Four Corners Hikes-Canyonlands

Horsehead Rock in Canyon Rims

2012-01-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

The Hatch Point area of the Canyon Rims Recreation Area is a large mesa top area that lies to the east of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. Horsehead Rock is one of the large rock outcrops rising above the sagebrush and Pinon Juniper forest area.

The Highway 191 turnoff for Canyon Rims is about 32 miles south of Moab, UT and a few miles north of the turnoff for the Needles District of Canyonlands. About 16 miles along the paved road there is a junction with the paved road staying left leading to the developed Needles Overlook.

I started my hike toward Horsehead rock about 2.6 miles past the junction at San Juan County Road 169, a well maintained dirt road. The terrain along Road 169 is mostly level through sagebrush fields with good views east toward the LaSal Mountains.

After 1.7 miles there is short side trail to the east that leads to an overlook of Horsehead Rock. I didn’t see a trail that leads all the way but it looks like hiking through the forest would be feasible. I saw a ranching artifact along this side trail. I kept an eye out for Pronghorn Antelope while hiking but didn’t see any. There are a few cows grazing in the Hatch Point area.

The main road descends into a wide valley with some views of the LaSal Mountains and Horsehead Rock in alignment. The elevation of Horsehead Rock is 6191 feet. The Pinon and Juniper Forest gets thicker as the trail proceeds north. At 3 miles there is a junction with County Road 170. Continuing north on 169 it is another 0.8 miles to the mesa top rim. Road 170 turns west and also leads to the rim after 2.2 miles. Road 170 leads closer to the formation that is called Hatch Point.

Road 169 ends at the rim and there are wide views north over Lockhart Basin. This is the terrain that is visible from the Needles Overlook and some of the other viewpoints in the Hatch Point area. The Colorado River winds through the area below but I couldn’t see it from this angle.

It took me 1:30 hours to arrive at the overlook. Without the side trail the main road distance is 3.8 miles. The return hike took 1:15 hours. My total hike took 3:00 hours for about 8 miles on a 44 F degree mild early January day. I didn’t see anyone else on this route while I was hiking. There were a few other vehicles in the area, including a few heavy trucks at a drilling site.

Lower Monument Canyon Trail-Colorado Nat. Monument

2011-10-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

The Lower Monument Canyon Trail is one of the backcountry trails in Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. The trailhead is not along the main Rim Rock Drive. From the west entrance, continue east along Highway 340 for about 2 miles. There is a small sign for the trailhead and the entrance looks like you are entering someone’s driveway.

All the Colorado National Monument trails have good trailhead maps and information signs. The Monument Canyon Trail allows views of the large eroded formations that most visitors view from the Rim Rock Drive. The total trail is 6 miles to the Coke Oven Trailhead, with a climb from 4700 feet at the trailhead to 6140 feet at Coke Ovens. I hiked the 2.4 miles to Independence Monument with a climb from 4700 feet to 5289 feet.

The first 15 minutes of hiking seems odd in that the trail follows the park fence line. There is wilderness on one side and suburban living on the other. The overly large fence may be for the bison that once were here. The bison have been removed and now there is a healthy herd of mountain sheep roaming the park.

After entering Monument Canyon, the trail hugs the contours along the right side of the canyon, climbing steadily. The trail is improved with carved steps. Most of the climbing is along this segment.

The first named formation that comes into view is the Kissing Couple. The upper part of the Monument Canyon Trail passes around the Kissing Couple and heads up the canyon to the left.

When the views east open up, the Pipe Organ and the Praying Hands are visible. These formations are below the point that Otto’s Trail visits.

The route approaches the north side of Independence Monument. The trailhead map shows the unimproved Wedding Canyon Trail junction here but the junction isn’t marked with a sign and wasn’t otherwise obvious. The Wedding Canyon Trail loops back to the Lower trailhead for a 4.7 mile hike. The junction close to the trailhead wasn’t marked but was obvious.

It took me 1:30 hours to arrive at Independence Monument where I turned around. I hiked on a cloudy 65 F degree early October day and caught a few sprinkles of rain. I carried and drank 2 liters of water. My downhill return hike on the main trail took 1:00 hour for a total time of 2:30 hours for 4.8 miles.

Dinosaur Hill Trail-Fruita, Colorado

2011-10-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

The Dinosaur Hill Trail is the site where the bones of a 70 foot long and 30 ton Apatosaurus were found in 1900. This skeleton is famously displayed at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. The Apatosaurus was formerly called the Brontosaurus.

The trailhead is located on Route 340, just south of Fruita, in western Colorado. This site is on the way to the west entrance of Colorado National Monument. There are numbered stops along the 1 mile loop trail but I didn’t find a printed trail guide. There are several interpretive signs that tell the story. Dinosaur Hill is one of the Dinosaur Diamond attractions.

The highlight of the trail is the quarry where Elmer Riggs excavated in 1901. The tunnel was reopened in 1991 and several tools and additional bones were found.

In 1938, Elmer Riggs returned to Dinosaur Hill for the installation of the commemorative plaque by the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce. This plaque is mounted next to the quarry.

From the top of Dinosaur Hill, there is a view of the nearby Colorado River. One of the interpretive signs discusses the logistics of moving the 6 tons of dinosaur bones from the quarry to Chicago in the early 1900s.

At the trailhead, replica thigh bones have been installed as benches. The replicas are based on photographs of the actual bones. I visited on a cloudy 65 F degree early October day. There are several more dinosaur related sites to visit in the area.

Canyon Rim Trail-Colorado Nat. Monument

2011-10-08T03:56:00.000-07:00

The Canyon Rim Trail is a 1 mile roundtrip along the canyon rim at the Visitor Center of Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. The Visitor Center is close to the west entrance of the park.

Colorado National Monument is celebrating 100 years of service in 2011. The Monument was established in 1911 mainly through the efforts of early resident John Otto.

The early views across Wedding Canyon are toward the formations called the Pipe Organ and the Praying Hands. The short Otto’s Trail travels out to the point for a closer view of those formations. The Independence Monument comes into view as you get further out along the trail.

The view down the canyon includes the Fruita and Grand Junction area. These are Wingate sandstone cliffs with the Kayenta layer forming the cap layer. The vegetation here is Pinon Pine and Juniper forest with desert shrubs.

At the end of the trail is the Window Rock formation. From here a hiker can backtrack to the Visitor Center or loop back along the campground road, which has slightly higher views.

The 1 mile round trip Alcove Nature Trail also begins at the Visitor Center along with the long backcountry Black Ridge Trail. The Alcove Trail has a trail guide to 31 marked stops.

The marked stops emphasize the geology and erosion features and the plants and animals that live here. The rock wall along the trail is Entrada Sandstone sitting on Kayenta Sandstone. There are examples of cross bedding pointed out along with carbonic acid caused cavities.

Otto’s Trail-Colorado Nat. Monument

2011-10-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

Otto’s Trail is a 1 mile round trip to an overlook of Monument Canyon in Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. John Otto moved into this area in 1906 and it was his campaign that led to the formation of Colorado National Monument in 1911.

John Otto was the first caretaker of the Colorado National Monument and worked hard building trails to make the area accessible. Otto’s Trail begins at 5800 feet elevation and descends gradually through Pinon Pine and Juniper forest.

The view directly ahead at the overlook is toward the formations called the Pipe Organ and the Praying Hands.

To the right is a view of the Independence Monument. Back on the Rim Rock Road there are more views at Independence Monument Viewpoint.

The interpretive sign explains the ways that erosion can vary, causing these formations. John Otto made the first recorded climb to the top of Independence Monument.

The Grand View Viewpoint also has good views of all these formations. The Monument Canyon Trail at the Coke Ovens Trailhead provides access to the area around the base of Independence Monument.

Coke Ovens Trail-Colorado Nat. Monument

2011-10-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Coke Ovens Trail is a 1 mile round trip to a Coke Oven formations close-up overlook in Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. The trailhead is 3.8 miles east of the Visitor Center along the Rim Rock Drive.

There is a Coke Oven overlook point along the Rim Rock Drive a short distance west of the trailhead that provides a good profile view. The Coke Ovens are sandstone with a hard cap that protects part of the sandstone. Where the cap breaks, the sandstone has eroded into a rounded shape.

The trailhead for the Coke Ovens is also the starting point for the backcountry Upper Monument Canyon Trail. The two trails use the same switchbacks for a short distance, and then split at a well marked junction. The Coke Ovens Trail stays along a ledge while the Monument Canyon Trail continues to descend. The starting elevation is 6140 feet and there is a 160 foot descent to the lookout point.

There is a fenced overlook at the end of the trail. The view of the Coke Ovens is from the end of the line.

Looking into the canyon from the left side of the overlook, the route of the Monument Canyon Trail can be viewed. The trailhead map says it is 3.5 miles one way to the Independence Monument on the canyon floor.

Devil’s Kitchen Trail-Colorado Nat. Monument

2011-10-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

The Devil’s Kitchen Trail is a 1.5 mile round trip to a rock grotto in the canyon country of Colorado National Monument in western Colorado. The trailhead is 0.2 miles from the east entrance. The west entrance is the easiest to find for visitors and this hike is at the end of the 23 mile Rim Rock Drive.

Four other trails begin at this same trailhead, two long back country routes and two shorter trails. The trailhead maps and information signs at Colorado National Monument are very good. The trailhead elevation is at 4990 feet. The trail junctions are well marked with directions and distances for the various options. The terrain is desert vegetation along a canyon floor with towering sandstone canyon walls.

The sandstone layers are the familiar Wingate, Kayenta, and Entrada that are visible in many of the rugged canyon areas of the Colorado plateau. The Navajo sandstone layer seems to be missing. The vegetation is the Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper forest with desert shrubs like Rabbit Brush and Mormon Tea. I think a saw some single leaf ash trees along the way.

