The Shafer Trail in Moab: A Complete Trail Guide for 2024
CONSIDERING A TRIP DOWN THE SHAFER TRAIL?
You’ve come to the right place! We have spent months traveling around Southern Utah, and this trail is one of our absolute favorites in Moab! We will share everything we learned on our journey here, from helpful tips on how to best prepare for your own fun adventure on the Shafer Trail to the unforgettable views you won’t want to miss.
The Shafer Trail Road is a great trail for all skill levels and families. The trail is open even in the winter months, making it a fun year-round trail. There are a few important things to know when driving the Shafer Road in Moab, aside from the obvious of needing a four-wheel drive vehicle. We have everything you need to know below.
The Shafer Trail in Utah is the perfect way to experience Canyonland National Park, and we have written about all the highlights of this trip, including the Shafer Trail Switchbacks, overlooks, and how to get there. The Shafer in Moab is a great way to spend your time in the Canyonland National Park, and we hope you find our guide informative and helpful.
We drove the Shafer Trail in a jeep we rented from Moab Adventure Center and had an amazing time. The views are amazing, and we enjoyed exploring this less-visited trail in Moab. You can also join a guided tour.
Trail Overview
- Driving Time: 1-2 hours
- Length: 19 miles
- Route Type: Point to Point
- Pet-Friendly: Yes, with restrictions
- Fee: Only if Entering through Canyonlands National Park
- Reservations: Not Required
- Permit: Not Required
- Season: Open Year- Round
- Accessibility: High-clearance and 4×4 recommended
Shafer Trail History
The Shafer Trail in Canyonlands was named for the Shafer family. The Shafer family were pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1916 the Shafer family used the trail as a cattle trail to move cows from the summer and winter pastures.
John Shafer gradually made the road better and easier to access, and other trails in the area are named after the families who worked on or around those trails.
The Shafer Trail in Moab was later improved along with the White Rim Road by the Atomic Energy Commission, which used the trails to move uranium-rich bedrock into Moab to be processed.
Where does the Shafer Trail Start and End?
You can start or end at two different locations depending on where you want to end on the Shafer Trail. You can either start by entering through Canyonlands National Park, or you can start by taking the Potash Road in Moab, Utah. The Potash Road will eventually turn into a dirt road that is the Shafer Trail.
As you follow that trail, it will enter into the Canyonlands National Park, and you will end in the Island of the Sky District in Canyonlands, just a short distance inside the park from the entrance station.
Directions Starting from Potash Road
If you are in Moab, Utah, you will go north on Hwy US-191 N (N Main Street), and shortly after you cross the Colorado River, you will turn left onto UT-279 S. This road is also called Potash Road. As you drive down Potash Road, you will pass multiple significant highlights.
The first highlighted stop is the roadside petroglyphs. These petroglyphs are about 5 miles down the Potash Road. If you are there during any part of the busy season, you will know you are close to the petroglyphs when you see cars and rock climbers along the road. The petroglyphs are close to a popular rock climbing area.
Just past the Petroglyphs around mile 5.8, you will run into the parking lot for the Poison Spider Mesa off-road trail. In the same parking lot, there are the Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks and Petroglyphs Trail. Here you can see dinosaur tracks and more petroglyphs.
Just under 10 miles down Potash Road, you will find parking for the popular Bowtie Arch and Corona Arch. The Corona Arch is a great hike and is highly recommended.
A short distance past Corona Arch (0.5 miles), you will find a small parking area for a trail that will take you to another arch called Jeep Arch. This is a far less busy arch than Corona Arch, but it is a fun and underrated hike.
At 13.3 miles down Potash Road to your right, you will see the Jug Handle Arch. The arch is easily seen from the road, but if you are not paying attention, you will miss it.
At Mile 17, the road becomes Shafer Basin road. As you follow the Shafer Basin Road past the Potash Ponds, the road will join up with Forest Road 142, which is the Shafer Trail.
You will drive down Potash Road until it turns into Forest Road 142, which is the Shafer Trail.
Directions Starting in Canyonlands National Park
If you are starting the Shafer Trail from Canyonlands National Park, you will travel N on US-191 N (N Main St) and then turn left onto UT-313. The Moab Giants is right on the corner of the intersection of US-191 and UT-313. The UT-313 will take you to Canyonlands National Park.
