Grand Gulch: Kane Gulch to Bullet Canyon

Bears Ears National Monument, Cedar Mesa, BLM Monticello Field Office (Utah Highway 261)

Grand Gulch is “a mostly dry meandering canyon that runs about 50 miles in length” across Cedar Mesa, in Andrew Skurka’s words, and it is lined with Ancestral Puebloan ruins and rock art that the BLM’s rules are written to protect. This trip enters at Kane Gulch, follows Grand Gulch downstream, and climbs out through Bullet Canyon.

It’s a trip for slow travel. Road Trip Ryan warns that days “feel a bit longer than the mileage may indicate.”

The hike

Road Trip Ryan lists the route at “23+ miles” over three or more days. It starts at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station on Utah Highway 261, passes a narrow section a little under a mile in, and reaches the Grand Gulch confluence and Junction Ruin about 4 miles from the station. Turkey Pen Ruin, downstream, was closed and viewed from a distance at the time of Road Trip Ryan’s fall 2025 visit.

Below that, the guide’s waypoints include Stimper Arch, Todie Canyon and Todie Spring, Split Level Ruin, Coyote Canyon, rock art the guide calls “Bushwhack,” and The Thumb, before the route turns up Bullet Canyon. Bullet Canyon holds Jail House Ruin and Perfect Kiva. Skurka warns that the popular canyons have “unmaintained use trails with unreliable cairns,” with brushy bottoms and fine sand.

“WATER IS A BIG CONCERN!” Road Trip Ryan writes. Its authors carried at least 2 quarts each between sources and camped near a spring every night, listing Junction, Todie, Coyote, Green Mask, Bullet Canyon junction, and Jailhouse springs. The BLM is blunter: all water sources are intermittent “and should not be counted on.”

The BLM limits camping near Junction Ruin, Turkey Pen Ruin, Jailhouse Ruin, and the mouth of Bullet Canyon to two consecutive nights, and bans camping at “any ruins, rock art sites or alcoves.” Moving or disturbing artifacts violates federal law, and climbing gear can’t be used to reach sites. Road Trip Ryan adds, “Oils from your hands can damage rock art or fragile plaster. Don’t touch!”

Any route that isn’t an out-and-back needs a car shuttle. Road Trip Ryan’s author biked about 9 miles back from the Sheiks Canyon trailhead and says Bullet Canyon would be similar or a little longer. Spring and fall are the seasons; summers are “insanely hot,” in Skurka’s words.

For a shorter Cedar Mesa loop nearby, see Fish and Owl Canyons.

Tips

Get your permit on Recreation.gov and confirm pickup rules with the BLM.
Watch the interpretive video at the ranger station if you go through it; the BLM says it’s required for overnight backpackers.
Camp near springs and ask about flow before you go.
Leave artifacts in place and stay out of ruins where entry isn’t allowed.
Set up a shuttle between the Kane Gulch and Bullet Canyon trailheads.
No dogs: pets aren’t allowed in Grand Gulch or its tributaries.

Camping

Permits are required year-round for overnight trips in Cedar Mesa canyons, including Grand Gulch and its tributaries, and are sold on Recreation.gov. The maximum group size is 12. Use existing campsites; the BLM says “no new campsites are to be created,” and no camping is allowed at ruins, rock art sites, or alcoves, or within a mile of the San Juan River. Fires are banned in Cedar Mesa canyons; stoves are allowed. Bury human waste in a 6-inch cathole at least 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites, and carry out toilet paper. Washing, bathing, and swimming in or near natural water sources are not permitted.

Inside Intel: Road Trip Ryan’s authors camped near a water source every night and note that existing sites are usually near springs. They also mention good camping at the Sheiks Canyon trailhead and several primitive spots with a pit toilet at the Bullet Canyon trailhead, useful for the night before or after.

Trail facts

Distance: 23+ miles (Road Trip Ryan)
Route type: Point to point; car or bike shuttle
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Existing dispersed sites; 2-night limit near major ruins
Water: Intermittent springs; don’t count on them
Permits: Cedar Mesa overnight permit (Recreation.gov); Kane Gulch Ranger Station seasonal
Fires: Prohibited; stoves allowed
Dogs: Not allowed in Grand Gulch
Trailheads: Kane Gulch Ranger Station and Bullet Canyon, Utah Highway 261
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Supper by Todie Spring:

Grand Gulch campers plan each night around a spring, and fires are banned in the Cedar Mesa canyons, so every meal comes off a stove with water you filtered yourself. See the meals testers keep coming back to.

See the picks →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.