It is a modest 200 feet of elevation change climb up to the Devil’s Kitchen on some carved steps. I could see some side trails in this area. I scanned the cliff faces with binoculars for rock art, but didn’t see anything from the distance.

The Devil’s Kitchen is the partially enclosed space between some high sandstone towers. There is a small window or arch high on the inside. The Devils Kitchen Trail took me about 0:50 minutes. I hiked on a cloudy 65 F degree early October day late in the afternoon.

Lost Canyon Loop Trail

2011-04-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Lost Canyon Loop Trail is one of the many hiking routes in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The hike starts at the Squaw Flats Campground Trailhead “A.” After 1.1 miles, there is a trail junction with the Squaw Canyon Trail.

I continued past the Squaw Canyon Trail junction another 1.5 miles to the Lost Canyon Trail Junction to make the hike a clockwise loop. It took me 1:15 hours to arrive at the lower end of Lost Canyon. The Peekaboo Trail continues east past this point. The trail segment up Lost Canyon is 3.2 miles.

The route to arrive at Lost Canyon includes some of the typical scrambling over sandstone outcrop sections that make the Needles District trails challenging. There is one short ladder to climb down. The views from the top of the sandstone segments are always spectacular.

Lost Canyon has more flowing water and riparian habitat compared to Squaw and many of the other nearby canyons. The trail is somewhat sandy and crosses the stream many times. There are many cottonwood trees along the stream, with Pinon Pine, Utah Juniper, and sagebrush fields along the canyon sides.

I got confused at the point where the trail exits Lost Canyon and starts to climb over the divide to Squaw Canyon. The trail has been following the stream and there are hiker tracks that continue past the turn off, making it easy to miss. The upper part of Lost Canyon that is beyond the trail may be a good place to look for ruin sites, but I didn’t see any in the several hundred yards that I explored. I walked up to the next canyon junction before I realized I was off the trail.

The climb out of Lost Canyon follows a narrow side canyon and then climbs up a sandstone bowl with good views at the top. On the downward side, there is a segment along a wide but slanting ledge. On the climb up to the top of the sandstone bowl, there are one or two spots that are somewhat exposed.

The descent into Squaw Canyon is a very scenic stair step cascade down a dry waterfall. My total time in Lost Canyon was about 3:00 hours for the 3.2 miles, including about 0:40 minutes of side trip off the trail.

From the Lost Canyon Trail junction with the Squaw Canyon Trail it is 1.7 miles to the starting trail junction and 2.8 miles total back to the Squaw Flats trailhead. My total hike for about 9 miles took 5:50 hours. In late April, it was 51 F degrees at 10:15 AM and 68 F at my 4:05 PM finish. I carried and drank 3 liters of water.

Lathrop Trail

2011-03-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Lathrop Trail is one of the six long trails that descend off of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. This is the only trail that leads all the way to the Colorado River, a distance of 10.8 miles. The trailhead is 1.8 miles south of the Visitor Center.

The first segment crosses the broad Gray’s Pasture, an area of grasses, Mormon Tea and a few scattered shrubs. I scanned this area with binoculars for any grazing animals but didn’t spot any at mid morning. There is a slight crest where the view changes and an old storage building is visible to the north. It took me about 30 minutes of hiking to cross the grassy pasture area.

The terrain then changes to bare rock with rock cairns marking the way. The views become spectacular with buttes, mountains, and glimpses of the Colorado River below. There are two flat mesa top areas along this segment, a change of pace from the jumbled rocks.

Views of the White Rim area show some finger like canyons that are similar to those visible from the Grand View Point. At the same view point is a broad sweep of the massive Wingate Sandstone cliffs. The challenge of hiking in the Island of the Sky is to find a place to get past these cliffs.

After about 2.5 miles, the trail descends slightly and follows a ledge for about 0.5 miles with views toward Airport Tower. Some of the White Rim area campsites are designated as the Airport sites. Looking over the edge, the trail down to the While Rim is visible in the deep canyon below.

I turned around after 1:40 hours at the point where the trail begins to descend steeply through the Wingate Sandstone. From a distance it is hard to see a trail down but I watched two other hikers zig zag down. The return hike took 1:30 hours for a total hike of 3:10 hours for about 6.5 miles. I carried and drank 2 liters of water on a 58 F degree mid March day.

Alcove Springs Trail

2011-03-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Alcove Springs Trail is one of the six long trails that descend off of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The trailhead is 3.6 miles west along the Upheaval Dome Road.

The trailhead information says that it is 5.6 miles to Taylor Canyon and 11 miles to the White Rim Road with 1300 feet of elevation change. The first segment descends steeply, mostly on bare rock with good footing. The area below is named Trail Canyon and there are some of the spectacular views for which Canyonlands is famous, featuring the steep cliffs of Wingate Sandstone.

The large alcove with a spring that the trail is named for comes into view after only about 5 minutes of hiking. The approach to the alcove veers close to the sheer canyon wall and the descent to the alcove is about 440 feet. The alcove appears to be Navajo Sandstone sitting on top of the Kayenta layer.

There is a small pile of rubble in the right end of the alcove that I thought looked like a possible ruins site, but it’s hard to tell. The setting here is similar to the nearby photographer favorite False Kiva. With a source of water here, it seems likely that the early inhabitants would have visited this large alcove.

I stopped at the level of the alcove after 20 minutes of hiking. There are good views toward the canyon bottom where the trail continues toward the left near the dry wash. My total hike of about 1 mile took 0:50 minutes on a 60 F did March day.

Boxcar Bridge Trail in Canyon Rims

2011-02-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

The Boxcar Bridge Trail is located in the Hatch Point District of the Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. The Canyon Rims area covers a large area to the east of Canyonlands National Park. The Boxcar Bridge route isn’t pointed out with signs but is mentioned on maps and guidebooks as a mountain bike route.

I started my hike 20.5 miles along County Road 133/132 from the junction with Highway 191, the access road for the Hatch Point area. This is past the turn off to the spectacular Needles Overlook Trail and the road changes from paved to gravel. There is a wide spot in the road at this point and a sign that says “View Point” with views both west toward the Canyonlands area and east toward the LaSal Mountains. The trail is a 4WD road that leads east through a wide field of sagebrush.

After about 30 minutes of hiking, the trail begins to descend into Trout Water Canyon and leads to an area with Cottonwood trees and some ranching artifacts. In the Sagebrush fields and in the canyon, I kept an eye out for Pronghorn Antelopes, which are supposed to live in the Hatch Point area, but I didn’t see any. Pronghorns are known for their keen eyesight and extreme speed. They are opportunistic, feeding on grasses, shrubs, and trees. It took me 1:10 hours to arrive at the canyon floor.

A few minutes of hiking further, there is a trail junction with the left fork leading further down Trout Water Canyon and the right fork climbing to the south rim. I followed the right fork and climbed to the mesa top area. In late February, there were small patches of snow in shady spots but the trail was mostly dry and walking easy.

The view further down Trout Water Canyon shows several alcoves in the sandstone walls. The interpretive information for the Canyon Rims area says that most of the sandstone outcrops visible here are Navajo sandstone. Ancestral Pueblo people are thought to have occupied the area for a short time, ending in the mid 1200s. It seems like this canyon area, with a spring and alcoves would be a place to search for ruins and rock art. I scanned the alcoves from a distance for ruins structures but didn’t see anything.

On the mesa top area there is another trail junction with a view of a large sandstone butte. On the nearest corner there is a formation that appears to be an arch or window, the Boxcar Bridge. I followed both trail forks for a few hundred yards and the best views are from the right fork. The main trail continues along the left fork. I couldn’t find Boxcar Bridge mentioned in the on line guides to arches so perhaps there is a gap and it isn't actually an arch. The view is from a long distance and it would take a lot of walking and climbing to get a close view.

I turned around here and retraced my steps. My total hike was 4:30 hours for about 8.5 miles. It was 36 F degrees at 10:30 AM when I started and 43 F at 3:00 PM at the finish. On a cool day I carried and drank 2 liters of water.

Canyonlands Erosion from the Needles Overlook

2011-02-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

The Hatch Point District of the Canyon Rims Recreation Area features several spectacular overlooks of the eroded rocks east of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The Needles Overlook is 22 miles along paved County Road 133 from the junction with Highway 191, between Moab and Monticello, Utah.

There is a short system of trails at the Needles Overlook. The view to the north is toward Hatch Point. An Interpretive sign lists the geologic layers visible her as starting at the top with Navajo and Kayenta sandstone. I think these are missing at the tip of Hatch Point but are visible back to the east. The massive cliffs are the Wingate sandstone, and below are the softer Chinle, Moenkopi and Cutler layers.

Slightly west of Hatch Point there are glimpses of the Colorado River. An interpretive sign explaining erosion mentions the power of a raindrop, exploding like a bomb on loose soil particles. Flowing water from flash floods runs off quickly and carries these small grains away.

Freezing and thawing during the winter wedges rock chunks apart. Water flowing in the Colorado and Indian Creek below undercuts rock material as it turns the bends, causing it to crash and get carried away.

The area below the Needles Overlook is called the Lockhart Basin area and can be visited along the 4WD road that turns north a few miles east of the entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands Park. Hikers can start at the Indian Creek crossing and continue to the area below the Needles Overlook and find Pelican Arch and some Ancestral Pueblo rock art.

Intrepid Trails at Dead Horse Point

2010-12-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

The Intrepid Trail System explores the north section of Dead Horse State Park in southeast Utah. The access to Dead Horse Point is Utah Route 313, an east turn on the way to the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The most famous views in the park are at the Dead Horse Point at the south end of the park.

The trailhead is at the north end of the Visitor Center parking lot. There is a short 15 point interpretive trail around the visitor center that provides an introduction to the desert environment that the Intrepid Trail explores. The inner loop of the trail system is the 1.1 mile Intrepid Loop and the next loop is the 4.2 mile Great Pyramid Loop. The outermost loop is the 9 mile Big Chief Loop.

