Driving Potash Road to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park
- Bridget Rackley
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Our third day was a long day! We checked out of the hotel in Moab and made a quick stop at McDonald's to grab something for breakfast to go. Driving Potash Road/Shafer Canyon Road to Canyonlands National Park was on our agenda for today. Get an early start if you decide to do this drive. I underestimated just a smidge, and be sure you have a 4WD rental, preferably one with high clearance. Check for recent or forecasted rain in the area, because my understanding is this is not a drive you will want to take during recent rain or active rain.
Potash Road is also known as the Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway U-279. It is 17 miles to the end of the pavement at which you will begin the Shafer Trail. The entire drive is about 40 miles and will take you a couple of hours. There are multiple overlooks and pullouts and amazing canyon views. You will drive by the Potash Ponds, which are blue in color due to the potassium chloride. You will drive around what is called Elvis Rock. But the highlight of the drive, for us, was Thelma and Louise Point. This point is the Shafer Trail Overlook and when I say I was in awe, Bobby had to coax back to the car! I cannot describe this view: canyon, cliffs, rocks, the river-it was just a sight to behold. You will know it when you see it! Not far from this overlook is the Goosenecks Overlook, which is another pretty amazing stop where you can see the Colorado River as it "goosenecks" through the canyon. Some miles later, you will see a sign for White Rim Road. I do not have a lot of information on this road, other than we drove several miles to Musselman Arch. This is a very big natural bridge/arch with a parking area. Once we saw this arch, we drove back out the way we came, and up the switchbacks of Shafer Canyon until we reached Island in the Sky Road in Canyonlands National Park. (Word of caution: after we drove to Musselman Arch, I saw a sign that a permit was required for White Rim Road. I did not know this beforehand, so if you decide to add this to your itinerary, check into getting a permit.) Finally, we reached pavement!!! We had been jostled and bumped all morning and were ready for some easy driving, or at least my husband was. Here are a few pictures from Potash Road and two links for helpful information about the drive:
Canyonlands National Park is the largest national park in Utah, yet it sees the least amount of visitors. It is broken up into 4 districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and Horseshoe Canyon. The last two are not less visited and required guides or permits. The Needles area is on the other side of Moab going toward Monticello and Blanding. We spent the rest of the afternoon in Island in the Sky, making our first stop at the Visitor Center for a bathroom break and passport stamp.
The Island in the Sky Road is a 20-mile scenic drive. You go out the same way you came in just like in Arches National Park. Shafer Canyon Overlook and Shafer Trail Viewpoint will be the first pullouts you reach. If you drive Potash Road through Shafer Canyon, these two overlooks will give you a glimpse as to what you drove. Mesa Arch will be your next stop. You must get out here and walk about 1/2-mile to this arch. It will probably be crowded. When you reach the arch, be sure to look through the arch for "Washer Woman." There is an interpretative sign that points this out. From Mesa Arch, turn off the main park road onto Upheaval Dome Road. You will pass by several pullouts for hikes to Aztec Butte, Whale Rock, and Upheaval Dome. You can see Aztec Butte and Whale Rock from the road or pullouts, but to see Upheaval Dome, you must walk 1/3-mile to an overlook and then an additional 1/2-mile to the formation, for a total of 1.3-mile round trip. On your way back toward the main park road, there is another spur road called Green River Overlook Road. This spur road takes you to an overlook where you can get a good look at The Maze district.
Back on the main park road, be sure to stop at Candlestick Tower Overlook, Buck Canyon Overlook, Orange Cliffs Overlook, and Grand Viewpoint Overlook-all are amazing stops! We began heading back toward the Visitor Center at this point, back down Island in the Sky Road (main park road). It was getting later in the afternoon, but I insisted that we make a quick visit to Dead Horse Point State Park, which is off the main park road on Scenic Byway U-313. Since this is a state park, you will have to pay the entrance fee of $20 unless you have the Utah State Parks Pass. The National Parks Pass will not work here!
Dead Horse Point State Park has been the site of many filming locations and is most famous for the final scene in "Thelma and Louise" where the two best friends drive off what everyone thinks is the Grand Canyon, but nope, it is right here in this state park! There is a sign at Dead Horse Point Overlook that tells you about it. There is also a visitor center. One interesting, yet sad, thing about this park is how the park got its name. Legend says that the point was once used to corral wild mustangs that roamed the mesa. Cowboys would herd them onto the point which was fenced off at that time. One time, horses were left corralled on the point with no water and they died of thirst! What is even sadder is the Colorado River was within their view 2,000 feet below! If you have time, make this a part of your itinerary. There are several overlooks in the park, but Dead Horse Point is the best.
Here are two photos we took while in Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point:
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