Hiking the Pothole Point Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Distance: 0.6 miles / 1.0 km
The Pothole Point Trail is one of the easiest and best kid-friendly day hikes in The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.
On top of this, the short Pothole Point Loop is also one of the best and easiest sunset hikes in The Needles, as there are numerous spots along the trail to find an open west-facing viewpoint along the cliffs of the mesa.
For these reasons, I feel that while the Pothole Point Trail may not sound like the most exciting adventure in Canyonlands, there are still many things to enjoy about the trail—especially if you stick around for golden hour!
Pothole Point Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Pothole Point Trailhead is located in a small parking lot off of The Needles Access Road, about 5.0 miles (8.0 km) past the visitor center.
That being said, finding a spot to park here is typically never an issue, as the Pothole Point Trail is one of the least-hiked trails in The Needles.
Google Maps Directions: Pothole Point 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 Pothole Point Trail
The Pothole Point Trail, also called the Pothole Point Loop Trail, begins on a mostly flat trail, which remains the same for most of the hike around the loop.
As the trail nears the mesa shown below, you can either go right or left to complete the Pothole Point Loop.
I chose to hike to the left, which is the side of the trail with the best areas to watch the sunset on a clear evening.
Toward the far end of the central mesa, you can explore as far or as little as you want along the flat sandstone, as the Pothole Point Trail officially extends far beyond this mesa, overlooking the road below.
However, in my experience, it seems that most hikers follow the rock cairns back through this gap in the mesa to complete the loop that returns to the beginning.
Overall, the Pothole Point Trail is one of the easiest and most straightforward hikes in The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.
That being said, the loop trail is really about making your own adventure, as one could explore much more or much less than the Pothole Point Trail shown here.