The first segment has two parallel trails, one for mountain bikers and hikers, and the other closer to the rim segment for hikers only. The hikers only segment passes though a sandstone pothole area where the potholes were filled with frozen over water. These potholes are important for the wildlife that lives in the area.

About 0.5 miles along the route there is a marked Colorado River Overlook point. There is a glimpse of the entrenched Colorado River deep in the canyons, about 2000 feet below. There are also views along here of the evaporation ponds of the Potash industrial activity in the canyon bottom.

It took me about 0:40 minutes to arrive at the Great Pyramid Overlook. The cliff forming layer at Dead Horse Point is the Wingate Sandstone, and the cap rock layer is the Kayenta Sandstone. The staircase rocks below the cliffs are the Chinle formation. Other layers visible here are the Moenkopi and Cutler, and the Colorado River flows on the Honaker Trail Formation.

The trail junction with the Big Chief Loop is about 0.5 miles further. At the junction, a hiker can loop back to the Visitor Center or continue on the longer loop. I continued, skipping the connecting segment. I hiked on a 40 F degree early December day. There were a few patches of snow along the way but the trail was mostly dry and easy to follow.

Big Chief Loop at Dead Horse Point

2010-12-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Big Chief Loop Trail is the outer loop of the Intrepid Trail System at Dead Horse Point State Park in southeast Utah. Dead Horse Point sits to the east of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The access is along Utah Route 313, an east turn on the route to the Island in the Sky. Some of the best views of the canyon entrenched Colorado River are available at Dead Horse Point.

The main trailhead for the Intrepid Trail System is at the north side of the Visitor Center parking area. The inner nested loops are the 1.1 mile Intrepid Loop and the 4.2 mile Great Pyramid Loop. There is also a trail access at the Group Camping site. It took me about 1:00 hour of hiking to arrive at the trail junction for the Big Chief Loop following the route counter clockwise.

The Big Chief Loop veers away from the canyon rim and cuts through the high desert Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper forest. Other plants common along the trail include Mormon Tea, Black Brush, Cliff Rose, Prickly Pear Cactus, and Yucca.

After another 0:30 minutes through the forest, Big Chief Canyon comes into view. A long west leading segment continues close to the south rim. The trail is mostly level and easy to follow. It is designed for hikers and mountain bikes. Much of the trail is marked with dead branches or rock cairns. The day I walked there were some patches of snow that showed tracks of some of the animals that are active in late fall. The route has several signs along the way with maps that tell you where you are. All the trail junctions are well marked.

All along the segment leading to the Big Chief Overlook there are many views to the east toward the LaSal Mountains and the many fins of the Behind the Rocks area. The Potash industrial site is also visible at the canyon bottom.

The official overlook point is at a slightly higher point than the trail leading west along the canyon rim. The return segment leaves the canyon rim area and has views to the west across grassland. The return segment passes the Group campsite.

My total hike took 3:30 hours for the 9 mile loop. I hiked on a 40 F degree early December day and I didn’t see any other hikers and very few other park visitors despite the reasonable conditions.

Colorado River Overlook Trail

2010-04-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Colorado River Overlook Trail is the 4WD and bike trail that heads north from the Visitor Center at the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The total trail length is about 7.5 miles one way.

I drove the first 3.1 miles to a point where there is a rocky climb and the driving is clearly more difficult and began hiking there. The first 3.1 mile segment is sandy dirt road and was drivable in a Subaru. Above the rocky climb the dirt road resumes and stays mostly level along mesa tops and canyon rims.

There are several other areas along the trail with rocky sections and difficult driving. I saw a couple of spots where cement has been added to make the route smoother. On the day I hiked I only saw two mountain bikers and no vehicles on the trail. In the first mile of the 3.1 mile segment, there is one parking spot marked off on the narrow road, but it is not obvious what the attraction is there.

Hiking west through desert country the vegetation is Mormon Tea, maybe Blackbrush, Narrow Leaf Yucca, Indian Grass, Prickly Pear, with a few scattered Utah Junipers and Pinon Pines.

Unlike many Canyonlands hikes, there are 360 degree views along here toward the Island in the Sky, the Canyon Rims Needles Overlook, and back toward the Needles formations. Two large mesas in the Island in the Sky area stand out.

The Colorado River overlook area is unfenced and there is a warning sign to be careful. The Canyon is probably about 1000 feet deep here and the brown water moves slowly. I couldn’t see much vegetation along the banks and the rock layers are very steep. From the end of the trail there is a level area below that has views up and down river, and there are some rocky knobs to scramble over for slightly higher views.

Slightly to the south, scrambling over the white sandstone knobs, there is also a view into Big Spring Canyon as it makes a junction with the Colorado River. There is a monument formation similar to the ones visible from the Grand View lookout point in Island in the Sky.

It took me 1:45 to walk the 4.4 miles from the startpoint to the Colorado River Overlook. My total hike for 8.8 miles took 4:00 hours on a 60 F degree mid April day. I carried 3 liters of water and drank 2 of them.

Wilhite Trail

2010-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Wilhite Trail is a 6.1 mile route with 1600 feet elevation change in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The trailhead is west along the Upheaval Dome side road.

The first segment of trail crosses a section of the mesa top Island through scattered Pinon Pines and Utah Junipers. There is one point with a good view toward the Green River canyon with the Henry Mountains rising above the Wingate sandstone cliffs. The trail is heading for one of the few gaps in the Wingate cliffs that allow a descent. There are six long trails in the Island in the Sky that travel from the the grassy mesa top to the White Rim Road that circles around below.

The descent through the gap in the cliffs is scary looking from both the top and the bottom. The upper switchbacks are gradual and easy walking, but further down there is some minor scrambling.

The going is slow through this section whether descending or climbing, but the views are spectacular. The route through the jumbled rocks is well marked with rock cairns.

At the bottom the trail turns south and works along another canyon rim, coming very close to the edge in some places. Candlestick Tower is in view for the rest of the hike.

This segment is about 1 mile before the trail turns west and makes a final descent to the red Martian looking surface below.

Looking back toward the north, there is a large alcove visible. The different layers of sandstone in this part of Canyonlands are clear here. The massive Wingate cliffs seem to dive down, as does the ledgy Kayenta layer. The smooth layer on top is the Navajo sandstone, the same as the nearby Whale Rock Trail. The whole sequence sits on top of the softer shale and mudstone Chinle layer.

The view from inside the alcove toward Candlestick Tower is a favorite of photographers and features an Indian ruins circle of stones that is known as the False Kiva. There is an obscure trail leading into the alcove that is not mentioned on park maps and seems to be somewhat jealously guarded, in the name of preservation, by those who know where it is. The ruins are similar to the circle of stones that are along the Aztec Butte Trail, but it is the view in combination with the stone circle that seems to be special.

I turned around at the point where the trail makes the descent to the floor of Holman Springs Basin, near a large boulder. It took me about 2:30 hours to get to this point, about 3 miles down the trail. The rest of the trail doesn’t look as interesting for a day hiker, though the side canyons might be good for a backpacker to explore.

It took me 3:00 hours to return to the trailhead for a total hike of 5:30 hours for about 6 miles. I carried 3 liters of water and drank most of it on a 60 F degree late March day.

Syncline Loop Trail

2010-03-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Syncline Loop Trail is an 8.3 mile circuit around the Upheaval Dome in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

The Upheaval Dome is one of the most interesting features in Canyonlands and may be the remains of a 500 to 1000 foot meteor strike that occurred 60-160 million years ago. The alternate theory is a salt bubble rose and deformed the area. There are interpretive signs discussing the alternate theories on the Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail.

The Syncline Loop crosses the Upheaval Dome Trail a few feet from the trailhead. I turned left but hikers can go either way. Turning left and following around clockwise puts the wide views more in front of you. The descent going clockwise has many switchbacks and is much like walking down stairs. It looks like some of the rocks have been arranged to make the footing easier. Large sandstone outcrops highlight the scenery.

Near the trail beginning there is a sign warning that the trail is strenuous and may be difficult to follow. The 1300 feet of elevation change makes the hike fairly strenuous but it is also well marked with rock cairns and isn’t hard to follow. The upper segment of trail is Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper Forest with the common desert shrubs including Mormon Tea, Prickly Pear and Barberry.

It is 3.4 miles to a signed junction with the Upheaval Canyon Trail that makes a left turn and leads down canyon 3.5 miles toward the White Rim Road and the Green River.

Staying on the Syncline Loop Trail it is another 0.3 miles to the 1.5 mile Crater Spur Trail that makes a right turn and explores the interior of the Upheaval Dome.

The Loop Trail doesn’t have any rim views into the Upheaval Dome crater, so this side trail is the only place to view the interior. This low area of the trail follows a dry wash and vegetation is very sparse.

I met some returning backpackers who had traveled further down canyon and had visited a ruins site near the river. The clockwise route is a shorter distance to the bottom trail junctions and looked to be an easier climb for those carrying a heavy pack.

The trail segment that starts to climb back up the Syncline Valley has some pools of water in the creek and has quite a bit of rock scrambling. The scrambling section is about the midway point of the loop hike.

There is one spot where steps have been carved. There were the remains of some metal bars next to the steps. This might have been a formerly difficult spot that has been made easier. I thought this section seemed a little more slippery with loose material than other parts of the trail.

After the scrambling section, the trail continues to climb but only gradually. In mid March, an always shady segment along the Syncline Creek still had a large snow patch on an otherwise mild day. The 4.6 mile north section of the loop stays in the canyon and doesn’t have any wide views.

My hike took 5:15 hours for the 8.3 miles. I carried 2 liters of water on a 55 F degree mid March day, but I think 3 liters would have been a better choice. I met two groups of hikers taking the counter clockwise route, a group of 2 and a group of 8.

