Horseshoe Canyon and the Great Gallery

Horseshoe Canyon is a detached unit of Canyonlands west of the Maze, and it exists to protect one thing above all: the Great Gallery, a panel of well-preserved, life-sized painted figures. Reaching it takes a long dirt-road drive and a 7-mile round-trip hike with a steep climb out. Only one tour on either booking site lists it, with two reviews when this guide was written; this is mostly a trip you make on your own or with a ranger.

Getting there

NPS gives two routes, both on dirt roads. Check the park’s road-conditions page before you go, because rain or blowing sand can change them quickly, and do not rely on GPS.

• From UT 24 near Goblin Valley State Park: about 30 miles of graded dirt road, passable in a two-wheel-drive car in good conditions.
• From Green River: about 47 miles of dirt road south, roughly an hour and a half.

You can camp at the west rim trailhead, which is on BLM land and has a vault toilet but no water. Camping is not allowed inside the canyon within the park.

The hike to the Great Gallery

The round trip is 7 miles and takes five hours or more, according to NPS. The trail starts with a descent of about 780 feet into the canyon, so the steep part comes at the end, on the way back up. Pets are not allowed on the trail or below the rim, and groups are limited to 20 people. In summer, June through August, the canyon can be dangerously hot: NPS advises starting before noon or after 4 p.m. and carrying a gallon of water per person.

Ranger-led walks

NPS rangers lead hikes to the Great Gallery in spring and fall, most weekends, with an estimated four to six hours on the trail. Check the park’s events calendar for that season’s dates; they are the best way to see the panel with someone who can explain it.

If you are based in Moab

Horseshoe Canyon is a long day from Moab, and it works better with a night near Green River or Hanksville. If your trip is shorter, there is rock art much closer to town: the petroglyph panels along Potash Road, which several of the half-day Canyonlands tours stop at on the way to the White Rim. The Island in the Sky tours list which ones do. For the rest of the park’s remote western side, see the Maze.