Needles Overlook Trail

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

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 Interpretive Trail

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

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 Petroglyphs

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.