Goosenecks State Park: the complete guide

Goosenecks State Park is a canyon overlook in southern Utah where the San Juan River drops a thousand feet into the earth and then loops on itself so dramatically that it travels six miles of river to advance just one and a half miles north. The result is one of the most geologically extreme views on the Colorado Plateau: a series of three interlocking meanders carved a quarter of a billion years into the desert floor. The visit takes 15 to 30 minutes. The park is 35 minutes from Monument Valley and about an hour and a half from Page, Arizona.

What are the Goosenecks?

The Goosenecks of the San Juan River are a textbook example of an entrenched meander: a river pattern that formed on a flat floodplain, then held its sinuous shape as the surrounding plateau slowly rose over millions of years and the river cut deeper and deeper into the rock rather than straightening out. The result is a canyon that is roughly 1,000 feet deep and only a few hundred feet wide at the bottom, with the river looping back and forth through it for six miles while gaining barely one and a half miles of northward progress.

The formation is sometimes called the "Goosenecks of the San Juan" or simply "The Goosenecks." Geologists use it as a reference example in textbooks because the entrenched meander pattern is so unusually clear and complete. The rock exposed in the canyon walls spans roughly 300 million years of sedimentary history, from the Pennsylvanian limestone at river level to the Cedar Mesa Sandstone at the rim.

For practical purposes: you pull into a paved parking lot at the rim, walk 100 feet to the edge, and look down 1,000 feet at a river making a shape that looks like it belongs in an optical illusion. Then you drive back to US-163 and continue to Monument Valley or Valley of the Gods.

Entry fee and hours

Entry is $5 per vehicle, paid at a staffed booth at the park entrance. A single vehicle fee covers all passengers up to 8 people. Tour groups arriving by bus pay $2 per person. The America the Beautiful annual pass is not accepted here because Goosenecks is a Utah State Park, not a federal site managed by the National Park Service.

The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. There is no timed-entry reservation system and no permit requirement. Parking at the rim is free once inside. In practice, there is almost never a queue at the entrance booth, even on weekends.

How to get there

The park entrance is on UT-316, a paved spur road that turns west from US-163 about two miles north of Mexican Hat. The turnoff is well signed. From the highway to the parking lot is about four miles, all paved.

From Monument Valley

Drive north on US-163 from the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park visitor center. The distance is about 35 miles and takes 35 to 40 minutes. The UT-316 turnoff appears on the left shortly after passing through Mexican Hat.

From Page, Arizona

Take US-89 east from Page to US-160, then US-160 east to US-163. Turn north on US-163 and continue about 20 miles to the UT-316 turnoff. Total distance is roughly 80 miles and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes.

From Las Vegas

The most common route is I-15 north to US-89 north through Kanab, then US-89 east to Marble Canyon, then US-89A and US-163 to Mexican Hat. The drive is approximately 315 miles and takes around 4 hours 30 minutes without stops. Most travelers doing this route combine Goosenecks with Monument Valley, Page, and Antelope Canyon over two or three days.

From Moab

Drive south on US-191 to Blanding, then take US-163 south to Mexican Hat and continue to the UT-316 turnoff. About 115 miles and 2 hours 15 minutes. Goosenecks works naturally as an add-on to a Moab trip heading south toward Monument Valley.

What to see at the overlook

There is one feature inside the park: the canyon rim overlook. From the parking lot, a short paved path leads to a railing at the edge of the mesa. The view is the entire reason for the park's existence: the San Juan River visible in three distinct loops below, with canyon walls dropping vertically on all sides.

Unlike Horseshoe Bend in Page, which attracts roughly 2 million visitors a year, Goosenecks sees a fraction of that traffic. On most days you share the rim with a few dozen people at most. There is no guardrail on all sections of the edge, so take care with children and with stepping backward for photographs.

There is no visitor center, no interpretive exhibits inside the park, no food or water (bring your own), and no cell service. The pit toilets near the parking lot are generally maintained but basic.

Honaker Trail

The Honaker Trail is a 5-mile out-and-back hike that descends 1,500 feet to the San Juan River at the bottom of the canyon. The trailhead is not inside Goosenecks State Park: it is about 3 miles west of the park entrance on UT-316, at a separate access road that requires a high-clearance vehicle. The hike itself is free.

