Discovery Trail
What to Expect
Safety Advisory
The sandy wash sections can make route-finding tricky — look for trail markers on rocks and cairns, especially where the path crosses open wash areas that don't hold footprints well.
Rattlesnakes shelter in the boulder crevices along this trail, particularly in warmer months. Watch where you place your hands if you're tempted to scramble up any of the rock piles.
Trail Details
Pro Tips
Use this trail strategically as a one-way connector: park at Skull Rock, walk Discovery Trail to Split Rock Loop, do that loop, then return the same way for a roughly three-mile morning that hits three of the park's best rock formations in one shot.
The boulder corridors along this trail create natural shade pockets even at midday — duck into them for a breather, and check the rock faces up close for the tiny lichens and mineral veins that most people walk right past.
Face Rock is easy to miss if you're not looking for it — as you approach the Split Rock junction, look to the northwest for the profile formation. Late afternoon light makes the 'face' most dramatic and photograph-worthy.
