Utah's distinct desert lands are recognized from afar by a glow of orange and red slickrock, vast cliffs of sandstone, and towering buttes in all directions. Up close, the exposed land is seen covered in small clumps of grasses, cactus and the very tenacious juniper tree. Here among the sandstone and juniper, an even closer look reveals remnants of a lost civilization of Anasazi peoples, leaving their pictographs on rock walls and granaries tucked into high cliff walls. These ancient wonders are found scattered throughout the Southwest.
   Here in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park explorers may find many sites that contain ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs. The park entrance road, entering from the north, reaches a "Y" at Willow Flat where park visitors may flip a coin to see if they'll travel to Grand View Point or Upheaval Dome. Here at the "Y", Aztec Butte is a prominent landmark and offers an easy climb to a 1000 year old granary and naturally sculpted arches. These natural sandstone arches create large picture windows and a marvelous viewpoint that looks out over a beautiful desert landscape. Not far from the parking area, the trail splits where one direction leads to the butte, and the other to the granary and arches. One of a handful of short and unique hikes in the area, the Aztec Butte Trail is estimated to be a two mile roundtrip up the south face, over the top, and down to the first ledge. Other nearby hikes in the area lead to Mesa Arch, Whale Rock, the Syncline Loop Trail and Upheaval Dome.

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