Shortly after you pass the entrance fee station for Canyonlands National Park, you will see the trailhead for the Shafer Trail and the White Rim Trail on your left. The White Rim Trail and the Shafer Trail follow the same trail down the Shafer Switchbacks. They split shortly after getting to the bottom of the Shafer Switchbacks.
Shafer Trail Map
Below you will see a Google Map of the Shafer Trail. You can start at either end of the trail. Some people like to start the trail at Potash Road because you can avoid the entrance fee station going into Canyonlands National Park.
If you have the America the Beautiful Pass, the entrance fee for Canyonlands National Park is included. If you are planning on visiting or camping in Arches National Park or the nearby Natural Bridges National Monument, purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass would be worth your while.
What kind of vehicle do I need to drive Potash Road and the Shafer Trail?
In order to drive the Potash Road and Shafer Trail, you need to have a high clearance 4×4 vehicle, and it is recommended that it has 4 low. The Shafer Trail difficulty rating is moderate because there are some steep switchbacks. You will also encounter a few smaller rock ledges. This is one of the fun Moab off road trails.
Highlights Along the Shafer Trail
Shafer Canyon Overlook
Shafer Canyon Overlook is not actually on the Shafer Trail. It is a great overlook that lets you see the Shafer Switchbacks that you will drive down when you do decide to go on the Shafer Trail. The Shafer Trail Canyon overlook is also known as the Shafer Trail Viewpoint.
The overlook is pretty cool. It is a popular photo spot for many because the Shafer Switchbacks are unique and make for a fun picture.
Shafer Canyon Road, AKA Shafer Basin Road
The Shafer Canyon Road is what you will turn on after you pass the entrance station in Canyonlands National Park. You will travel this road for about 2.5 miles until you start into the Shafer Switchbacks.
Shafer Canyon Switchbacks
The Shafer Canyon Switchbacks are an amazing experience. It is one thing to watch cars travel the switchbacks from the Shafer Canyon Overlook. Then it is another great experience to drive down them in a 4×4 vehicle.
The switchbacks are a total of only about 1 mile long. They are steep, and it is recommended to travel them in 4 low.
Potash and White Rim Road Intersection
You will run into the Potash Road and the White Rim Road intersection at mile 5.2 if you set your odometer once you leave the pavement if starting in Canyonlands National Park. The intersection is very easy to see. There is a vault toilet at this point if someone needs to use the restroom.
After you turn left onto the Shafer Trail (AKA Potash Road), you will descend and shortly cross a small river bed. This section is a little more challenging as there are some small rock ledges you will drop down.
Going left will continue on the Shafer Trail, and going straight will put you onto the White Rim Road. Don’t forget if you are going on White Rim Road, you need to purchase a permit at recreation.gov or at the Visitor Center.
Gooseneck Overlook And Area Below Dead Horse Point State Park
At Mile 8, you will arrive at the Gooseneck Overlook on the Shafer Trail. This is where you can see the Colorado River making a 180-degree turn in the canyon. This is known as a Gooseneck.
At this point, you will start to be directly beneath the Dead Horse Point State Park. This is a very scenic area and a great section to stop and take pictures.
You will know when you are no longer underneath the Dead Horse Point State Park when the Shafer Trail begins to go away from the Colorado River. The road turns away from the river once you pass what is called Thelma & Louise Point. This is another nice overlook.
If you want the best expansive views of the surrounding canyon lands, many people say the Dead Horse State Park has better views because it is higher above the river.
Utah-279
As the Shafer Trail starts to distance itself from the Colorado River, you will pass by the Potash Ponds. Once you pass the Potash Ponds, you will shortly meet back up with the UT-279 that will take you back towards Moab.
Tips for Driving Shafer Trail
This is not an overly challenging trail, but it is a fun trail. We love the switchbacks that are near the entrance of Canyonlands National Park. Below are a few tips that can save you some money and make for a great trip.
Tip 1: If you start the Shafer Trail from Potash Road, you do not have to wait for traffic to get into the Canyonlands National Park.
During the busy months, you can easily wait for an hour or more just to get into Canyonlands National Park or Arches National Park. If you drive into the park from the Shafer Trail, you can avoid the entrance station altogether.
