadside pull-off along Cape Royal Road; its parking capacity and facilities are not confirmed. Check current North Rim road status before driving out. Pets are not allowed on this route; service animals are permitted.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grand Canyon
718 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
533 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
169 sightingsAmerican BisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,891 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
59 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
27 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Canyon. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
