Shafer Canyon Overlook — Island in the Sky Switchback Viewpoint

Shafer Canyon Overlook sits on the paved Island in the Sky Road inside Canyonlands National Park. From the rim you look down into Shafer Canyon and can see the Shafer Trail switchbacks cut into the cliff walls, with the White Rim bench spread out below. Park here and take your time on the rail. You can read the route, spot rigs working the turns, and judge how the day is going. The road started as a stock route for local ranchers. Uranium prospectors widened it in the 1950s so they could haul ore out. Now it’s one of the best-known descents in the Moab country.

Get here early or late. Midday brings the tour crowds and the light goes flat. The overlook is on pavement, so any vehicle can reach it. The Shafer Trail itself is unpaved, narrow, and exposed, with real drop-offs. Check current road conditions and the permit rules for White Rim travel with the park before you go. Park entrance fees apply, so verify ahead. Cell signal comes and goes up here.

Have a dirty day.

Preview the Shafer switchbacks from the rim