Chesler Park Trail
What to Expect
Safety Advisory
Cairns are your lifeline on the slickrock sections. Lose the cairn trail and you can wander into dead-end canyons that all look the same. If you haven't seen a cairn in five minutes, backtrack to the last one you spotted.
Summer temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees on exposed rock, and shade is almost nonexistent. Heat exhaustion is a genuine risk from June through August — plan for early morning starts or wait for shoulder season.
Trail Details
- 1
The Elephant Hill access road is notoriously rough — high-clearance vehicles strongly recommended, and the final half-mile has tight switchbacks that give full-size trucks real trouble. Scout it on foot first if you're unsure.
- 2
Carry at least three liters per person. There is zero water on this trail, and the exposed slickrock sections radiate heat like a pizza oven from mid-morning onward.
- 3
The joint trail section between the rock fins about two miles in is the most photogenic stretch — afternoon light turns the banded walls into glowing stripes of orange and cream. Pause here on your way back when the sun is lower.