Continue south from Shafer Canyon Overlook on the park road to a series of incredible vistas over the canyons of the Green and Colorado. The first viewpoint is Buck Canyon Overlook, which looks east over the Colorado River Canyon.

Two miles farther is the Grand View Picnic Area, a handy lunch stop. Two trails start here. White Rim Overlook Trail is an easy 1.5-mile hike (round-trip) east along a peninsula to an overlook of Monument Basin and beyond. Gooseberry Trail drops off the mesa and descends some extremely steep grades to the White Rim 4WD Road just north of Gooseberry Campground; the strenuous trip is 2.5 miles one-way with an elevation change of 1,400 feet.

Continue one mile on the main road past the picnic area to Grand View Point, perhaps the most spectacular panorama from Island in the Sky. Monument Basin lies directly below, and countless canyons, the Colorado River, the Needles, and mountain ranges are in the distance.

Grand View Trail continues past the end of the road for other vistas from the point, which is the southernmost tip of Island in the Sky. The easy hike is 1.5 miles round-trip.