Balanced Rock

"Absolutely beautiful hike! The beginning of the trail is fairly easy (I probably could have taken a jogger stroller on). It was about 0.80miles. The last 0.25 is a scramble up a Rocky Mountain side. You’ll need both hands free to climb- BUT totally worth the views! We spent about 30 minutes at the top just enjoying & eating snacks! Also note- the road to this travel is a gravel road for high clearance vehicles- extremely rocky & bumpy. You’ll have to take it slow, which takes you about 40 minutes to get down 6 miles."

"We did this trail with our 4 year old and she absolutely loved it. It is about 2.2 miles out and back. Most of the trail is pretty straight road but the last 0.25 mile is a bit of a rock scramble. The views are amazing once you get to the top. And the rock itself looks splendid. Also there is a 6 mile dirt road that you have to cross to get to the trailhead. I thought that was a worst part and kept wondering why NPS did but make a proper road for that part."

"If you don’t have a high clearance vehicle, you can still take Grapevine Spring road, just go slow. I stopped about 1/2 mile from the trailhead and walked in as some parts would have been too rough. This hike is definitely worth doing. Short. Fun. Visually striking."

"Excellent hike with jaw dropping views! This was one of my favorite hikes in the park. There is no shade on this trail. We went in the morning and only passed a couple of people on the trail. We had the entire “balanced rock” area to ourselves. Relatively flat trail until you get the the end. Some rock scrambling is required to get up to the balanced rock."

"The road to access the trail to balanced rock is called Grapevine Hills Road. It’s a rough dirt road, and it’s a slow drive to reach a parking lot, where the trail starts. There is no shade or bathrooms. Most of the trail is easy, mostly flat, but the end is a little more challenging. Great views from the top."