The Island in the Sky district is the most visited district in Canyonlands Nation Park, although you may have this trail to yourself. This area is located at the northern end of Canyonlands National Park, about a 45-minute drive from the town of Moab, Utah. Due to their accessibility, many trails in this district are crowded. If you crave solitude, then it’s best to choose a trail that descends from the rim of the Island in the Sky down towards the White Rim Road and river canyons beyond.

We began our out-and-back hike at the Lathrop Trailhead, which was located 2 miles past the Island in the Sky Visitor Center near a small sign. There were plenty of roadside parking spaces available at the trailhead, with enough space for 10 to 12 vehicles.

The trail began uneventfully. We traversed soft sand across the mesa for 1.5 miles, which is typical of hikes found above the rim in the Island in the Sky district.

At around 1.75 miles, the views open up and you can see over the rim and into canyon country.

At this point, the trail varies between soft sand and sandstone. The sand is perhaps 2″ to 3″ deep at points and was noticeably more difficult to walk in. Some of the sandstone in this section has colorful patterns similar to what you might see at “The Wave” in Arizona.

At about 2.25 miles the route along the shelf to Lathrop Canyon is more evident. The trail descends to the first shelf below the rim, and the route can be seen hugging the shelf to the south. The views of the canyons, the Colorado River, the white rim, and the trail hugging the shelf were some of my favorites of this route.

The trail hugs the first shelf below the rim for the next .75 miles before descending into Lathrop Canyon. This section boasts great views of Canyonlands. The trail winds around a point and then back towards Lathrop Canyon. If you are afraid of heights you may want to turn back at this point. We always felt safe here, as there was an adequate distance between the trail and the shelf’s drop off.

The trail descending into Lathrop Canyon was not easily distinguished from other sections of the canyon on the shelf. Pay close attention to the cairns to follow this section of the trail. The descent follows a steep rock fall and looks almost like it would be too hard to go down. You may ask yourself, “Am I crazy for going down this?” The trail down does look difficult, but it is safe and perhaps better digested piecemeal.

The descent is about 1800 feet in a third of a mile. There are many switchbacks and while the grade is steep, there was nothing that required any technical climbing skills or equipment.

About a third of the way down the rocks, we were happy to give our knees a break when the trail turned into a more moderate grade. The trail continued to level off, and the canyon views opened up. On both sides of the trail, we could see the remnants of uranium mines, a throwback to a time prior to this area being designated a National Park. In another .6 miles we eventually descended all the way to the bottom of the canyon and found mud, but no water. We continued a little further and noticed interesting rocks along the trail overlooking the bottom of the canyon.

We continued about another .6 miles and decided not to hike all the way to the White Rim due to time constraints. Instead, we continued along a mesatop ridgeline to enjoy the solitude and views, then eating lunch before we started our journey up and out of the canyon.

It goes without saying that the journey back up the 1800′ in a third of a mile was more difficult and time-consuming than coming down, but it was all worth it.

We hiked the 3 miles back to our car, retracing our steps along the shelf and onto the plateau, though with a different perspective looking out into the afternoon light of Canyonlands this time.