Three Long Needles Day Hikes

2009-12-22T06:37:00.001-08:00

The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah is remote but a spectacular hiker park. There are many different trails and routes to follow, but if you want a long day hike that is representative, there are a few choices.

The trail to the heart of the Needles is the Chesler Park Trail. Start at the Elephant Hill Trail Head that is along a side road near the Squaw Flat Campground. The trail heads south with mostly easy walking toward Chesler Park, a wide open area surrounded by the sculpted Needles.

This area has a network of trails and there are several options, including Druid Arch and Devils Kitchen. The Elephant Hill 4WD road also heads for the heart of the Needles and can be used to make a loop route. It is about a 6 mile round trip to Chesler Park and back. Druid Arch is an 11 mile round trip. The Needles formations are the Cedar Mesa sandstone layer, a deeper layer than the Entrada sandstone that features the arches found in Arches NP.

The Canyonlands Park is divided into three districts by the Colorado and Green Rivers. These two famous western rivers flow together in the middle of the park. The Confluence Trail, at the west end of the district leads 5.5 miles to an overlook of the confluence, a view from 1000 feet above the rivers.

This trail starts off descending into a canyon then climbing out and uses some of the distant 4WD roads towards the end of the trail. The two rivers usually are different in color and the flow of each can be clearly viewed.

On the east side of the Needles District, the Salt Creek and Horse Canyon area has enough water to have supported the people who lived here before the arrival of pioneers. The Salt Creek Trail leads toward Peekaboo Springs and an excellent example of the rock art that can be found in the area.

The hike to Peekaboo is a good destination, and further up Horse Canyon is the Paul Bunyan arch and the Tower Ruins site. Peekaboo Springs is a 5.4 mile round trip. Hiking all the way to Tower Ruin, past the Paul Bunyan Arch is a 9.6 mile round trip. Be sure to carry plenty of water on any of these hikes.

Hidden Rock Art

2009-11-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah has a number of Rock Art Panels hidden in the canyons. Some of them are near trails and are well known, but sometimes in remote and hard to get to locations.

There are probably many others that are less known and not along any well traveled routes. This one is very good and not along a well traveled route. There are two side by side panels in an east facing alcove. The panel to the right has a gallery of reddish broad shouldered figures. The alcove is near a tamarisk filled creek in some white sandstone outcrops.

There are many white hand prints in the overall work also, some covering the reddish figures. The alcove overlooks a level area where mostly sagebrush is growing.

The panel to the left is mostly hand prints, some red and some white, and some direct prints and some outlines. This hidden panel is about 1 mile north of the Needles Visitor Center.

Lockhart Basin Trail to Pelican Arch

2009-11-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

The road to Lockhart Basin and Hurrah Pass starts about two miles east of the park entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The first 2.9 miles is easily drivable and passes the Hamburger Rock camping area toward a crossing of Indian Creek.

I started my hike right at the Indian Creek Crossing 2.9 miles down the road. Right at that point is the Indian Creek Falls, about a 20 foot drop off. In early November the Indian Creek was dry except for a brown pool at the base of the falls.

In spring, the crossing could be more than a foot deep. I didn’t get to see any flowing water, but my feet didn’t get wet hiking across. The road swings to the right after the crossing, then turns left and climbs away from the creek. A hiker can take a shortcut and climb directly up a sandy hill toward some arch looking rock formations and get back on the road.

The road follows along the creek for a while, then turns away and continues north toward the base of the Needles Overlook point. The top of the Needles Overlook is one of the short hiking attractions of the Canyon Rims Recreation Area that can be accessed off of Highway 191 north of the Highway 211 turnoff that leads to the Needles District of Canyonlands.

From that lofty viewpoint, the Lockhart Basin Road looks like a harsh and desolate area except for the green band of Indian Creek. A sign near the beginning of the road says it is 48 miles to Hurrah Pass. After Hurrah Pass, I think this road becomes Kane Creek Road and leads into Moab, connecting with Highway 191. During my hike I didn’t see any vehicles traveling along the road. There were several campers staying in the sites near Hamburger Rock.

About 2.5 miles down the trail there is a marked turnoff leading west down a small canyon drainage. The turnoff is labeled 25 by the Canyon Riders and is marked as being more difficult for drivers. About 0.5 miles down this side trail the Pelican Arch appears on the right.

Pelican Arch isn’t very large, barely big enough to crawl through. The Needles Overlook Point can be framed through the opening. The terrain in this area has a few scattered Utah Juniper Trees, Rabbitbrush, Mormon Tea and a few other desert shrubs. In a couple of spots the carved Needles formations can be sighted to the west.

Back at the Indian Creek Falls area, there is a pictograph panel a few hundred yards upstream that has white handprints and lines of dots. A short distance to the right of the pictographs there are some faint petroglyphs.

My hike to the Pelican Arch took 3:00 hours for about 6 miles. It was a 60 F degree early November blue sky day and I drank 2 liters of water. I spent another 0:45 minutes looking upstream along Indian Creek for Rock Art and found just the two panels near the falls.

Chesler Park Trail to Devils Lane

2009-10-13T16:15:00.001-07:00

The Chesler Park Trail is one of the most popular trails in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. It leads to the extensive network of Needles Trails, in the seemingly impenetrable area of towering carved sandstone formations.

There are several options for hiking to Devils Lane and the other parallel narrow valleys that are referred to as The Grabens. I started my hike at the Elephant Hill Trail Head and hiked the popular route for 2.7 miles, and turned right onto the northern segment of the Devils Kitchen-Chesler Park Loop. This segment continues for 2.3 miles to the Devils Kitchen backcountry campground area. The Devils Kitchen area is at the east end The Grabens. It took me 2:45 hours to arrive here, about 5 miles of hiking.

Devils Kitchen can also be directly hiked to along the Elephant Hill 4WD loop road. The tall wall formations near the beginning of the Chesler Park Trail reminded me of the Courthouse Towers in Arches National Park.

The Needles area is always amazing to hike through. This layer of sandstone is the Cedar Mesa layer, a relatively deep layer on the Colorado Plateau. It is well below the Wingate, Navajo and Entrada layers that appear in Arches National Park and other areas of the Canyonlands area.

The vegetation in this area is dominated by Pinon Pines and Utah Junipers with small shrubs. There are small Gambel Oaks in a few places. The black crusty cryptobiotic soil is common along the trail.

From Devils Kitchen, it is 0.5 miles west to the 4WD road that runs in Devils Lane. The Devils Lane is a mostly level narrow valley between high rock walls and is a startling contrast from the jumbled and eroded area that surrounds it. The National Park Service has a web site that explains the formation of Devils Lane and the other Grabens.

The plastic nature of the salt layer underlying the sandstone seems to be the key factor. The Grabens are thought to be sliding toward the Colorado River at a very slow rate. The hiking along the road can be tiring as the footing is very sandy. Despite the deposited soil, the vegetation is very sparse compared to the rocky canyon areas nearby.

About 1.0 miles south along Devils Lane, there is a pictograph panel on the right. The panel is mostly red hand prints with two notable foot prints. The rock art panel is protected under a small overhang. It is about a 3.0 mile round trip from Devils Kitchen to the pictograph panel. This was about a 1:15 hour side trip.

This panel seemed to be isolated. There are no obvious ruins sites nearby. The Canyonlands area seems to be rich in rock art sites but doesn’t show many habitation sites. There are some small granary storage sites in a few places.

From the pictograph panel I returned the 1.5 miles back to the Devils Kitchen area and then followed the Elephant Hill 4WD road 3.5 miles back to the Trail Head. Near the junction of the 4WD road and Devils Kitchen, there is a small black hand print pictograph. My total hike was 11.5 miles in 5:30 hours. I carried 3 liters of water on a 65 F degree day in mid October.

Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail

2009-09-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

The Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail leads to two view points of this unusual circular geologic feature. The round trip to the most distant view point is 1.6 miles. The trail head is at the end of the west leading road in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands NP is southeast Utah.

There are two theories attempting to explain Upheaval Dome. The more traditional explanation is that the salt layer below the accumulated sediment pushed upwards. The more recent proposal is that a meteor strike 60 million years ago caused the ¾ mile deep crater.

The trail has many steps carved into the rock to make the walk easier. Even with the relatively easy footing there are some ups and downs over the mostly bare sandstone that will make you stop to catch your breath. Most of the attention is directed toward the crater, but there are also scenic views on all sides. There is the 8.3 mile Syncline Valley Loop Trail that circles the Upheaval Dome and starts at the same point as the Upheaval Dome Overlook Trail.

The trail head area has a picnic area and was very busy on the day I visited. Most visitors stop at the first view point after 0.3 miles. I spent 1:10 hours on the 1.6 mile round trip on a mostly cloudy mid September day. I drank a full liter of water at the end of the hike.

Whale Rock Trail

2009-09-21T05:04:00.001-07:00

The Whale Rock Trail is a 1.0 mile round trip to the top of a large sandstone outcrop in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands NP in southeast Utah.

The trail head is near the west end of the road leading toward the Upheaval Dome area. The trail head interpretive information emphasizes the adaptations the Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper forest plant community makes to survive in an area with only 9 inches of rain per year. The climb up on top is easy, though it looked like some railings that used to be in place have been removed.

From above it looks like the Whale Rock is actually at the head of a pod of whales circling around the outer edge of the Upheaval Dome. This short hike takes about 30 minutes,

Aztec Butte Trail

2009-09-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Aztec Butte Trail is a 1.5 mile round trip to several Ancestral Pueblo granary sites in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The trail head is along the paved road that leads west toward the Upheaval Dome area.

The trail follows a sandy route that circles around the small butte that is in front of Aztec Butte. There is a spur trail that climbs the back side to a pair of granary sites just under the rim. I climbed the spur trail first before going on to Aztec Butte. The Canyonlands area doesn’t seem to have any large village sites but has a number of small storage sites and rock art sites.