The trail was built in 1893 to give gold miners access to placer deposits along the river. It follows a series of steep switchbacks on exposed ledges, with some sections requiring hands-on scrambling. The round-trip takes 4 to 6 hours for most hikers. Bring at least 4 liters of water per person: the canyon bottom is significantly hotter than the rim, and there is no shade on the descent. Best done in spring or fall, not in summer heat.

If you are visiting from the main park overlook and wondering whether to do the Honaker Trail the same day: only consider it if you arrived early, have the right vehicle for the access road, and are in strong hiking shape. It is a serious hike, not a nature walk.

Camping on the rim

Goosenecks State Park has 8 primitive campsites, all positioned along the canyon rim. Sites cost $10 per night, paid at the entrance booth, and are strictly first-come first-served with no advance reservations. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. Pit toilets are shared and located near the overlook.

There is no potable water anywhere in the park. Bring everything you need. The nearest place to refill water is Mexican Hat (10 minutes east on US-163).

The rim location makes this one of the better dark-sky camping sites in southern Utah. On a clear night, the Milky Way is visible and the river is a faint silver ribbon 1,000 feet below. In summer, nights cool quickly once the sun drops behind the mesa. In spring and fall, temperatures can dip to near freezing after midnight even when daytime highs are comfortable.

If the 8 rim sites are full, Valley of the Gods (15 minutes west) offers dispersed BLM camping with no fee and no limit on sites.

Best time to visit

Spring (April to May) and fall (September to October) are the best seasons. Temperatures are mild (60 to 80°F during the day), the light is warm, and crowd levels are minimal. The overlook faces generally west, so late afternoon light hits the canyon walls directly and produces the deepest color on the red rock.

Summer is hot but manageable for a short overlook visit: you are only outside for 15 to 30 minutes. The Honaker Trail, however, should not be attempted in summer heat. Winter brings occasional snow and ice, which can make the approach road to the park entrance slippery but rarely impassable. The park stays open year-round.

For photography: morning gives you soft directional light from the east that catches the canyon walls opposite the sun. Afternoon gives more dramatic color on the west-facing walls as the sun drops. The canyon is deep enough that midday direct overhead light washes out the textures.

Combining Goosenecks with Monument Valley

Goosenecks and Monument Valley are 35 miles apart on the same road (US-163) and make a natural half-day or full-day combination. The most common itinerary runs:

• Morning, Goosenecks: arrive by 8 or 9 am for the best canyon light, spend 30 minutes at the overlook.
• Late morning, Valley of the Gods: drive 15 minutes west on UT-143 for the scenic 17-mile loop through the sandstone buttes (free, no fee). Allow 2 to 3 hours.
• Afternoon, Monument Valley: drive south on US-163 to arrive in time for the 2 or 3 pm jeep tour, which runs through the restricted areas of the Navajo Tribal Park and typically ends around sunset.

If you are skipping Valley of the Gods, you can easily fit Goosenecks and a Monument Valley jeep tour into a single morning-to-afternoon day and still be back in Page by early evening.

Goosenecks itself has no guided tours. Monument Valley, 35 minutes south, is where Navajo-operated jeep tours take you into the restricted areas of the Tribal Park that are off-limits on the self-drive Valley Drive. If you are combining both stops in a day, book the jeep tour for the afternoon slot so you arrive at Goosenecks at opening.

Valley of the Gods

Valley of the Gods scenic drive guide

The free 17-mile loop through sandstone buttes 15 minutes from Goosenecks. Same landscape as Monument Valley, no entry fee, almost no crowds.

Read more →

Monument Valley

Monument Valley complete visitor guide

Navajo Tribal Park 35 minutes south. Entry $10/person plus $15/vehicle. Jeep tours, sunrise and sunset spots, The View Hotel.

Read more →

About this guide

Written by Diego Fresno, Travel writer and independent publisher specialising in the American Southwest. Latest research conducted on location in Page, Arizona during July 2025. Guides are verified quarterly; last review April 2026.. Verified quarterly: last review April 2026. About the author →