| Distance | 1.83 mi |
| Elevation Gain | 167 ft |
| My Time | 46 min |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Closest Town | Moab |
| Food Nearby | Canyon Steak and Waffle |
Grand View Point Trail
Grand View is a very popular trail at the end of Grand View Point road in Canyonlands. The hike takes you across the rim of the canyon with some amazing views.
Getting Started
The Grand View Point trail starts near the observation decking at Grand View Point. There is a small sign that points you in the direction down a dirt path. If you don’t feel comfortable with the hike there are still some great views from the observation area.
The trail starts with a fairly steep rock staircase that takes you down onto the canyon rim before flattening out a bit. Once it flattens out the trail is mostly dirt with a little a bit of rock but mostly an easier hike.
The Views
There really isn’t much to this hike. There are a couple of small elevation gains or losses but only a total of 167 feet of elevation change for the entire hike. Nothing gets more complicated than walking on some flat rocks either so it really is a pretty easy hike.
The views on the other hand are anything but ordinary. As you are walking on the rim at the beginning you have a clear view to the south of the canyon. It is pretty spectacular.
The multi-tiered canyon floor below is full of large mesa’s, wall shaped sheets of rock standing perfectly straight, and even a deeper section where a river has cut a smaller canyon into the canyon floor.
As you progress on the hike the views also show the heights of the mesa that you are currently walking on.
When you get to the end of the hike the views will switch from the south to more of the north and northwest. You can even see down to the snow capped mountains of what I think were the Henry Mountains. The canyon is just as impressive and helps to understand the nickname of Islands in the Sky for where you are hiking.
Overall the hike is fairly easy and it is just constant views as it walks on two sides of a ridge. It really is like walking onto a long point on a tropical island but this time you can see the ocean floor!
Elevation and Distance
If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 1.83 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 167 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 6,256 feet. I was also moving for a total of 46 minutes.
I am a Pro member of Alltrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.
Effort
This is a mostly flat trail with a couple of sections of rocky stair steps. Once you get past them it is a very nice walk across the canyon shelf with amazing views. The steps near the beginning are the most challenging portion so if you can make those you should be able to make the rest of the hike.
Terrain
Mostly a hard packed dirt trail with the occasional walking on rocks and a few rocky steps to navigate. The trail is wide and well defined as well. A couple of the step ups get pretty high so keep that it mind. I would suggest a pair of hiking shoes for this one.
Access
Canyonlands is a very large national park but the Grand View trail is at the southern part of the Islands in the sky section. The trail begins at the Grand View Point Overlook which has room for about 20 cars but more people were parking on the side of the road. There are pit toilet facilities at the trailhead. Canyonlands is part of the national park service and there is a $30 fee per private vehicles. A yearly or lifetime national parks pass also works.
Wrapping up Grand View Point Trail
I really enjoyed this hike. It was more of a walk than a hike and I wasn’t in a hurry to get it finished. I took my time and really enjoyed the walk and all the sights. The canyon is so impressive. It seems to go on forever and has so many different levels to it.
The rock formations coming up from the canyon floor are also very impressive. It was almost like someone started a construction project and put up one outer wall and then stopped the work. The walls of rock stand so high and straight it is impressive. This is a shorter hiker that is somewhat simple other than the rock staircases so hopefully a lot of you can enjoy it on your way through Canyonlands!
I have added this hike and all of my hikes to the interactive map page you can find here. If you have any suggestions for hikes or comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. You can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!