Tip 2: If there is rain in the forecast or if it has rained recently, make sure you call the visitor center to ensure the road has not closed. During inclement weather, the road can become impassable.
Tip 3: Keep in mind that Canyonlands National Park is not as popular as Arches National Park. If you want to visit both on the same day, visit Arches early. Then take the Potash Road and Shafer trail into Canyonlands National Park later in the day.
Tip 4: Even though Canyonlands National Park is not as popular as Arches National Park, it will still get busy. Canyonlands can especially get busy once Arches closes. If people cannot get into Arches, they will go into Canyonlands, making for a long wait at the entrance station. We had to wait about an hour to get into Canyonlands one day.
Tip 5: Park closures can be found on their Twitter accounts. Make sure to check Twitter if you want to check if any of the parks have closed because of too many people.
Combining the White Rim Trail and Shafer Trail
Combining the White Rim Trail and this trail is a great option. You can do this in different ways, and there is no exact right way to do it.
You can travel the Shafer Road from Potash Road and drive until you get to the White Rim Road and Shafer Trail intersection. Once you get to the intersection, you can go down White Rim Road until you want to return.
Make sure you get a permit for the White Rim Raod Trail. You have to have a permit to travel on White Rim Road. When we were on White Rim Road, we were asked by a ranger if we had our permit.
Another way you can combine the two trails is by going into Canyonland National Park and starting from inside the park. When you do this, you will get to start at the Shafer Switchbacks, which are our favorite, but this can be risky because we have had to wait at the entrance station for a bit to get into the park.
FAQ: Shafer Trail
Do you need a permit for Shafer Trail?
No, You do not need a Shafer Trail permit to drive on the road. However, it does intersect with the White Rim Road, and the White Rim Road does require a permit. There is a vault toilet at the intersection of the White Rim Road and the Shafer Trail.
Is Shafer Trail safe?
The Shafer Trail is safe but can become unsafe if driven during times of inclement weather. It is best to touch base with the Visitor Center to ensure there is nothing you should be aware of before starting your trip. It is also a good idea to check the weather before starting.
Is Shafer Trail difficult?
The Shafer Trail is not overly difficult. It is rated as a moderate trail, and on a scale of 1 to 10, would probably be rated as a 2 or 3 in terms of difficulty.
If you have a 4×4 vehicle with a 4-low range and high clearance, you will be able to get down the road with ease. If you are afraid of heights, you may have some anxiety because of the switchbacks and when driving by the Colorado River because there are some steep drop-offs.
How scary is Shafer Trail?
The majority of people who drive on the Shafer Trail would not rate the Shafer Trial as scary. The only people who will find the trail scary are those who are afraid of heights.
We never felt unsafe or scared when driving the Shafer Trail. You do need to pay attention when driving the trail because there is two-way traffic, and at times, you may need to pull over at a pull-out to let other vehicles pass.
If you aren’t comfortable driving on the Shafer Trail, you can take a Moab Jeep tour which will take you on the nearby White Rim Road.
Can I take a RZR or OHV on Shafer Trail?
You can take a RZR on part of the Shafer Trail, but you cannot take it on the entirety of the trail. This is because RZRs are not allowed to enter national parks.
If you take your RZR down Potash Road, you can go on the trail until you arrive at a very clearly marked sign that says you are entering the Canyonlands National Park and OHVs are not allowed. This includes street-legal OHVs.
Is Shafer Trail Open Year-Round?
Yes, the Shafer Trail is open year-round. What you should be aware of is that this trail and many other trails in the Moab area can become impassable during periods of rain.
Conclusion: Shafer Trail
The Shafer Trail Road in Canyonlands is a great 4×4 trail. If you do the whole trail, which means you travel the Potash Road to Shafer Trail into the Canyonlands National Park or vis versa, you will see great Indian petroglyphs, Jug Arch, and the Poison Mesa Spider area.
Do make sure you check on the road conditions. Any road in Moab that is not a paved road can be difficult to traverse in the rain.
We loved this off-road experience. You don’t need a highly modified rock crawler of any sort to drive it. The sheer cliffs are exciting but not unsafe.
We hope you find this guide helpful on your road trip. Don’t forget to check out the White Rim area while you are there. If you’re looking for other fun 4×4 trails in Moab, be sure to check out Fins and Things and Hell’s Revenge.
