Fort Bottom Ruin

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 4.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 3943 - 4320 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 3 hrs.
Trailhead: Fort Bottom
Fee: $30/vehicle + free permit
Attractions: Pueblo ruin, pioneer cabin

The Fort Bottom Ruin is located off of the White Rim Road in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. Beginning at the top of the Hard Scrabble section of the White Rim Road the trail travels out on a peninsula that was formed by a hairpin meander in the Green River. Sitting atop a butte at the end of the peninsula is an Ancestral Puebloan ruin that has a commanding view of the surrounding area while below the ruin in the bottoms along the Green River is an old pioneer cabin. NOTE: A permit is required for backcountry camping and to drive on the White Rim Road. The permit can be obtained for free from the Visitor Center or online.

Confluence Overlook

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 10.5 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 4824 - 5090 feet
Elevation gain: 1,989 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 5 hrs. 15 mins.
Trailhead: Big Spring Canyon Overlook
Fee: $30/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic views

The Confluence Overlook trail is in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park between Moab and Monticello, Utah. The trail begins at the end of Highway 211, the main road in the Needles District, at the Big Spring Canyon Overlook. From there it extends for a little over 5 miles through canyons, over ridges and across open spaces until it reaches an overlook above the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers.There are several places along the route that require scrambling up and down slickrock domes and ridges as well as one short metal ladder to climb. Besides the views from the overlook hikers will enjoy spectacular geological scenes of hoodoos, distant views of the needles and the graben of Cyclone Canyon.

Murphy Trail Loop

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 10.8 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 4811 - 6257 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 5 hrs. 45 mins.
Trailhead: Murphy Trail
Fee: $30/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic backcountry trail

The Murphy Trail Loop is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. The trail begins on the high plateau of the Island in the Sky where it descends a talus filled chute that takes it off of the west side of the mesa to the desert below. At the base of the cliffs the trail splits with one fork leading through Murphy Wash and the other traveling across the Murphy Hogback with the goal of both being the White Rim Road. For this post we follow the route through the wash to the White Rim Road which we then hike to reach the hogback route to complete the loop. From there we climb back up the chute to get back to the trailhead.

Gooseberry Trail

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 4.6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 4713 - 6274 feet
Cellphone: 0-2 bars
Time: 3 hrs. 15 mins.
Trailhead: White Rim Overlook
Fee: $30/vehicle
Attractions: Spectacular views, thrilling experience

The Gooseberry Trail is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. The trail begins at the White Rim Overlook trailhead, not too far from Grand View Point, and descends from the Island in the Sky down to the White Rim Road. The descent is made through a rubble filled chute that has a very steep slope. The trail is well established and easy to follow but those with acrophobia may want to find a different trail to hike.

Lathrop Trail

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 12.2 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 4408 - 6129 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 6 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Lathrop
Fee: $30/vehicle
Attractions: Scenic views and geology

The Lathrop Trail is located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park near Moab, Utah. The trail begins on top of the mesa, crosses Gray's Pasture, descends several benches as it traverses the cliffs below the Lathrop overlook where it follows a seemingly endless number of switchbacks while working its way down the rock fall filled canyon to the desert floor. From there it continues for another 1.5 miles to the White Rim Road. At the White Rim Road, which is 6.1 miles from the trailhead on top of the mesa, there is an option to continue the hike another 4 miles down to a day use area on the Colorado River by following the Lathrop Canyon Road. The roundtrip distance to the White Rim Road and back is 12.2 miles while hiking to the Colorado River would increase it to about 21 miles. Permits are available at the Visitor Center for backpackers wanting to use one of the at-large campsites.