Upheaval Dome

Canyonlands: Island in the Sky

Difficulty

Moderate

Length

1.7 Miles

Time

1-1.5 Hours

Trail Type

Out and Back

Pets

Required Gear

Standard Day Hike Gear

Rating

★★★★★

Season

All Year

Fees

$30/vehicle (Canyonlands entrance)

About This Trail

A short climb to overlooks of one of the strangest geologic features in the Southwest — a three-mile crater that may be an ancient meteorite impact.

Local Tip

Do both overlooks if your legs allow — the first is the postcard, but the second is where the scale of the crater sinks in. Read the impact-vs-salt-dome signs before you look: knowing the debate makes the view stranger.

Trail Description

Upheaval Dome looks like nothing else in canyon country: a jumbled, bleached crater of upturned rock three miles across, punched into the orderly red layers of the Island in the Sky. Geologists still argue about it — collapsed salt dome or meteorite impact — and the park presents both theories at the overlooks.

The trail climbs slickrock from the picnic area to two overlooks on the crater rim. The first arrives fast and gives you the full view into the core; the second, farther along and a bit rougher, adds a wider perspective down Upheaval Canyon toward the Green River.

It's a small effort for a genuinely weird reward, and the shaded picnic area at the trailhead makes it an easy lunch stop on an Island in the Sky day.

Trailhead Info

From the Island in the Sky visitor center in Canyonlands National Park, drive 6 miles south then follow the signed Upheaval Dome road 5 miles to its end at the picnic area and trailhead. Park entrance fee $30/vehicle (7 days).

Trail Info

First overlook: 0.6 miles round trip, about 30 minutes, 100 feet of climbing on slickrock (follow the cairns). Second overlook: 1.7 miles round trip total, adds a rougher stretch with a short ladder-like rock step. No shade on the rim — carry water even for this short one.