Further on, Aztec Butte is about a 200 foot climb to the top with the granary sites under the rim on the north side. The butte is one of the highest view points in the immediate area. There are a couple of steep spots climbing up the sandstone face of the Butte that call for a little scrambling. I had a little trouble finding the right spots to put my feet at the point just below the rim but made it up.

On top there is a circular trail that I followed clockwise. There are several small sites along the somewhat narrow ledge overlooking the very deep Trail Canyon.

The alcoves seem to feature a number of small arch formations that act as support columns and entryways. There are four or five sections of ancient walls along the length of the ledge.

There is also a circular structure on the top of the mesa. The Mesa Arch Trail area is visible only a short distance to the east. Also in this area of the park is the Green River Overlook. There isn’t a trail there but there is a glimpse of the Green River and the formations known as Cleopatra’s Chair and the Turk’s Head and others.

There is also some discussion of John Wesley Powell’s expedition of exploration down the Green and Colorado River. He passed by the area of the overlook on July 16, 1869. My hike at Aztec Butte took about 1:15 hours for the 1.5 miles.

Grand View Point Trail

2009-09-16T05:08:00.001-07:00

The Grand View Point Trail is a 2.0 mile round trip along the rim at the south end of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands NP in southeast Utah. From this trail are some of the most spectacular views of Canyonlands.

The three fingered area just below the trail head area is Monument Basin, featuring some tall spires. At the junction of the fingers is the tallest of the monuments, the Totem Pole. The White Rim Road can be seen snaking around the edges of the basin. This road is a favorite with mountain bikers for its endless scenery. The White Rim is about 1000 feet below this view point. The trail travels southwest from the main view point.

The views to the west are towards the confluence of the Green River and the Colorado River. According to the interpretive information, the Colorado River above the confluence was known as the Grand River until 1921, hence the name Grand View Point. The Colorado/Grand River has cut so deeply into the rocks that it is not visible here. In the Needles District of Canyonlands the 5.5 mile Confluence Overlook Trail leads to the point above where the two streams flow together.

At the end of the trail there are views back to the northwest with a glimpse of the Green River. The Green starts in the Wind River Mountain Range in Wyoming. There is a Green River Overlook Point near the Aztec Butte Trail about 6 miles north of this point where some of the same terrain can be viewed from a different angle. My hike on the Grand View Overlook Trail took about 1:00 hour for the 2 miles.

White Rim Overlook Trail

2009-09-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

The White Rim Overlook Trail is a 2 mile round trip across high desert Pinon and Juniper terrain to a rocky cliff giving a view to the south and east, with glimpses of the Colorado River.
The trail head is at the Gooseberry Picnic Area is toward the south end of the main road in Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands NP in southeast Utah. The Gooseberry Picnic Area has two trail choices. The longer Gooseberry Trail leads to the north and down to the White Rim Road. Some of the formations that are visible from the Mesa Arch Trail are also visible here.

At the end of the trail are some views similar to the Monument Basin View on the nearby Grand View Point Trail. These views are slightly to the east of the Grand View Point. This 2 mile hike took me about 1:00 hour.

Mesa Arch Trail

2009-09-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Mesa Arch Trail is a 0.5 mile loop trail to a scenic arch and canyon overlook in the Island in the Sky District of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.

The trail head is a few miles south of the entrance gate and the Visitor Center on the main park road. The trail has many constructed steps for easy walking and passes through a sandy area of Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper to the arch perched on the rim of Buck Canyon. The canyon floor is 1200 feet below.
On a clear day the LaSal Mountains to the east can be framed through the arch. Along the left there is also a distant view of Washerwoman Arch.

It is possible to view Washerwoman Arch through Mesa Arch. This arch is a favorite of photographers who arrive at dawn to catch the rosy glow as it highlights the bottom edges of the arch. This short hike takes about 30 minutes.

Aqueduct Arch Trail

2009-06-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

The Aqueduct Arch Trail starts about 11.2 miles north along Harts Point Road in the Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah and is not marked. The Harts Point area is between Canyonlands Park and Indian Creek to the west and the Hatch Point district of Canyon Rims to the east.

The Harts Point Road is about 12 miles west along Utah Route 211 on the way to the Needles District of Canyonlands Park. This area is wild and remote canyon country with no facilities for visitors.

There is a two track 4WD road leading east off of the graded road for about 2.2 miles from the unmarked trail head, then a right turn that leads for a short distance and the road ends. The walking along the slightly sandy road is easy and there are good canyon views to the east toward the La Sal Mountains.

The end of the road overlooks a side canyon of Harts Draw. The arch is near the bottom of the main part of this side canyon, and is not visible from the end of the road.

There are some hiker cairns leading down through a cliff area and then the route follows a small drainage to the canyon rim. The arch is visible toward the east side. There are more rock cairns leading down from the rim into a side canyon that allow a closer view. I went down to the next main shelf below the rim and stopped there.

The route continues further down into the canyon but appears to get more difficult. Aqueduct Arch looks like it was once a large deep alcove and the roof collapsed. There are other similar alcoves that are visible in the area. I scanned with binoculars for Ancestral Pueblo ruins in the alcoves but didn’t spot anything.

It took me about 0:45 minutes to get to the end of the 4WD road and I hiked another 30 minutes to the rim and somewhat down into the canyon. It was a relatively cool 70 F mid June day and I carried two liters of water. My total hike was 2:40 hours. Nearby to the Aqueduct Arch route is a shorter hike to Mug Handle Arch. The Chris Moore Guide to Natural Arches in the Moab Area is very helpful for finding these large spectacular arches.

Mug Handle Arch Trail

2009-06-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Mug Handle Arch Trail is in the Harts Point section of the Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. The Harts Point Area is a mesa top that overlooks the east side of the Indian Creek corridor that leads to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.About 12 miles along Utah scenic route 211 there is a sign pointing out Harts Draw Road to the south. The road to Harts Point is the north leading part of the same road. The Harts Point area doesn’t have any visitor facilities. I started my hike 11.6 miles along this graded road next to an old windmill on the west side. The turbine for the windmill is in ruins on the ground and has been there so long a sage brush is growing up though it.

The unmarked trail to Aqueduct Arch begins in this same vicinity. The terrain here is scattered Pinon Pines and Utah Junipers with areas where sage brush dominates. There is good canyon country in the Harts Point area, but not the spectacular view points that are the highlight of the more developed Hatch Point area of Canyon Rims.

From the old windmill I walked about 5 minutes west along the two track road to a point where there were some views down into one of the canyons that is along the Indian Creek area, then worked back south and east along the side canyon rim, crossing a large area of slick rock sandstone. The road I walked on is more or less parallel to the canyon with the arch.

The Mug Handle Arch is back toward the head of the canyon and is not visible immediately. There is a shelf below the canyon rim that allows a reasonable approach for a good view. There isn’t a trail so a hiker has to pick his own route. There are a number of large alcoves in this side canyon that look like good potential Ancestral Pueblo ruins sites but I didn’t see any standing structures.

It is easy to view the Mug Handle Arch from the opposite side and a shorter walk. From the old windmill, the canyon head is only a few hundred yards directly south. From the canyon head there are good views down canyon toward what looks like the Dugout Ranch area of Indian Creek. The huge Wingate Sandstone cliffs visible below are popular climbing areas.

I spent about 1:30 hiking in the Mug Handle Arch area. The distance was less than 1 mile with much of the time spent scanning and moving slowly over the uneven terrain. Chris Moore’s guide book to the Natural Arches of the Moab Area is very helpful in finding these large unmarked arches.

Elephant Hill Trail to Devils Kitchen

2009-03-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Elephant Hill 4WD Trail includes a 9.3 mile loop route past Devils Kitchen in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The Trail Head at Elephant Hill is also the starting point for popular hikes to Chesler Park and Druid Arch. The 4WD trail is rough for vehicles but the walking is reasonably easy, similar to the hiking trails but wider.

There is a 1.5 mile segment before arriving at the loop portion. I followed the loop clockwise, going the same way that vehicles go. The first part of the hike climbs steeply over rock and then follows a two track sandy road.

Some of the rocky portions look like some concrete has been used to fill in the bumpiest parts. There are some small signs advising drivers where to back down sections that are too narrow for a normal turn. In the first half of the loop there is a hand print petroglyph visible.The Devil's Kitchen area is a back packer campground centered around some rock formations that are particularly black with desert varnish, giving the appearance of having been scorched by sooty fires. There are some short trails into these formations that are shady and cool.

North and south from the Devils Kitchen is Devils Lane, a narrow grassy corridor with some of the bordering rock formations also blackened by desert varnish. The south section approaches the famous Needles formations.

One section is named the Silver Stairs, a rocky stair step descent down from the Devils Lane. This section is easy to hike over but would be bumpy for a vehicle.

The last portion of the loop had a number of small arches to spot. It took me about 4:00 hours to cover this 9.3 mile route. I carried three liters of water on a 65 F. degree day. I only saw one Jeep on the trail on a week day in mid March.

Pothole Point Trail

2009-03-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Pothole Point Trail is a 0.6 mile interpretive loop in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The Trail Head is toward the west end of the scenic drive.This trail traverses an area where the Cedar Mesa Sandstone has eroded unevenly, forming shallow depressions. The interpretive material describes how these depressions fill with water following spring or summer rain and support a brief burst of life.

Some of the animals that make use of these short lived pools are Fairly Shrimp, Tadpoles, Snails, and several insect larvae. The eggs of these animals lie dormant in the mud and spring to life when the opportunity arises.

The potholes can fill in with sand and soil eventually as support small isolated gardens of plant life also. Grasses, herbs, Yuccas, and even small trees can take root in the filled in potholes.

