Shafer Canyon Overlook is located very close to Island in the Sky visitor center in Canyonlands National Park. It is just located about 1 mile South of the visitor center. The Shafer Canyon Overlook is about 0.2 miles from the parking lot. At the end of the trail, it offers a panorama view over the historic Shafer Canyon.
We got to Shafer Canyon parking lot around 11AM. It was already so hot outside. The initial section of the hiking trail down to the rock was a bit sandy and steep. It could be slippery due to the small lose rock. The final part of the trail was on a large rock platform. There were also information signs showing how the canyon was formed.
By walking further to the edge of the rock, we had to cross a section of the trail that was only about 1 foot wide with 1 side facing the cliff and the other side being a steep vertical drop. It was a bit scary but luckily we could just go through with 2 steps.
From the end of the trail at the overlook, we could see the winding road heading down the canyon. We were told that these roads were initially used for mining purpose. After the mining operation shut down and became part of Canyonlands National Park, the roads were primarily used for tourists. Since the roads were initially used by trucks, these roads were quick wide, but they were quite rough. People who want to venture down to the canyon must drive a Jeep with all wheel drive.
We have never seen a canyon this closely with the roads, it was really quite interesting for us to see. Unfortunately we did not drive a Jeep and thus couldn't venture down into the canyon. We were thinking that next time we could get a Jeep and check out what is down there and have some fun.
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