Hiking the Deadhorse Trail in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Distance (Full Trail & Loop): 6.6 miles / 10.6 km
The Deadhorse Trail, also known as the Deadhorse Loop Trail due to the variation in the trail that hikers can opt for, is the second-longest day hike on the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, behind only the North Vista Trail to Green Mountain.
That being said, the trail is often treated as two separate day hikes: one to the Deadhorse Overlook at the far eastern end, and another to the Deadhorse Loop, which begins roughly 1.2 miles (1.9 km) from the trailhead. However, there is one best way to hike both trails in order to see the most beautiful overlooks without hiking the all 6.6 miles (10.6 km).
To learn more, I highly recommend reading all the details below, as the best overlooks on the hike are not in the most obvious locations beyond the Deadhorse Gulch Overlook at the very end.
Deadhorse Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Deadhorse Trail is located at either the Kneeling Camel Overlook or on the side of North Rim Road in one of a few small turnouts near the trailhead.
Google Maps Directions: Deadhorse Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Black Canyon
Black bears are known to be found everywhere from the plateaus along the canyon rim to the steep routes that lead down to the Gunnison River, and everywhere in between.
That being said, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Hiking the Deadhorse Trail
The Deadhorse Trail begins on the left-hand side of North Rim Road, following a short, 0.1-mile (0.2 km) service road before it splits away into the actual Deadhorse Trail.
This is where the Deadhorse Trail splits away from the service road.
Here, go right, and the true Deadhorse Trail will begin shortly ahead.
After the service road, the Deadhorse Trail follows a mostly flat path across the Sagebrush-Gambel Oak plateaus of Black Canyon toward the Deadhorse Loop, about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) away.
This area is the beginning of an unnamed gulch with the largest elevation change on the Deadhorse Trail, descending only about 55 ft. (16.8 m) before climbing back up on the far side.
Black Bear scat was fairly abundant across the entire trail, but I didn’t have any encounters on the day I hiked the Deadhorse Trail.
With that in mind, carrying bear spray is never a bad idea if you know how to use it, but of all the bear encounters that I’ve had in Black Canyon, they typically seem to mind their own business, so long as they know you’re there without surprising them.
North Deadhorse Loop Junction
About 0.2 miles (0.3 km) after ascending out of the gulch, the Deadhorse Trail splits for the first of two separate times with the Deadhorse Loop Trail.
Knowing that, this North Deadhorse Loop junction is the route I recommend hiking on the way back from the Deadhorse Overlook in order to reach the best viewpoints the fastest, which you can read more about in the section at the end.
South Deadhorse Loop Junction
The next Deadhorse Loop Trail junction is located another 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away from the first, and this is the direction I honestly recommend against hiking unless you’re interested in seeing Black Bears.
That aside, I recommend hiking out and back from the North Deadhorse Loop junction because all of the best viewpoints on the hike are located along this stretch, not the southeastern half of the loop.
To skip ahead to this same south junction on the Deadhorse Loop Trail, click here.
After the Deadhorse Loop Trail, the main Deadhorse Trail continues for another 1.0 miles (1.6 km) to the point where it makes a hard turn toward the overlook near the end.
Don’t forget to lookout for all the wildflowers among the Sagebrush and Gambel Oak!
At the far eastern end of the hike, the Deadhorse Trail makes a sharp right turn to the south along the fence line toward the Deadhorse Overlook, about 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away.
Deadhorse Overlook
The Deadhorse Overlook is a very untraditional viewpoint, unlike what you may expect at the end of a similar trail in a National Park, such as the Observation Point Trail in Zion National Park.
What I mean is that the Deadhorse Overlook is a very natural, unmaintained viewpoint, and the vegetation is not cut back to accommodate the view.
Nevertheless, there are amazing views at the Deadhorse Overlook, most notably of the East Portal Trail down at the Gunnison River, which can be reached from a paved road on the South Rim.
South Deadhorse Loop Junction
Once back at the southern loop junction, I decided to go left to begin the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Deadhorse Loop Trail, which, to my surprise, had better views of Black Canyon compared to the Deadhorse Overlook shown above.
That being said, the Deadhorse Trail going straight is only 0.2 miles (0.3 km) to reach the northern loop junction, which can be a shorter and much faster route to the best viewpoints along the loop, as you can see in the section below.
This is the southeastern half of the Deadhorse Loop by going left at the southern junction.
In my experience, evidence of Black Bears was far more abundant on the Deadhorse Loop than anywhere else.
These far western sections of the loop do have views that you can push through the overgrowth to see, but the best views on the entire loop are ahead on the sections leading back to the main trail.
This northwest-facing view is by far the best viewpoint on the Deadhorse Loop Trail, and it’s only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away from the northern split.
This is why I previously mentioned that it makes more sense to hike out and back to this spot, as opposed to hiking the entire loop as I have shown.
North Deadhorse Loop Junction
Finally, the Deadhorse Loop Trail returns to the Deadhorse Trail, with only 1.2 miles (1.9 km) left to reach the trailhead off North Rim Road.
This is all to say that when I return to re-hike the Deadhorse Trail, I plan to only hike this first portion of the Deadhorse Loop in order to catch sunset at the amazing viewpoint shown above.
That being said, it’s important come to Black Canyon prepared with a quality headlamp if this is something you are considering, as the North Rim is very remote, dark, and it’s likely that you will be the only group on the entire trail at this time.