Indian Creek Petroglyph Trail

2009-03-18T05:42:00.001-07:00

The Indian Creek Petroglyph Trail is a short climb up to a petroglyph panel in the lush Indian Creek corridor on the way to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. The unmarked trail head is 2.7 miles past the well known Newspaper Rock site at Mile Post 4, on the east side of Utah Highway 211. The trail is only a few hundred yards long. The panel faces the highway and is at the base of the exposed Wingate Sandstone cliffs that line Indian Creek in this area.

This is a popular climbing area and there are at least three accessible petroglyph panels close together here. The Shay Canyon site is 1.9 miles past Newspaper Rock on the west side of Indian Creek.There is a main panel in the center with more figures to the left and also some to the right. The panel to the right is more eroded than the center panel. This rock art site features some very large figures.

A highlight of this panel is the archer in the lower left corner with huge feet. There seems to be some historic markings from 1911. The Mountain Sheep is the upper left are nicely done.

To the left are several large humanoid figures. There also seem to be a number of crescent moons in this panel, with one or two more near the sheep in the upper left.

Druid Arch Trail in Elephant Canyon

2009-01-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

The Druid Arch Trail is a side trail off of the hiking route from Elephant Hill to the Chesler Park area in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

The Elephant Hill Trail Head area accesses an extensive system of trails and 4WD routes that tour the spectacular carved geology of the central part of the park. The Druid Arch Trail branch starts 2.1 miles along the route to the fabulous Chesler Park.

At the bottom of Elephant Canyon, instead of crossing, the branch trail turns south, going up the canyon for another 3.3 miles to Druid Arch. The towering nearby Needles overhang the desert canyon. Druid Arch is in the headwaters area of Elephant Canyon. It formed from the weathering and erosion of a massive fin of Cedar Mesa sandstone.

Like most of the Canyonlands trails, the route is marked by small piles of rocks. This route follows a canyon floor all the way, while other Canyonlands trails will often cross canyons, climbing to the rims and descending down rocky water carved chutes.

On this trail the route moves to the canyon side in several places to avoid pools and other difficult spots. There is one place with an installed climbing aid, a bar to help across drop off.

The last part of the hike is a climb up through jumbled rocks to get a view of the arch. From above there is a good view of the rugged canyon bottom below. The Druid Arch isn't conveniently facing the canyon bottom for a good view below.

I suppose this arch bears a resemblance to a section of Stonehenge. It was a tough place to get to. The total distance one way was 5.4 miles for a round trip of 10.8 miles. It took me 2:50 to get there and about the same to get back. I carried 3 liters of water and that was barely enough.

Horse Canyon Trail to Paul Bunyan's Arch

2008-11-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

The Horse Canyon Trail to the arch called Paul Bunyan's Potty starts at the Salt Creek trail head in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. It is about 2.2 miles along this sandy 4WD road to the junction with Horse Canyon on the left. The Salt Creek route continues on the right to Peekaboo Springs and the not to be missed pictograph.I thought this arch was Paul Bunyan's Potty but it actually belongs to someone smaller and doesn't seem to have a name. Paul apparently has a two holer. It took me about 1:15 hours to get to this point. The canyon floor here is fairly dense with vegetation and there appears to be a project of reducing the invasive Tamarisk trees.

It is possible to get off the trail and down into the wash for a closer look. This area has a lot of alcoves and cave formations that look like possible ruins sites. The ruins sites in this area mostly appear to be small storage sites.

About 15 minutes past the first arch there is a small storage ruin right at eye level along the sandy trail. These sites usually seem to be placed higher and are more hidden than this one.

The interpretive information at the Roadside Ruins site indicates that this region may have been used seasonally for farming but not so much for year round habitation.

The Paul Bunyan Potty arch is looming just above the small storage ruin only a minute further away. There is a sign making the identification clear. Hiking past the Paul Bunyan arch toward Tower Ruin, both of the arches can be viewed at the same time.

There is a short side trail from the small loop parking area to get up under and get the clear sky view through the arch. It took me about 1:30 hours to get here hiking. This is a somewhat tiring route due to the sand.

I was always searching for a firmer surface to walk on. From the Paul Bunyan arch it is about 40 minutes further to get to Tower Ruin. My total hike was 4:10 hours for this 8 or 9 mile round trip.

Tower Ruin Trail in Horse Canyon

2008-11-27T05:05:00.000-08:00

The Tower Ruin Trail is a side route to a small ruins site off of the Horse Canyon trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. It took me about 2:00 hours of hiking up Salt Creek and Horse Canyon to get to the side trail.

The trail junction is about 1.0 miles past the Paul Bunyan Potty arch and is marked with a small sign. The Horse Canyon Trail continues for several more miles to the south. It is about 0.7 miles more to arrive at the ruins site.

The Tower Ruin overlooks a broad grassy area surrounded by steep sandstone walls. This area looks somewhat like nearby Chesler Park but without the Needles. The trail to the ruins site was a little more firm and a relief after the sand of Horse Canyon.

The Tower Ruin is a small site but is in a towering position. It appears to be a storage site but someone may have lived there also.

The ruins site appears to be a tricky place to get up to and doesn't have much room, but it appears to be well preserved with some roof beams still in place.

On the return hike, further to the south, a large arch is visible about a mile away. The park map shows Gothic Arch to be in that area. It took me 2:30 hours to hike to Tower Ruins with stops at the Paul Bunyan arch and the smaller arch before it. The return hike took 1:40 hours for a total hike of 4:10 hours for this 8 or 9 mile round trip.

Shay Canyon Petroglyph Trail

2008-11-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Shay Canyon Petroglyph Trail is 1.9 miles past the well know Newspaper Rock Petroglyphs site on the way to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

There is a pull over parking place on the west side of the road but there is not a sign. A trail leads down to Indian Creek and you have to find a place to step across the creek and then follow the trail to the right side of the canyon wall. Creek junctions like this one are a typical place to look for petroglyphs.

The Indian Creek has year round water and a lush riparian habitat between steep sandstone canyon walls. A little further west the canyon widens and there are good pasture and farm areas. The Shay Canyon Creek was dry in late fall when I visited.

These panels show a lot of animal figures mixed with some human figures. One can guess that there may be some relation to hunting rituals and to religious activity. There is no interpretation information at the site and we are left to admire the rock art and wonder about them.

Some of these figures are considered to be the Fremont Indian style but the Fremonts are not thought to have lived in this area. The style could have been copied by Ancestral Pueblos or perhaps the Fremonts visited this area for hunting. This view has the often noted copulating sheep in the upper left and a flute player in the lower left.

Most of the figures here are at eye level but there are a few that are very high on the sandstone walls in locations where it is hard to see how anyone got up there to work.

The cliffs in the Indian Creek corridor are Wingate Sandstone. This layer is below the Navajo and Entrada Sandstone layers that are seen near Arches National Park and above the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that forms the Needles.

Peekaboo Springs Trail

2008-10-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

The Peekaboo Springs Trail is a 5.0 mile route from the Squaw Flat Campground Trailhead east and south to Peekaboo Springs in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

It is part of an extensive network of trails that passes up and down on the carved rocks of this part of Canyonlands, giving long views from up above and passing through the desert environment and sometimes riparian areas down below.

There are three well marked trail junctions along the way. After the trail junction with Lost Canyon, about halfway through the hike, the rest of the way seemed like a high wire act, passing along fairly narrow ledges along the rims of several canyons in a row.

The trail passes through a small arch window in the massive rock at one point. There was one spot with about one mile to go that I thought was particularly treacherous. A very narrow and slanted ledge over a very severe drop off was scary enough that I didn't want to go that way again. Looking back at the spot it is hard to see any trail over there, but everyone seems to get past it.

This was a spot that I think needs a bar or something to hold on to. Otherwise, the route was easy to follow but had the typical difficulty that Canyonlands offers.
There are two ladders on the trail, the second one is right at the descent into the Peekaboo Springs area. It is situated in a narrow crack and is about 20 feet high. A thrilling finish to this somewhat dizzying hike.

You want to finish this hike if you can. There is a large pictograph panel at the very end. In addition to the two turtle shell like paintings, that are probably shields, there are some very faded red images in the same place that are much older and quite a few hand prints, not to mention a small arch.

It took me 2:15 hours to cover this 5.0 mile route. I hiked out on the Salt Creek 4WD road, about 2.5 miles back to Cave Springs, the main part of the park, relieved that I can tell the story.

Salt Creek Trail to Peekaboo Springs

2008-10-12T04:25:00.000-07:00

The Salt Creek Trail is a 4WD and hiking route along a creek bed that can be accessed near the Cave Springs Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. A reasonable 2.5 mile or so hike is between Cave Springs and the rock art pictograph at Peekaboo Springs.This route has a lot of water in the spring but is reasonably dry in the fall. I hiked in October 2008 from Peekaboo Springs back out to the Cave Springs area after starting from the Squaw Flat Campground trailhead and hiking the 5.0 miles to the Peekaboo pictograph panel.
Even in the fall there was some water in the area of Peekaboo Springs. This area is thought to have been inhabited by the farming Ancestral Pueblo people until about 1300 AD. The creek bottom area is very thick with brush and it is hard to stray off the trail.

Along the route there is a 4WD road junction into Horse Canyon leading to Paul Bunyan's Potty and Tower Ruins. Near this junction there are two cave formations on the west side of the route that appeared from a distance to be possible small ruins sites.
There are also several small formations that appear to be arches. In some cases these might just be notches but there are at several definite small arches.
Don't miss the rock art panel at Peekaboo Springs. Besides these turtle shell looking drawings, there are hand prints and a small arch by this ancient art work. I took about 2:00 hours to walk this route one way. Most of the way the walking is a little slow due to loose sand.

Roadside Ruin Trail

2008-10-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

The Roadside Ruin Trail is a short 0.3 mile loop trail is a small granary ruin in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

The trailhead is just a little past the visitor center and is one of the first attractions a first time visitor would come across. In addition to the small ruin, this is also a botany trail, identifying nine of the common plants in this desert environment.

