The easiest hikes in Canyonlands National Park, by the numbers
Of the 50 trails in Canyonlands National Park in our dataset, 11 (22 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 11 are listed here, lowest rating first.
Slickrock Trail has the lowest rating: 112 ft of gain over 1.7 miles, 66 ft per mile.
Across the 11, gain runs from 112 to 480 ft and distance from 1.4 miles to 3.7 miles; the median gain is 297 ft and the median distance 1.8 miles.
10 of the 11 are point-to-point routes; the rest are out-and-back (1).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slickrock TrailSoutheastern Utah | 1.7 | 112 | 66 | 9% | 4,981 to 5,040 | 19.5 | |
| 2 | Angel Arch TrailSoutheastern Utah | 1.5 | 174 | 116 | 10% | 5,393 to 5,541 | 22.8 | |
| 3 | Murphy Point TrailSoutheastern Utah | 1.7 | 156 | 92 | 11% | 6,105 to 6,254 | 23 | |
| 4 | Devils Kitchen Trail N. SpurSoutheastern Utah | 1.6 | 229 | 143 | 16% | 5,279 to 5,485 | 27.1 | |
| 5 | Upheaval Dome Overlook TrailSoutheastern Utah | 1.4 | 278 | 199 | 15% | 5,626 to 5,801 | 27.9 | |
| 6 | Joint TrailSoutheastern Utah | 2 | 393 | 197 | 17% | 5,284 to 5,663 | 39.6 | |
| 7 | Fort Bottom Ruins TrailSoutheastern Utah | 1.8 | 444 | 247 | 24% | 3,969 to 4,371 | 40 | |
| 8 | Druid Arch TrailSoutheastern Utah | 2 | 480 | 240 | 39% | 5,312 to 5,757 | 43.8 | |
| 9 | Upheaval Canyon TrailSoutheastern Utah | 3.7 | 297 | 80 | 6% | 3,946 to 4,237 | 46.9 | |
| 10 | Murphy Wash TrailSoutheastern Utah | 2.7 | 449 | 166 | 13% | 4,809 to 5,227 | 49.2 | |
| 11 | Elephant Canyon TrailSoutheastern Utah | 2.6 | 477 | 183 | 24% | 5,147 to 5,396 | 49.8 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Canyonlands National Park" here means the 50 trails in Canyonlands National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Canyonlands National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Slickrock Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.