Exploring Utah's Canyonlands National Park

Hiking and Backpacking in the Needles District in Southeastern Utah

Dec 6, 2008

Canyonland's Needles district, named for its red and white pinnacles, is a hiking, backpacking, and sight-seeing paradise located in a remote corner of Southeastern Utah.

The Colorado and Green Rivers divide Canyonlands, Utah’s largest National Park, into 3 distinct districts. The Needles, Island in the Sky, and the Maze are lands of immense beauty. The rivers and their tributaries have carved out innumerable canyons, dizzyingly steep cliffs, and panoramic buttes and mesas.

Sixty miles of interconnecting trails weave through the Needles District. Most trails are moderate to difficult and traverse through slickrock and sandy washes. To navigate desert trails, trails are marked with small rock piles called cairns. Strong hikers should be able to hike these trails in one day, but overnight backpacking is recommended in order to more fully explore the expansive trail networks. Backcountry permits are required for overnight camping and are obtained from the National Park Service.

Hiking Canyonlands' Chesler Park/Joint Trail

Begin hiking at the Elephant Hill Trailhead. Continue hiking for 3 miles over slickrock, through prickly pear cactus groves and through dry gulches to reach the expansive meadow called Chesler Park. Chesler Park is a fairly large meadow of desert grasses and shrubs and is completely surrounded by the brightly colored sandstone spires and pinnacles that give Needles its name. The Joint Trail around Chesler Park is a must-do. The trail winds through a series of narrow and cavernous fractures in the rock. Staying the night at one of the five-backcountry campsites at Chesler Park will certainly be a night to remember.

Hiking to Canyonlands' Druid Arch

This 11-mile round-trip trail leads from the Elephant Hill Trailhead to Druid Arch, a large rock formation resembling the stone structures of Stonehenge. This trail offers some off the best views of the Needles. The trail follows the same trail as the Chesler Park trail and then travels along the bottom of Elephant Canyon. The last .25 miles of the trail is quite challenging. To arrive at the arch there is a steep climb with some scrabbling and a ladder to climb. There are three backcountry campsites located along the trail.

Hiking to the Green and Colorado River Confluence Overlook in Canyonlands

Starting at the Big Spring Canyon Overlook, this trail offers incredible views of the Needles, the Maze District, and ends with a spectacular view of the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers 1000 feet below. The trail has little shade, steep drop-offs, and no water. This 11-mile round-trip hike can easily be done in a day or makes for a leisurely overnight hike.

Getting to Utah's Canyonlands National Park

From Moab (about 75 miles), take US191 south and then turn off on Utah 211 heading west into the park.

The copyright of the article Exploring Utah's Canyonlands National Park in Hiking & Trails is owned by Amiee Maxwell. Permission to republish Exploring Utah's Canyonlands National Park in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.