Sound of Silence Trail

If you are in the Vernal area and don't do this hike, you are missing out big time. Very well marked and maintained trail, with an interpretive guide available. The trailhead is clearly marked down the road from the Dinosaur National Monument visitor center. You can do a double loop with the Desert Voices trail using the 0.35 mile connector trail, which is clearly marked. If you do that, it will be 5.5 miles total. The scenery is wonderful. At interpretive marker 14 there is an option to climb up the rock if you are feeling adventurous. It is steep, but if you are wearing any kind of halfway decent shoes (no roller skates), you can make it. The one warning is that there is no shade, so I wouldn't do it midday in the summer.

Absolutely wonderful trail! If you do it clockwise it starts out walking down a dried up river channel and moves into more difficult terrain once you start going up the dirt canyons! If you're with a family you could do this first half but I would turn around here as the next few kilometers are challenging and not good for kids or inexperienced hikers. You do quite a bit of bouldering and the the trail gets really steep in some places! All the unique terrain in 3.5 miles makes this hike awesome! It would be very hot in warmer months, definitely bring water, sunscreen, and maybe a hat! Parking lot is pretty small and there aren't any trailhead facilities but there are some at the centers! It does cost $20 to get into the park however but it's worth it because there's so much more to explore!

beautiful hike theough so many different mini ecosystems. went from red clay to bouldering to sand. great opportunities to climb megaliths for spectacular views. very clean trail.

We started this hike around 6 am. This was a beautiful hike...especially early in the morning. Loved all the red rock and the diversity in the trail as we hiked. Saw evidence of big horns, but no actual animals. There was minimal shade. I cant imagine doing this during the heat of the day. Highly recommend!

My husband and I did this trail toward the end of the day, and we saw like 2 more people. It was stunning. Great views, and the informational plaques were actually pretty cool and inspiring. It seems longer than 3 miles depending on when you do it.

Ran this midday and it was pretty hot, but generally runable. Lots of terrain change from the river, to the dirt mounds to the up and downs of the bag before the big boulders at the end where you get the best views. Climbing fown the rock side was unique.

Close to 3.5 miles in total. Pretty easy. Can be hot. Bring water. Fine views and landscape changes. We saw a snake.

But If you have been to Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands or Arches, you might not rate this trail very high.

I combined this with Desert Voices. Sound of Silence had a lot of wildflowers that were extravagant, plus a lot of rabbits and lizards. This trail has lots of ups and downs and there is one place that I almost had to scramble. Beautiful place.

Very pleasant hike. At the mid point, the trail appears to stay straight but the markers guide to the right. Go right to stay on course and follow the cairns over the rocks. Truly beautiful.

As the name says, one of the most wonderful and quiet places I have been hiking. The canyon is extremely beautiful and full of color.

The sign at the trailhead had this marked "Moderate to Difficult". The first 2 miles or so were relatively easy and flat, so it seemed like we had been misled. The last stretch though is definitely substantially more difficult. There are some steep climbs & descents - I was glad I bought hiking boots the day before. There are some great views of the surrounding area from the peaks.