Canyonlands Backcountry ½ Day

Tour highlights

• Exclusive NPS-concessionaire permits
• Potash Road along the Colorado River corridor
• Ancient petroglyphs & Musselman Arch on the White Rim
• Shafer Trail switchbacks up to Island in the Sky

Where you’ll go

1. 1

   Potash Road

   Touted by travel magazines as one of the most scenic drives in America, Potash Road carves along the Colorado River beneath towering red cliffs — right to where the pavement ends and the real backcountry begins.

2. 2

   Ancient Rock Art & Petroglyphs

   Stand beneath sheer canyon walls where centuries-old petroglyphs, left by ancient cultures, are etched into the dark desert varnish.

3. 3

   Shafer Trail Viewpoint

   We ascend the legendary Shafer Trail, a series of dirt switchbacks that hug the cliffside, with panoramic views that open wider at every turn as we climb toward the top of the Island in the Sky mesa.

4. 4

   Musselman Arch

   We stop to look out at Musselman Arch, a striking, flat-topped stone bridge that juts out over a sheer 300-foot drop to the canyon floor — a dramatic look at the power of natural erosion.

5. 5

   Island in the Sky

   Thousands of feet above the canyon floor, with sweeping views of a landscape carved by time — where each layer of exposed sandstone tells a different chapter of Earth's ancient geologic history.

Routes flex with conditions, light, and your group — your guide builds the best possible day.