The Murphy Trail runs across the high mesas of Island in the Sky before dropping into Murphy Basin and looping through a desolate backcountry wash and open brush flats joined by White Rim Road. Murphy Point caps a high outcrop on the Island Mesa with exceptional views across Murphy Basin and the Green River corridor.

The Murphy Trail drops 845' in just .95 miles down this Wingate sandstone cliff into Murphy Basin

Cliffrose is an important food source for desert browsers like deer, elk, bighorn sheep and pronghorn

Collared lizards have been clocked running 16 MPH in short bursts, and are capable of running on their hind legs

Blackbrush, saltbush and sage flats on Murphy Hogback are good places to see wildlife

View from Murphy Point; the long, thin plateau is part of Murphy Hogback

Asters are found throughout most of the world, and a wide range of habitats and climates

Looking northwest across the White Rim and Soda Springs Basin from the Murphy Trail

The trail runs fast through sparsely vegetated flats on Murphy Hogback from the Wingate cliffs of Island Mesa

Tamarisk, also known as Salt Cedar, is an invasive species from east Asia found in riparian corridors throughout Canyonlands

Views of the White Rim and Green River emerge on the final half mile to Murphy Point

After completing the 6.85 mile loop, the Murphy Trail climbs 845' in just .95 miles up a gully cut into this Wingate sandstone cliff

The Murphy Trail takes an improbable course down near-vertical slickrock and rugged boulders to reach the basin floor

The trail shifts quickly on a rugged, faint path from the bottom of the cliff into Murphy Wash

View across Soda Springs Basin from the north edge of Murphy Hogback

Candlestick Tower (5,867') stands out on the northern horizon from the Murphy Point Trail

Waves of native sod grasses line the first half mile of the Murphy Point Trail

Vertical drops and unstable rock make these seemingly navigable terraces impassable without proper gear