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

Fri

Sunny, with a high near 64. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

64 | 41

Sat

Sunny, with a high near 65. South southeast wind around 5 mph.

65 | 41

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

65 | 46

Mon

Sunny, with a high near 62.

62 | 41

Tue

Sunny, with a high near 64.

64 | 42

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)

Fri

Sunny, with a high near 64. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

64 | 41

Sat

Sunny, with a high near 65. South southeast wind around 5 mph.

65 | 41

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

65 | 46

Mon

Sunny, with a high near 62.

62 | 41

Tue

Sunny, with a high near 64.

64 | 42

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.

2025 Update: I first visited the site in about 2014. The social trail has greatly improved since my first visit! I would consider it strenuous, but much less so than on my first trip. Be sure to keep a close eye out for the social trail and cairns along the way; if you stay on it, it makes life much easier. We (2 adults and an 8-year-old) ascended Sheiks in 2025 as part of a backpacking trip down Kane Gulch and Grand Gulch. With moderate backpacking packs, it was strenuous but not terrible. It took us about 3 hours from the Green Mask Site to the trailhead, though 30-45 minutes of that was checking out the notch side trip. The map has been updated with our most recent track.
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 596058E 4146688N / 37°27'44"N 109°54'50"W )
  • Follow the road, County road 250 for 3.1 miles to a junction. Go right at this junction. ( 12S 592559E 4145402N / 37°27'03"N 109°57'13"W )
  • 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 590409E 4145079N / 37°26'53"N 109°58'40"W )
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 ends. 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. The 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 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, the first section is an easy downclimb where seeps often start on the left. Just below that, the canyon has a couple of major drops. The most common route here is a slightly intimidating traverse on the left (looking down canyon) around the first. For the second, the social trail goes down to slickrock, then angles down to a 2-ish foot step down off a ledge that gets you to the base and at some house-sized boulders.

From here, look for the best social trails, generally on the right side of the canyon. As of 2025, these seem to be coalescing into a pretty good trail. It is relatively easygoing for a stretch. When you see a notch on the right, a minute or two from the trail, there is also a granary visible straight ahead on a ledge.

Notch Side Trip: The notch is a short 1-2 minute walk to check-out, and I think worth the side trip. From it, you are looking down into Grand Gulch. The Thumb is visible below and across Grand Gulch. From the notch, you can also make an easy traverse along the prominent ledge to the next point upstream for additional views.

Soon after the notch side trip, the canyon starts to drop quickly. This section used to be quite difficult route finding. These days it is still challenging in spots, but a social trail is developing that is helpful. Once near boulders, keep an eye on the trail. It generally stays high on the right to avoid boulder sections but does come down to the canyon floor in spots. This section requires intermediate skills. If you are backpacking, it is strenuous, and I would recommend advanced skills and good fitness!

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 you're struggling to find the Green Mask, look up! It is high on the east side, near the spring with a large panel. There is a lot to see at the site. I've visited in the morning and afternoons and prefer midday/afternoon light.

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. The Thumb, which you may have seen from the Notch Side Trip, is less than a mile upstream and also has a great ruin and rock art.


Maps

Route to Green Mask / 6.82 miles / Elevation Range 5,495 - 6,334 ft.
Route To Bullet / 10.03 miles / Elevation Range 5,363 - 6,334 ft.
Printable Maps:

Trailhead

12S 590408E 4145079N

37°26'53"N 109°58'40"W

End of Old Road

12S 589930E 4145184N

37°26'57"N 109°58'60"W

Yellow House

12S 589445E 4145443N

37°27'06"N 109°59'19"W

Wall

12S 589130E 4145714N

37°27'14"N 109°59'32"W

Granary

12S 588679E 4145645N

37°27'12"N 109°59'50"W

Granary View

12S 588579E 4145672N

37°27'13"N 109°59'55"W

Granary View 2

12S 586947E 4145633N

37°27'13"N 110°01'01"W

Green Mask Site

12S 586493E 4145564N

37°27'10"N 110°01'19"W

Cave Ruin

12S 585873E 4145485N

37°27'08"N 110°01'45"W

Ruin

12S 585692E 4145077N

37°26'55"N 110°01'52"W

Wall Ruin

12S 585250E 4144868N

37°26'48"N 110°02'10"W

Notch Side Trip

12S 586927E 4145674N

37°27'14"N 110°01'02"W

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