Round Trip Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5668 - 5835 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Whale Rock
Fee: $30/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic views, wildflowers
Whale Rock is located in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park west of Moab, Utah. Canyonlands National Park is about 120 miles from Grand Junction, Colorado and 32 miles from Moab, Utah. Whale Rock is an enjoyable hike for small children and easy enough for parents carrying toddlers. Extra care will be required, of course, to keep children from wandering to close to the edge and falling.
It is easy to see why the park service decided to develop the Whale Rock trail. If they hadn't I imagine people would have been climbing all over it anyway. The rounded sandstone hill begs the passerby to venture up its slopes and become 'king of the mountain'.
The first part of the trail is a bit sandy.
But once you reach the hill it is slickrock all the way.
The top of the rock is like a playground.
With spectacular views of the surrounding canyons.
Candlestick Tower stands prominently over the labyrinths of the Green River.
There are many plants and wildflowers as are common in Canyonlands including this yucca, groundsel, pale evening primrose, silvery lupine and Eaton's penstemon.
