Great Western Trail Eagle Sink Loop OHV Trail - Kane CO Utah

Great Western Trail Loop OHV Trail is a 50-mile day ride across the sagebrush covered flats between the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the border of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Riding is generally easy going on the well-maintained albeit somewhat sandy county roads. The scenery varies from rolling hills of sagebrush and junipers to the brightly colored rock layers that make up the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument to the east. We ran the trail in 5.5 hours averaging 9 mph. Near the end of the ride is a 160-foot deep limestone sinkhole that can be seen from the highway called Eagle Sink (don’t go near the edge there is a lot of loose rock and winds can come up fast). More info on Eagle Sink Hole.

Kanab serves as a great base-camp for your adventure before venturing off into one of the most remote areas in the state. Proximity to civilization and harsh desert conditions make this an intermediate ride though the roads are relatively easy riding. Never ride alone and make sure people know where you are going and when you intend to return.

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Directions From the North
Directions from the South
Lodging, restaurants, fuel and groceries are all available in Kanab, Utah. There are some trailheads, pit toilets and parking areas on the return trip of the loop as you cross back into Utah near the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.
OHVs: All sizes. No width limits. ATVs, MCs, UTVs, 4x4s on most trails.
Terrain: Mostly graded county roads.
Signage: This trail is not well signed, this is a good one to use your GPS on (see below).
KML File for Google Maps
GPX File for your Garmin GPS or other Apps
The closest medical help is the hospital in Kanab • 355 N. Main Street, Kanab, UT 84741 (435) 644-5811 (Open 24 hours) or in Page, AZ, 501 N Navajo Drive. Open 24 hours (928) 645-2424.
Kane County Sheriff: Dial 9-1-1 for emergencies or Non-Emergency Dispatch: (435) 644-2349; Utah Highway Patrol: Dial 9-1-1

GAIA

We highly recommend you get GAIA GPS for your mobile device. GAIA GPS will allow you to download this trail complete with the photos you see here so you can be sure where you are at all times. Simply install the GAIA GPS app and save this trail from the button below.

Would you like to see the trail in an animated 3D flyover map? If it appears to pause, that is likely a place I stopped for a while. It will continue, just wait a few moments. Link to 3D flyover.

Here is the 360 view at the trailhead. Feel free to tour around a bit inside Google Street Views. We have recorded the trail in 360 and it is now part of Google Street Views so you can take a virtual tour of the trail to see if it is for you. We’ve made it a bit easier to navigate, scroll down and you will see more 360 embedded tours as we encounter intersections, trail markers or interesting places along the trail.

On any image, you can click the ‘X’ in the upper right corner and the view will change to an overview map showing the Google Street View blue lines. You can click anywhere on that blue line and drop down to the 360 ground-level views at that point.

You can move the image 360 degrees, click the arrow to move further down the trail and zoom in and out to take a closer look. Clicking the box in the upper right-hand corner will enlarge to full screen for a better view.

There is a parking area for the Great Western Trail just off of Highway 89. Turn right to continue on southwest on County Road 730. Continue straight to head west (County Road 730). Continue straight to head west (County Road 730). Turn left to head south. Turn left to head east after the cattleguard. Stay to the right here. Welcome to Arizona! Cool view where the junipers thin out and you can look back toward Utah. Continue on straight to head east at this fork in the road. Stay left at the fence. Ranchers run cattle in this area so if there is a gate please leave it as you found it. You will continue on east through the junipers on Route 248. Continue on straight eastward after weaving through the juniper trees. Trailhead for the Arizona Trail (non-motorized). Remnants of a recent fire. In the distance the landscape begins to shift from the green pallete of sage and juniper to a variety of reds of the Colorado Plateau. The contrast of the two landscapes is really pronounced driving along House Rock Road. Crossing back into Utah. There is a parking area with pit toilets and a number of hiking trails to explore on this stretch of the ride at Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch. You can visit the Bureau of Land Management Interagency Office to learn more: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument Turn left to head west on County Road 721. Continue on slightly to the right to continue on west along the fence line. You will not cross the cattle guard. The route is marked with a carsonite (County Road 735). There will be another fork in the road shortly after where you will turn right to head northwest and continue on back to the road you came in on. The Eagle Sink Hole is out to the northeast from this point.