Lathrop Trail:
The Hike That Keeps You Wanting More
I’m not sure if people just keep Southern Utah a secret? But. Like. Wow. Did you know they have five national parks!? Anyway, me and one of my best babes took a SW Road Trip in November. On day three of our adventure, we arrived to Canyonlands National Park. It was a dreary Saturday morning and we had absolutely no plan or schedule. Luckily, the volunteers at Island in the Sky Visitor Center (the park has two visitor centers) knew exactly where to send us. We were looking to hike, but we were getting a somewhat late start so didn’t want something too long. Wendy, a sweet and cheerful volunteer, recommended the Lathrop Trail. She explained it having many landscapes and each turn providing new views and more beauty. Sign us up! We hopped in the car and made the short drive to the trailhead.
Lathrop Trail Length
You can tell by the picture it wasn’t the best conditions for a hike. Luckily it was barely raining, but to be honest we were hoping for some blue skies. Red rock is always pretty, but the sun really makes it pop. Either way we were excited to be here, so I’ll stop complaining now. There are two roads you can access this hike from. We started at Grand View Point Road and here there’s a turn out where you can park. You’ll arrive at this sign.
We arrived and were the only car there so were pretty excited about that. You’ll hear this trail having many different distances. Someone will tell you 12 miles one way if you are planning to go all the way to the Colorado River, others will tell you it’s only 9 Miles. You will hear everyone (including visitor center employees) say something different. Apparently the GPS stops working at different points of this hike so it’s hard to tell. Just plan for 10+ miles if you’re going to the Colorado River(one -way). We decided to hike to the canyon rim and back, totaling in an estimated five miles.
The Many landscapes of Lathrop Trail
You’ll hike through grassland on a trail varying from dirt to sand for a little over a mile through Gray’s Pasture. You might start to think, “Ummm where is this canyon?” No worries, you’re going to the right way, ya just gotta work a little for those views!
HIKING ON SLICKROCK
Hiking on what!? That’s what my amateur red-rock hiking self said when we got to this part of the Lathrop Trail. Thankfully Amanda was there to explain to me this is where you stop following an established trail and start following small piles of rocks, called cairns, instead!
This is where you will also start to get some views of the canyon!
The next picture is how I was most of the mile and a half on the slickrock. “Where the hell is the next cairn?”
It’s so fun to hike a new way! These cairns are marked well and fairly easy to follow so don’t worry about that. Plus, each cairn brings you closer and closer to that gorgeous canyon. Do keep in mind it is easy to get distracted by the canyon views so mark your spot if you wander, it can be hard to find your way back! 
THE MANY VIEWS FROM THE Canyon rim
After a total of a mile and a half on the slickrock the jaw-dropping views start.
We made it to the rim a bit faster than we planned, so we couldn’t resist to go a bit further into the hike. FYI, we guessed we went another 2 miles in. So glad we did, the views kept getting better and better! So many photo opportunities, and this is why traveling with this beeb is so fun, she’s crazy!
But most importantly takes timed photos with me and brings out my true and weirdest self.
Ok so there’s a million reasons why traveling with her is great. But taking pictures with your best babe in front of these views? The best. She even takes pictures of me so I don’t have to balance them on rocks like I do on my solo trips.
After two miles the trail stops wrapping around canyon rim and there’s a great spot to rest and enjoy lunch. This is right before the steep switch-backs start.
Not only does the hike get more difficult here, this is where it starts to get a bit more difficult to find the next cairn. Lots of lose rock that you can mistake for one. 
We enjoyed lunch, walked down the switch-backs for a few minutes and decided it was probably smart to head back to the car. We wanted to get back to watch the sunset at Grand View Point.
SUNSHINE MAKES IT ALL BETTER
On our way back the blue skies started to peak out!
The sunshine and blue skies made the view from the canyon rim even more beautiful the second time around. I’m going to let the pictures do the talking for a bit.
Us the whole time-“How is this place even real?”
Disclaimer? I should probably mention that Amanda and I love heights and are pretty dumb when it comes to getting too close to the edge. Probs shouldn’t do that. Not advised. 
Had to put these in here…
I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT IT.
So grab your best gal, hop in the car and head to Southern Utah. I gotta say, Lathrop Trail was a dream. One you have to do if you’re in the area. After visiting, Canyonlands National Park quickly moved up on my favorite national park list. BUT, if you don’t have time for the Lathrop Trail at least make time for sunset or sunrise at Grand View Point. It’s only 12 miles from the Island in the Sky visitor center and the views are awesome.
I’m currently working on more blog posts on the SW in the United States-including Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah! Until then check out my post about Lower Antelope Canyon HERE.