Visible along the trail are the Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper trees, along with Prickly Pear Cactus, Big Sagebrush and Four-wing saltbush. Two grains mentioned are Indian Ricegrass and Peppergrass.
The ruin is tucked up under a small rock alcove. The interpretive information says that granaries were common in this area but there are few dwellings, indicating that farming was carried on here but the area was occupied only seasonally.
Granaries like this were used as storage for corn, seeds, and nuts. Canyonlands is mostly a geological hiking park, but there is a cultural overlay of ruins and rock art that adds interest to this carved rocky landscape. There is a similar granery near the Paul Bunyan Arch in Horse Canyon.

Indio Arch Trail

2008-10-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Indio Arch is along Utah Scenic Route 211 on the way to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. There is not a sign pointing it out, but it is only 0.7 miles past the Newspaper Rock Historic Site.

To see the arch well you have to pass through some old campsites and find a path down to Indian Creek, step across the creek and climb the bank on the opposite side.
Climbing up the bank out of the creek bed, it looks like there is an old 4WD road under the cliffs. From the old road you can get up under the arch to see blue sky through it. In the fall there isn't much water in the creek, but there could be quite a bit of flow in the spring.
The Indian Creek flows out of the Blue Mountains to the south and creates a lush corridor in an other wise dry area. The cliffs along Indian Creek are popular with climbers and give a taste of the rocky world of Canyonlands.
The road to the old campsites is blocked, probably due to flash floods that occurred a few years ago. There is enough room to pull over and park along the highway.

Information on finding this arch and others south of Moab, Utah can be found in the small guide book Natural Arches of the Moab Area (South) by Chris Moore.

Anticline Overlook Trail

2008-09-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Anticline Overlook Trail is a short loop at the extreme north end of Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. The first view area is about 150 yards up the trail. This view area is to the east of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.
The view to the north finds the Colorado River winding through an area where the layers of rock have been bulged upwards, the curving layers obvious. From here there are also views of the potash mining ponds, large blue lagoons sitting among the red rocks.
Following the rocky loop trail clockwise, the view shifts from the Colorado River canyon to the Kane Creek Canyon. There is a rough looking road down below that crosses a pass from Kane Creek to the Colorado River side.

In the extreme distance an arch is visible. My guess is that it is the South Window in Arches National Park.
Following around and looking southeast the LaSal Mountains loom over more of the Kane Creek Canyon. The overlook trails here are well equipped with guard fences and numerous benches to enjoy the overwhelming views.

Trough Springs Trail

2008-09-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Trough Springs Trail is a 2.5 mile historic cattle trail in Canyon Rims Recreation Area, a large mesa area to the east of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah.

The trail head is at the end of a short dirt road in the north end of the Canyon Rims area, near the Anticline Overlook Trail. There are many dirt road opportunities for hiking in Canyon Rims but this appears to be the only actual hiking trail.

The trail descends 1100 feet. The terrain here is scattered Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper trees and dry rocky washes. The trail is well marked with rock cairns. The LaSal Mountains are visible to the east. The trail dates from the early 1900s and was used to move stock from the canyon rim to the Kane Creek Canyon below.

As the trail descends the massive Navajo sandstone cliffs common in the region appear. I only went down the trail for about 40 minutes and then returned to the rim. Further down, the trail should connect with the 4WD road that runs through the canyon bottom.

Minor Overlook Trail in Canyon Rims

2008-09-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Miner Overlook is a short gravel loop around a large rock outcrop and provides vews of the Colorado River in Canyon Rims Recreation area in southeast Utah. It is named for Park Service Worker David Minor who worked for many years in this area.

This view point looks to the west towards Dead Horse Point State Park and the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. The views of the Colorado are as good or better than from those two more famous viewpoints.
To the northwest there is a view of the Potash Mining activity. Colorado River water is pumped into the salt bed underlying the rock formations here, then returned to the surface and evaporated, leaving the raw product.

The train tracks that carry the material to market are visible near Arches National Park and along Potash Road near Moab.
Most of the attention here is directed west toward the Canyonlands area but there also good views to the east of the nearby LaSal Mountains.

Wineglass Arch Trail

2008-09-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

The Wineglass Arch is a short distance off the main road, close to the Anticline Overlook at the north end of Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. It is one of about 50 reasonably large arches south of Moab and outside of Arches National Park.

The Wineglass Arch is visible from the road. There are some trail segments, but it is easy just to cross the open field to the base of the rock outcrop. If you spend enough time in this area, I think you become more interested in becoming an arch spotter, taking time to see these small but otherwise rare formations.
Glancing up as I made my way toward Wineglass, there is a second arch about 100 feet to the north. Not a famous arch, but it appears to meet the three foot opening standard and qualifies.
Since there were two arches here, I continued around the backside of the formation looking for more, but I didn't see any.

Needles Overlook Trail

2008-09-20T06:17:00.001-07:00

The Needles Overlook Trail is a short loop route in the Canyon Rims Area of southeast Utah that features very wide views of the Canyonlands National Park area of the Colorado River.The view to the north shows the massive Wingate sandstone cliffs and some glimpses of the blue Colorado River as it twists through toward its entrance to the Canyonlands Park area.
There are smooth easily accessible portions of the trail, but much of it is over the rough natural terrain of this rocky point. The terrain below the safety fence is a baked reddish surface that looks hostile, but has a lonely road snaking through it.
The view to the west is across Indian Creek toward the Needles District of Canyonlands, where the carved rock spires are visible. There is almost more scenery here than one can absorb.
To the south, the green ribbon of Indian Creek approaches. Indian Creek starts in the Blue Mountains where there is a trail following it out of the mountains.

It flows past the Newspaper Rock petroglyph site and parallels the road to the Needles District, then cuts through this area on its way to join the Colorado River.

Armijo Arch Trail

2008-09-19T04:22:00.001-07:00

The Armijo Arch Trail is an unofficial route following one of the many side roads in Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. The Canyon Rims area features terrain similar to nearby Canyonlands National Park.

I found a place to park near a small gravel pit that is about 2.3 miles past the Wind Whistle campground. The 4WD road trail connects to the main road about 100 feet south. The information on this hike comes from "Natural Arches of the Moab Area (South) " by Chris Moore. There is no specific information for this hike in the park area though visitors are encouraged to explore on their own.

After about 1.8 miles and about 40 minutes the road ends at a canyon rim. I think the area below is called Hart's Draw, but it looks like a very impressive canyon. To the south the Blue Mountains near Monticello, Utah dominates. The cliffs below this overlook spot are very steep.

The Armijo Arch is visible to the north as an alcove at the top of the reddish sandstone layer and just below the white sandstone layer. From this angle you can't see any light through the opening.

It is possible to move north along the rim follow some cattle trails, get down to a lower level and get a closer view up to a point where the drop off gets scary.

Even at closer range the opening is not visible. Apparently the opening is from the top and you have to get below and view upwards. It looked to hazardous to go any further. It took me 1:40 hours to make this about 4.0 mile walk.

Windwhistle Trail

2008-09-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Windwhistle Trail is a 0.5 mile interpretive loop located at the Wind Whistle Campground in the Canyon Rims Recreation Area in southeast Utah. Canyon Rims is a large area that sits to the east of Canyonlands National Park.The trail winds through a pocket surrounded by a large sandstone formation. Water flowing off the rocks and the sheltered position seems to make this a rich area for local plants. The trail guide names 28 different plants at numbered stops.

There are several here that other botany trails in the region don't usually have. The Fremont Barberry has edible fruits eaten by wildlife and man. It has small shiny green holly like leaves that remain on the plant through the winter. I hadn't noticed this plant in other parts of the region.

Nestled high in a sheltered shady corner are a couple of Douglas Firs. These are usually high elevation mountain forest trees, but they survive here in a cool and moist micro climate. This view also shows slightly different sandstone layers with different patterns of erosion.

The Singleleaf Ash is unlike other ashes in having only a single leaf rather than three to seven leaflets per leaf. Wildlife eats the seeds and early settlers used the tough wood for tool handles.

False Mockorange grows in rock crevices and is in the Saxifrage Family along with Gooseberries, currents, and hydrangeas. Wildlife will browse the leaves when other plants are scarce. This short trail is a good introduction to the vast space of the Canyon Rims Area.

Confluence Overlook Trail

2008-06-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Confluence Overlook Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is an 11 mile round trip to the point where the Green River and Colorado River Flow together. The trailhead is at the west end of the main park road.

The first segment descends into the canyon and crosses to the other side. Like many of the hikes in Canyonlands the trail climbs up and down in rough canyons and follows along the canyon bottoms or along the rims.

Some of the spots along these trails seem impossible, but there are often helpful ladders or steps arranged to make the trip a little easier. These spots are a reminder to stay on the trails and keep your eyes alert for the rock cairns marking the route.

There are several high points along the up and down route where views of the nearby LaSal Mountains or the amazing Needles are visible.

Close to the confluence point, there are roads that allow vehicles and mountains bikes to arrive.

The view that keeps you going is the point deep in the Canyonlands to see the mighty Colorado, flowing from the right meeting the Green River from the left. The view is from about 1000 feet above the streams.

The two rivers flow together to the south toward Cataract Canyon, and further to Lake Powell behind the huge Glen Canyon Dam. It was a relatively cool June day, about 70 degrees F. and it took me 5:00 hours to complete this trip, spending only 10 minutes at the overlook. I finished the last of my 2 liters of water about 10 minutes before the finish.

Newspaper Rock

2008-06-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

Newspaper Rock is an easily accessible Petroglyph Panel along Utah Highway 211 on the way to The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. It is a comfortable location and easy to view.

The interpretive information at the site indicates that 2000 years of man's activities in the area are recorded here.

There are no methods of dating scratchings on the sandstone and there are no conclusions from scholars on what the drawings mean. I notice that there are several human figures with animal heads and many of the foot print drawings have six or more toes. The Navajo name for the site is "the rock that tells a story."

