Sheiks Canyon | Grand Gulch

Hiking Sheiks Canyon - Grand GulchRoadside Attraction Sheiks Canyon - Grand Gulch Sheiks Canyon

Grand Gulch

Overview

RATING: Moderate Hike
MAPS: CEDAR MESA NORTH, UT; POLLYS PASTURE, UT

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Southeast wind 0 to 5 mph.

50 | 27

Mon

Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

51 | 31

Tue

Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

49 | 29

Wed

A chance of rain and snow showers before 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.

44 | 29

Thu

A chance of rain and snow showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 43.

43 | 25

View Full Weather Details
SEASON: Fall, Winter, Spring
GEAR: Standard Hiking Gear
WATER: A few small springs until the junction with Grand Gulch where there is a good spring.
NOTES: Day hiking in the Cedar Mesa and Comb Ridge areas of Bears Ears National Monument requires a day hiking pass. Passes can be purchased at Kane Gulch Ranger Station and at most trailheads. Currently the fee is $5 for 1 day per person, or $10 a week per person. (https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/utah/cedarmesa)

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Southeast wind 0 to 5 mph.

50 | 27

Mon

Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

51 | 31

Tue

Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

49 | 29

Wed

A chance of rain and snow showers before 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible.

44 | 29

Thu

A chance of rain and snow showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 43.

43 | 25

View Full Weather Details
Panel around the Green Mask

Panel around the Green Mask

Another one of the gems of Grand Gulch, Sheiks is often visited as a loop hike with Bullet Canyon. The loop is long, however, and those wishing for a shorter day hike may consider just visiting Sheiks as an out and back hike that makes for a reasonable 8 or so mile day. Those looking for an even shorter outing may just want to visit Yellow House Ruin. Yellow House Ruin is more or less a roadside attraction and takes 30-60 minutes roundtrip.

Near the junction of Sheiks and Grand Gulch are the famous Green Mask Ruins. The ruins themselves are good, but the Green Mask pictograph and surrounding panel are truly unique and stunning to visit. Very highly recommended.

Rock are at the Green Mask site

Rock are at the Green Mask site

Getting There

The trailhead is reached off of highway 261, which runs from near Natural Bridges south to near Mexican Hat. From the north (highway 95/261 junction) go south about 8.5 miles to mile post 24.1 and 24.1 miles north of the junction with highway 163 if coming from the south.

  • Reset your odometer as you leave the highway. ( 12S 596058mE 4146688mN / N37° 27' 44" W109° 54' 50" )
  • Follow the road, County road 250 for 3.1 miles to a junction. Go right at this junction. ( 12S 592559mE 4145402mN / N37° 27' 03" W109° 57' 13" )
  • Contiue an additional 1.4 miles to the Sheiks Canyon trailhead. The road is generally passable by all vehicles. Just past the trailhead, the road becomes impassable and should be walked. There is good camping near the trailhead. ( 12S 590409mE 4145079mN / N37° 26' 53" W109° 58' 40" )
Yellow House Ruins

Yellow House Ruins

Route

Rock Art and Historic Site Etiquette
Rock art and historic sites are fragile, non-renewable cultural resources that, once damaged, can never be replaced. To ensure they are protected, please:
  • Avoid Touching the Petroglyphs: Look and observe, BUT DO NOT TOUCH!
  • Stay on the Trails: Stay on the most used trails when visiting sites, and don't create new trails or trample vegetation.
  • Photography and Sketching is Allowed: Do not introduce any foreign substance to enhance the carved and pecked images for photographic or drawing purposes. Altering, defacing, or damaging the petroglyphs is against the law -- even if the damage is unintentional.
  • Pets: Keep pets on a leash and clean up after them.
  • Artifacts: If you happen to come across sherds (broken pottery) or lithics (flakes of stone tools), leave them where you see them. Once they are moved or removed, a piece of the past is forever lost.

Walk the old road 0.3 miles to where it end. From the end of the old road, follow the social/cow trail as it follows the south (left) side of the drainage. In 5 minutes, it crosses over to the right to avoid a dryfall. Yellow House ruin is at the bottom of this dryfall, and can't be missed from the trail. It is a good ruin, complete with grass lashings.

Continuing down, follow the social trail. A small wall is visible on the right, but not worth the side trip. Not far below Yellow House, the trail passes a good granary just above the stream level. Continue down, keeping an eye on the right for a couple of walls of a very poor granary far on the right.

That is it for ruins until near the junction with Grand Gulch. Follow the stream bed down. As it begins quickly dropping and deepening, route find around the first obstacle on the left or right, then the rest of the boulder fields are passed via a social trail on the right.

Once through the boulders, the canyon levels out with a good spring. Green Mask ruin is easily visible here on the right, a few minutes up from Grand Gulch. (about 2 hours to here.) If your struggling to find the Green Mask, look up! It is high on the east side, near the spring with a large panel.

If not doing the loop with Bullet, wandering up or down Grand Gulch before returning is recommended. Down, in particular, has some good ruins within a mile or so.


Maps

Route / 9.25 miles / Elevation Range 5,378 - 6,337 ft.
Printable Maps:

Trailhead

12S 590408mE 4145079mN

N37° 26' 53" W109° 58' 40"

End of Old Road

12S 589930mE 4145184mN

N37° 26' 57" W109° 58' 60"

Yellow House

12S 589445mE 4145443mN

N37° 27' 06" W109° 59' 19"

Wall

12S 589130mE 4145714mN

N37° 27' 14" W109° 59' 32"

Granary

12S 588679mE 4145645mN

N37° 27' 12" W109° 59' 50"

GranaryView

12S 588579mE 4145672mN

N37° 27' 13" W109° 59' 55"

Green Mask Site

12S 586493mE 4145564mN

N37° 27' 10" W110° 01' 19"

Cave Ruin

12S 585873mE 4145485mN

N37° 27' 08" W110° 01' 45"

Ruin

12S 585692mE 4145077mN

N37° 26' 55" W110° 01' 52"

Wall Ruin

12S 585250mE 4144868mN

N37° 26' 48" W110° 02' 10"

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