Horseshoe Canyon
The reason to walk this one is the Great Gallery, a panel of well preserved, life sized figures about 3.5 miles in. It sits in a detached unit of Canyonlands, costs nothing to enter, and needs no rope anywhere.
The 780 foot descent off the rim comes at the very start, which means the climb out lands at the end of the day when it is hottest. Seven miles round trip. Getting there is 30 miles of graded dirt from UT 24 near Goblin Valley, or 47 miles south from Green River, usually fine for 2WD, but the park warns that rain or blowing sand can put either road into 4WD condition, so do not follow a storm out there. Carry a gallon of water per person: there is none above the rim and the sources in the canyon are unreliable. Pets are prohibited on the trail and below the rim. From June through August the park's advice is to start very early or after 4 pm, and that is worth taking literally.
Logistics
| Manager | NPS Canyonlands National Park, Horseshoe Canyon Unit |
|---|---|
| Permit | No entrance fee or day use permit required to hike the detached Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park. The park's per vehicle entrance fee applies only at the Island in the Sky and Needles districts. A free stock permit is required only to bring horses into the canyon. |
| Distance | 7 mi |
| Technical | longest 0 ft |
| Season | Early Winter to Late Spring;BEST in Apr;May;Oct;Nov |
| Coordinates | 38.4581, -110.2033 |
Sources
- permit: https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/fees.htm
- manager: https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm
- nearest town: https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm
- desc: https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm
- notes: https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm
- heroPhoto: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Gallery,_Horseshoe_Canyon_Unit,_Canyonlands_National_Park,_Utah_(64828629).jpg