Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route
The rim route in Upper Muley Twist Canyon provides hikers with great views of the Waterpocket Fold and surrounding area.
Plan Around Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route
A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.
Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route Details
The rim route in Upper Muley Twist Canyon provides hikers with great views of the Waterpocket Fold and surrounding area. The canyon itself cuts lengthwise along the spine of the Fold, creating a colorful, meandering canyon. Sandstone layers are exposed here, tilted by uplift of the Earth's crust and then sculpted by millions of years of erosion, creating lots of unusual formations including many large arches. Along the either 14.8- or 11.9-mile route, depending on where you park, hikers will encounter narrow canyons, expanses of slickrock and many large arches. To reach the trailhead, take the Upper Muley Twist Canyon Road, which is one mile west of the top of the Burr Trail Road switchbacks. Passenger cars can get about .3-mile in on the road and then will have to walk the rest of the way to the trailhead. High-clearance vehicles, typically requiring 4WD, can drive the entire 2.9 miles up the canyon and leave their vehicles in the Strike Valley Overlook parking area. From the parking area, it's an easy 1.7-mile walk up the wash to Saddle Arch, where hikers will find a sign indicating the rim route. The loop portion of the hike begins here and can be completed in either direction. Going clockwise, hikers will begin with the canyon portion and return via the rim route, which offers a more gradual climb. To hike the loop in a counterclockwise direction, hikers will leave the wash near Saddle Arch and follow the cairned route on the right (east) side of the canyon to the top of the Fold. Hikers going clockwise will continue up the canyon in the wash. The narrows are 2.3 miles beyond Saddle Arch. Cairns mark a bypass around the narrows on the right side of the canyon, although you can explore the them if you're up for a difficult climb using old hand- and toe-holds carved into the rock. The narrows end at an impassable pour-off where there's sometimes water. Large letters painted on the rock wall mark one corner of an old uranium-mining claim. A short distance up the canyon from where the narrows bypass trail drops back into the wash bottom, there's an NPS-placed sign, marking the point where the trail climbs out of the canyon to the rim. Here the trail requires a steep climb and some scrambling to reach a second sign that marks the upper end of the rim route. Three-quarters of a mile from the upper end of the rim route, hikers will cross a short, steep notch in the crest of the ridge. A mile further on, you'll climb up over steep slickrock ledges to get back on top of the rim. Continue to watch for cairns to guide your way, and as you near the south end of the rim route, there's another NPS-placed sign to direct you back down to the canyon bottom. Here, you'll retrace your route 1.7 miles down the wash to the parking area. Backcountry hikers should always keep safety at top of mind. Be careful in narrow canyons, particularly during flash-flood season from July through September, and always obtain a free backcountry permit from the visitor center before setting out. This is not an official, maintained trail. The route is marked with rock cairns and signs, but backcountry hikers should nonetheless have good navigational skills, carry a topographic map, and should always let someone know their planned route and return date. Cell phone service in this area is not reliable or non-existent.
Difficulty
Moderate
Distance
14.8 miles
Estimated time
Full day
Region
N/A
Nearby Parks Around Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route
Compare nearby parks around Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Upper Muley Twist Canyon Route while the map context is still fresh.
0.9 mi away
Lower Muley Twist Canyon Route
From 1881 to 1884, Lower Muley Twist Canyon served as a wagon trail for Mormon pioneers traveling south.
1.1 mi away
Burr Trail Road
What began as a cattle trail, blazed by stockman John Atlantic Burr, is the present-day Burr Trail Road.
1.4 mi away
Loop the Fold Tour
One of the best ways to take in the Waterpocket Fold is via the 124-mile roundtrip Loop-the-Fold tour.
1.5 mi away
Notom-Bullfrog/Burr Trail Road to Lake Powell Tour
At the junction of the Notom Bullfrog Road and Burr Trail Road inside Capitol Reef, drivers can head south on Burr Trail, also known as BLM 12000) to Lake Powell at Bullfrog Marina.
1.7 mi away
Strike Valley Overlook Trail
The very short .9-mile round trip Strike Valley Overlook hike does proved some challenge nonetheless.
