Hiking the Aztec Butte Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Distance: 1.7 miles / 2.7 km
The Aztec Butte Trail in Canyonlands National Park is a beautiful, unique, and challenging day hike in the Island in the Sky District that climbs to the summit of a steep desert butte, along with a short side trail that leads to a few ancient indigenous structures just off the main path!
By all this, I mean that the Aztec Butte Trail to the top of the mesa is steeper and more challenging than most visitors anticipate. Even when looking at Aztec Butte from a distance, it doesn’t appear to be anything too notable. However, many visitors don’t make it to the summit because of a lack of preparation—notably, good close-toed hiking shoes.
Beyond the steep hike to the top, the trail is still worth visiting to see some of the ancient structures left behind by the Anasazi and Fremont people. These structures are much more accessible than the scramble up to the summit!
Aztec Butte Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Aztec Butte Trail is located off of Upheaval Dome Road, which is the first trailhead off the road on the right-hand side.
In my experience, the Aztec Butte Trailhead is much less busy compared to others on the Island in the Sky, meaning that finding a spot to park is usually never an issue.
Google Maps Directions: Aztec Butte Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Canyonlands
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Canyonlands National Park.
Hiking the Aztec Butte Trail
The Aztec Butte Trail begins on a slightly downhill trail toward the junction for both Aztec Butte and the Granaries, located about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away.
The first butte that you can see from the trailhead is not Aztec Butte, but rather, it’s the steeper side of the unnamed butte with the Granaries.
As the trail works its way around the first butte, Aztec Butte becomes visible for the first time on the far side.
Aztec Butte-Granary Junction
At the junction for both Aztec Butte and the Granaries, go right to continue toward Aztec Butte, which is the direction I chose to hike first.
That said, the following sections that ascend up Aztec Butte may not be the most kid-friendly. If this is your scenario, I recommend going left for the much easier hike to the Granaries, as they are much easier to reach in comparison.
Once at the base of Aztec Butte, the trail essentially disappears, as the hike up Aztec Butte turns into a scramble up to the summit.
Furthermore, many unprepared hikers end up turning back on the sections to come, and many other hikers will have no difficulty with this kind of terrain.
That said, the Aztec Butte scramble isn’t anything more than a Class 3 climb in certain spots, but scrambling up sandstone is deceptively more difficult than it will seem in photos or when looking at it from a distance.
Should you decide to proceed, know that the first section, shown above, is one of the easiest.
If you had any difficulty here, I recommend turning back, as the hike up the final sections only get more and more difficult.
After the first scramble, these next couple sections are a little more mild until the Aztec Butte Trail reaches the final ascent just below the summit.
This is where the Aztec Butte Trail begins to get more difficult compared to anything prior, and it’s generally the point in the trail where unprepared hikers turn back.
That said, micro-spikes may be a necessity if you happen to be visiting during a time when there is snow and/ or ice on the ground.
I personally use the Yaktrax below.
Climbing this smooth, steep sandstone is more difficult than it may appear.
Once up the initial ledge, the Aztec Butte Trail gets a little easier, as it makes this hard switchback to continue higher.
In my opinion, these final smooth sections up the sandstone proved to be the most difficult, which is why I recommend hiking in shoes with good grip.
Personally, I recommend these hiking/ trail-running shoes, as they are a great choice for almost any trail in the Moab area.
Aztec Butte
Once on the top, the Aztec Butte Trail levels off significantly, as it loops around the plateau.
In my opinion, these views to the north toward Trail Canyon are what make the climb up Aztec Butte worth the effort!
Aztec Butte-Granary Junction
Once I returned back to the split from earlier, I continued up the unnamed butte to see the ancient Native American Granaries.
In comparison, this scramble is far less challenging than the climb up Aztec Butte.
Once on the butte, the trail continues straight across toward the Granaries.
Here, the Granary Trail drops down to where the granaries can be found beneath the overhang.
Granaries
According to the National Park Service, most of the damage to these ancient structures in the park occurs from curious visitors touching, grabbing, or putting weight on them.
Therefore, I ask that you please enjoy them from a distance and kindly ask others you see to do the same.
