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Published: February 27th 2009
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Distance: 8.5 miles
Difficulty: moderate-difficult
For our second day in the Moab area, my dad and I headed down to the more remote Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. This area had been recommended to me by a co-worker, and after seeing pictures from his trip, I was sold on visiting. The weather was warmer than the previous day, but we expected that and planned accordingly. We got an early start and made the roughly 75-mile drive from town to the entrance of this part of the park. As far as I’m concerned, this was the most memorable hike of the trip, and I look forward to going back in the near future.
Canyonlands National Park is split into three main sections or “districts” by the Colorado and Green Rivers. To the north is the Island In The Sky District, characterized by dramatic mesas and the breath-taking canyons carved out by the two rivers. The Green and Colorado eventually merge into the greater Colorado at a confluence in the middle of the park. The southeast third of the park is the Needles District, with its towering sandstone spires and bizarre mushroom-shaped formations that highlight the unusual patterns of erosion.
The western side of the park is a very remote and mostly untouched wilderness called the Maze. This part of the park is one of the most difficult areas to reach of any national park in the lower forty eight States.
The Needles District is home to some of the most extraordinary and improbable rock formations in the entire park. The Needles themselves are a series of banded spires along the western side of the district. Like the formations in Arches National Park, the Needles are the end result of upheaval by a salt layer that thrust the sandstone above ground. Over the hundreds of millions of years since the areas development, water, wind, and shifting faults have shaped the spires into what we see today. Much of the area (especially closer to the Colorado River) is full of strange mushroom-like formations that are the remnants of sand dunes that once covered the land. The National Park Service refers to Canyonlands as a wilderness of rock, and the Needles District certainly lives up to that description.
Despite being a rocky desert, Canyonlands supports an amazing diversity of wildlife. The dark cyanobacteria crust that covers much of the soil
locks in moisture that allows a wide variety of plants to grow. The area is covered in hardy Utah Juniper and several species of cacti. Spring brings a nice assortment of wildflowers including vibrant Indian paintbrush. The grasslands of Chesler Park were once used by ranchers as grazing areas for livestock prior to the establishment of the national park. Along our hike, we saw several types of lizards beating the heat on the shady sides of large rock formations.
Unlike the other two districts, the Needles District contains a web of hiking trails that take visitors to a variety of impressive locations. While many of the sites in the Island In The Sky District are a short walk off the main road, visitors to this area will need to strap on their boots for a closer look at the amazing geology. Many destinations involve longer hikes that may require several days to complete.
We ultimately settled on a ranger-recommended hike to Chesler Park via the Elephant Hill Trailhead. The trailhead is at the end of a 3 mile dirt road that starts near the Squaw Flats camp site. From the trailhead, the trail rises steadily before leveling off
on the plateau above. Unique rock formations can be seen in just about every direction along this stretch of the hike. This reasonably flat area also offers views of the distant La Sal Mountains to the east. For the next 1.5 miles, the hike stays on either well-worn trails or cairn-marked exposed rock. The trail leads through several joints, slender gaps between the towering formations. After 1.5 miles, the trail reaches an intersection with another route that heads back to Squaw Flats or provides access to the Big Spring, Squaw, and Lost Canyons to the south. Continuing west, the trail eventually drops down into a narrow gap (no more than a few feet wide in some places) between two rock formations. This unique portion of the trail will provide some nice shade along the otherwise exposed hike. As the gap widens, the trail begins to head somewhat steeply down into Elephant Canyon. The bottom of the canyon is a dry wash that serves as part of the route to Druid Arch to the south. The canyon is lined with more surreal rock formations that reminded me of stereotypical flying saucers resting on pillars. The climb out of Elephant Canyon is
the steepest and most difficult part of the hike to Chesler Park. The trail continues towards the prominent line of Needles formations above the canyon. It isn’t until those formations are reached that the trail finally levels off. Just beyond the rock towers is the amazing sight that is Chesler Park. The park is a roughly circular grassland ringed by needle formations that seems quite out of place considering the surrounding rocky desert. Beyond the park to the west are the Canyonlands grabens, a series of long and narrow canyons shaped by fault activity. Beyond the grabens, the Colorado River rushes south where it eventually carves out the Grand Canyon on its way to the ocean. From the Chesler Park sign (3 miles from the trailhead) the trail forks with routes heading to the west or south. We decided to continue along the sandy trail to the south that skirts the park’s rim to the east and south. After 1.3 miles, another intersection is reached. From here, a trail heads east to Druid Arch, while the Joint Trail continues west. Our turnaround point was on the western side of one of the park’s fin islands. This area provides several back
country camp grounds (we took a brief break at CP 3 before returning).
Chesler Park can serve as a mid point for hikers on longer trips in this area. Once reaching the park, a longer option includes using the Joint Trail (so named because it passes through another narrow rock gap) and the dirt road on the western side to create an additional five mile loop. The trail along the western side of the park also continues north to the Devil’s Kitchen area and the Lower Red Lake trail which heads west into the grabens before stopping at the Colorado River. Reaching the river from Chesler Park will add another 8 miles one way, making this a likely overnight trip. Visitors to the Chesler Park area may also want to add on the 3 mile detour to the dramatic Druid Arch, which sits on the southern rim of Elephant Canyon.
As with any desert hike, be prepared for prolonged exposure. Take plenty of extra water and sunscreen! There are also a few unique features of this area that warrant special warnings. Staying on the designated trail has never been more important. The cyanobacteria mounds that make up the
dark crust over the soil are essential to the survival the area’s plant life. The crust holds in much-needed moisture that makes this arid land habitable. The mounds are very fragile and can be easily trampled under boots. Once destroyed, the crust can take hundreds of years to rebuild. Also, be aware of weather conditions whenever approaching a dry wash. These areas (such as the floor of Elephant Canyon along the Chesler Park trail) are the sites of dangerous flash floods. Stay out of these areas if there are storms in the general vicinity.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I would recommend this hike to literally anyone. There is so much to see along this hike that I occasionally felt like I was experiencing sensory overload! The landscape goes through an impressive array of changes along the way and should appeal to nature fans of all hiking abilities.
Directions: Take highway 181 south from Moab for roughly 40 miles. Turn right (west) onto Utah Highway 211 and follow it for approximately 35 miles to the park entrance and Visitor Center. From the Visitor Center, continue west to the Squaw Flats camp ground and follow signs to Elephant Hill. The last
three miles to the trailhead is along a narrow, but well-maintained dirt road that should not pose a problem for most vehicles.
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