The 200 square foot rock panel is a part of the vertical Wingate sandstone cliffs that dominate the upper end of Indian Creek Canyon. This layer is below the Navajo and Entrada Sandstone layers that are seen near Arches National Park and above the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that forms the Needles in Canyonlands.

The setting for Newspaper Rock is along Indian Creek, a lush riparian habitat area fed by water flowing north from the Abajo Mountains. The area along the shady creek banks are thick with cottonwood trees.
In 2003 this area experienced a major flash flood, which washed out a section of Highway 211. This flood damaged the majority of campsites that are across the road, burying fire rings and damaging picnic tables. The campground has been closed for restoration and due to the possibility of more flash floods.

In the vicinity of Newspaper Rock, there is also Indio Arch and the Shay Canyon Petroglyph site that are not pointed out with signs but are interesting to visit. Past Shay Canyon is another Indian Creek Petroglyph site.

Dead Horse Point Trails

2008-04-17T05:35:00.000-07:00

Dead Horse Point is a Utah State Park across from the Shafer Canyon Overlook in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park.

The park has about 10 miles of trails along the rim of the point giving views to the east and west.
I walked a segment from the Visitor Center to Basin View about a 1.5 mile round trip. From here there are views of the Colorado River downstream of Moab and upstream of the confluence with the Green River.

An odd site along this segment is the series of blue lagoons down in the canyon. The Visitor Center interpretive information describes the lagoons as drying beds for potash, a component of fertilizer.
They inject Colorado River water into the deep salt beds, saturating the water with salt, and then the desert sun evaporates the water. Wilderness and industry side by side.

Further south is Dead Horse Point. The same trail allows views to the south, down the canyon and shows the White Rim Road that comes down from Canyonlands.

Slightly to the west is a gooseneck of the Colorado. This can't be seen from the overlooks in Canyonlands. Looking over to the west, you can see the cars at the Shafer Canyon Overlook.

The hike around the point is only 1.0 miles and gives some of the most spectacular views anywhere. Dead Horse Point State Park also has the Intrepid Trails and the Big Cheif Loop that visit the north half of the park.

Neck Springs Trail

2008-04-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

The Neck Springs Trail in Canyonlands Island in the Sky is a 5.8 mile loop that tours the canyon alcoves just below the "Neck" and visits the seep springs that flow from the sandstone walls. The trail head is just a short distance south of the visitor center at the overlook for Shafer Canyon.

The "Neck" is a 40 foot wide strip that provides the only access to the 43 square mile "Island in the Sky." The trail descends down into the canyon below the road that crosses the Neck.

There are remnants from the old days when ranchers used the springs as a water supply. The trail follows the old rancher trails and those used by wildlife to get to the springs.

There are two main alcoves under the Neck that have some spring water seeping out. The vegetation near the spring is a little more lush than in the desert terrain of the rest of the canyon.

Further on, after several dry alcoves, there is another spring called Cabin Spring. The water flow for all these is just a modest seep.

The trail climbs back out of the canyon and crosses a grassy pasture area, recrosses the road and gives some views both to the west canyon where the hike was and to the east across Shafer Canyon to Dead Horse Point. The Dead Horse Point is part of a Utah State Park and provides spectacular views of the Colorado River.

It took me 3:00 hours to walk the trail. It was about 70 degrees and was a windy spring day.

Big Spring and Squaw Canyon Loop Trail

2008-03-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Big Spring-Squaw Canyon Loop is about an 8.0 mile trip and is part of a large trail network in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.

I started at the Trailhead "A" from the Squaw Flat Campground Trail Head and hiked counter clockwise, taking the 0.3 mile connector to Trailhead "B" in another part of the campground. It wasn't necessary to do that, there is another connection if don't want to go to the "B" trail head.

The route alternates between climbing up and over the high rocky slickrock formations and following the creek beds in the canyon floors.

In the high areas there are outstanding and sometimes dizzying views. To the west some of the Needles formations are visible as well as some of the nearby mountain peaks.

The hiking in the Big Spring Canyon bottom was easy on the smooth trails. Along the trail there are several designated back packer camp sites.

In March, after a heavy snow year there is snow melt water in the creek bottoms, something you don't see later in the year.

Climbing out of Big Spring Canyon I had a little trouble. As I faced the canyon walls I wondered where the route would go, as it looked impossible. There always seem to be shoots where water has worn a slot. There is a spot that is difficult to get up if you are by yourself.

These slots are easy to slide down, but can be slick to climb up. I almost had to turn around. Clockwise might be the better way to hike this loop.

But I made it over and down into Squaw Canyon. It took me about 4:10 to hike the 8.0 miles that I covered, but I hardly stopped, even for five minutes, except when I was nearly stuck. I used all of the two liters of water that I carried, on a very nice 60 F. degree March day.

Cave Springs Trail

2008-03-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Cave Springs Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is a short 0.5 mile loop that features some of the human history of the area, along with the natural history.

The trail leads to some alcoves that were used as cowboy camps from the late 1800s until as recently as 1975, when grazing was discontinued inside the Park.

A collection of cowboy artifacts are on display, although you can't get up close to see them. The cowboys had a tough life, leading the herds over a large rugged area. The trail guide says that the Scorup-Sommerville Cattle Company had up to 10,000 head ranging over 1,800,000 acres.

The Cave Spring was the reliable water source for the cowboys, though it doesn't look like much. The water seeps down through the porous sandstone until it reaches an opening. Maidenhair fern adds a nice touch, growing along the alcove walls.

On the alcove wall above the Springs there are some pictographs indicating the past use of the same site by Ancestral Pueblo people. There are a few ruins sites in other parts of the park such as the Roadside Ruins and Tower Ruins and a small granery near Paul Bunyan's Arch.

After the cowboy alcoves, there are two ladders to climb to get up on the sandstone slickrock, where there are scenic views. Along the trail, the local plants are well marked.

The lower area of the trail has a lot of sagebrush, salt bush, and greasewood, plants that look similar from a distance. The slick rock area has Pinon Pine and Juniper trees. This is a botany trail also, with several of the native plants identified with signs.

Shafer Canyon Overlook

2007-11-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

The "Island in the Sky" is the north district of Canyonlands National Park, an area carved by the Green River from the north and the Colorado River coming from the east. There is only a narrow neck, wide enough for a road, that lets you get out there. This remote island is in southeast Utah near Moab, a little north of the entrance to Arches National Park.

Near the Visitor Center is the Shafer Canyon Overlook Trail, a short 0.4 mile round trip walk that serves as a lookout tower ranging from the 1000 ft. deep canyons to the three mountain ranges that are visible in the normally very clear air.

In the distance to the left is Dead Horse Point within the Utah State Park. Further and to the right is the Anticline Overlook Point in the Canyon Rims Recreation area. All these view points are spectacular.
The scary looking Shafer Trail Road leads down to the White Rim Road that circles around and goes on for miles, overlooking the Colorado and Green Rivers. The cap rock along the Shafer Trail road is Navajo Sandstone and the route descends through the red Kayenta formation and towards the Wingate Sandstone

The White Rim Road is popular with mountain bikers and for 4WD but seems too long for hiking. From the same parking lot for the Shafer Canyon Overlook, there is the Neck Spring Trail Head. The end of the Neck Spring Trail also has some overviews of Shafer Canyon from a different angle.

Slick Rock Trail

2007-11-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Slickrock Trail is a 2.4 mile loop with several turnoffs to lookout points in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah. It is trail recommended as an introduction to the trails in these carved rock canyons. The Trailhead is along the main scenic drive towards the west end.

Canyonlands is the area where the mighty Colorado and Green rivers converge upstream of Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon. The geology of this area has many layers, hard sandstones, and softer shales, and these have been carved into spectacular formations and canyons.

Besides the close up views of the carved rocks there are wider views of the surrounding area. The La Sal mountains to the east are often in view, providing a spectacular backdrop. Views of the Needles are back to the south. There is a small arch along the trail also.

Trails across rocky sandstone areas are often marked with small piles of rocks, known as cairns. Keep an eye out for these as wandering off the trails can lead to impossible places to cross.

The sparse vegetation of the slick rock areas is dominated be Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper Trees along with sagebrush and other shrubs. In the spring, there can be some colorful wildflowers. There are guides to the botany of the region along the short Roadside Ruins Trail and the also short Cave Springs Trail.

Chesler Park Trail

2007-11-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

The Chesler Park Trail goes into the heart of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah and if you are only going to hike one long trail in this area, this is one of the best to do.

I started at the Elephant Hill trailhead and hiked 3.2 miles to the north edge of Chesler Park, then continued on for one more mile through the Chesler area to the junction with the Joint Trail.

You can also start at the Squaw Flat campground trail head but the way will be longer by 2.0 miles each way. There is an extensive network of trails in this central part of the Needles District.

The main scenic attraction is the formations called the Needles, multi colored red and white sandstone, fractured by freeze and thaw, that stand like clusters of statues. The route to Chesler Park doesn't have has much scrambling over rocks as some of the other nearby trails.

Chesler Park is a large 960 acre meadow area, fairly lush with grass and sagebrush that is surrounded by the Needles. The hike up there passes through a Pinon Pine and Utah Juniper desert area that was very colorful with wildflowers following a fairly wet winter.

The trail descends into and crosses Elephant Canyon. At the bottom of Elephant Canyon there is a trail junction leading to Druid Arch. This is a good hike also but you would have to have a lot of endurance to go to Druid Arch and Chesler Park on the same day hike.

There were about 20 others hiking the trail on the spring day that I hiked, more in the afternoon than in the morning. It took me about four hours to cover the 8.4 miles that I hiked. It wasn't very hot, about 75 F. degrees (May), but it was sunny and I drank all of the two liters of water I carried, finishing the last gulp 15 minutes before the finish line.