Wooden Shoe
About
Wooden Shoe is a natural arch in Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah, managed by the National Park Service. It sits at about 5,300 feet, roughly 23 miles from the town of La Sal Junction. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 77°F and October highs around 70°F, while July averages about 95°F and January lows drop to about 17°F. The closest trails are the Needles Main Park Road, about a mile away, and the Wooden Shoe Canyon Trail, about 1.5 miles off. Canyonlands National Park Needles District Campground is about 2 miles away, and the Needles District climbing area is about 3 miles away.
Arch Facts
Elevation
5,302 ft
Land manager
National Park Service
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Wooden Shoe
Utah
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Apr–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 67–77°F and lows of 36–46°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Canyonlands-The Needles, UT weather station, 2.1 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.
- Jan42° high17° low2 days with snow
- Feb49° high23° low1 days with snow
- Mar59° high30° low1 days with snow
- Apr67° high36° low
- May77° high46° low
- Jun89° high56° low
- Jul95° high63° low
- Aug92° high61° low
- Sep84° high51° low
- Oct70° high38° low
- Nov55° high26° low1 days with snow
- Dec42° high18° low2 days with snow
Where it is
- Canyonlands National Park · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- La Sal Junction, Utah · 23 mi
- Managed by
- National Park Service
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Canyonlands National Park as of Oct 9, 2026:
Trip-planning tips for 2026
Information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: NPS Alerts API
Nearby
- Needles Main Park RoadHiking1.1 mi
- Squaw CanyonHiking1.5 mi
- Wooden Shoe Canyon TrailHiking1.5 mi
Canyonlands National Park Needles District CampgroundCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain2.2 mi
The Needles DistrictRock climbingPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3.3 mi
North Six Shooter PeakRock climbingPhoto: BFS Man from Webster, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)5.9 mi- Hamburger Rock CampgroundCamping6.8 mi
- Indian CreekCanoeing8.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Wooden Shoe open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Canyonlands National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Canyonlands National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Wooden Shoe
Best months: March–May and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
42° / 17°
4 wet · 2 snow
Feb
49° / 23°
4 wet · 1 snow
Mar
59° / 30°
5 wet · 1 snow
Apr
67° / 36°
5 wet
May
77° / 46°
4 wet
Jun
89° / 56°
3 wet
Jul
95° / 63°
5 wet
Aug
92° / 61°
6 wet
Sep
84° / 51°
5 wet
Oct
70° / 38°
5 wet
Nov
55° / 26°
4 wet · 1 snow
Dec
42° / 18°
4 wet · 2 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Canyonlands-The Needles, UT, 2.1 mi away at 4,906 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
