We've been bouncing between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park during our stay here in Thompson Springs, Utah. Today, we drove all the way down to The Needles. The Needles from the southeast corner of Canyonlands National Park and was named for the colored spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area.
This region of Canyonlands has an extensive trail system which provides many opportunities for long day hikes and overnight backpack trips. We stopped at the Visitors Center to check on trail conditions and ask the Park Rangers for suggestions. They suggested we park at Elephant Hill Trailhead and hike up to the Chesler Park Viewpoint. Here's Dave at the trailhead.
The ride from Thompson Springs to Needles was about two hours. We started our hike around 9:30. Even thought we got such a late start, we still beat the crowd. We only ran into two other groups of hikers on our way up to the viewpoint. The first part of our trail took us over a bluff on our way to Elephant Canyon. Large fins towered above us.
Columns and cap rocks soon began to appear. This guy looks like a Big Mac!
We got our first glimpse of some needles.
In order to make our way down off the bluff and into Elephant Canyon, we had to negotiate a one lane slot canyon.
As we worked our way out of Elephant Canyon, we got a closer look at The Needles.
After climbing up to the pass between Elephant Canyon and Chesler Park, we were treated to bonus arches!
We got our first good look at Chesler Park, a large circular meadow enclosed by some of the tallest rocks in the area, displaying the characteristic red and white colors of the Cedar Mesa sandstone that covers this section of the national park.
We decided to have lunch looking out on Chesler Park while the other two couples took their turns up on the viewpoint. After lunch, we climbed up and took in the views.
To see what we saw, click the link to the 360 degree view from the Chesler Park Overlook.
On the way back down to Elephant Canyon, we stopped to admire these toadstools.
The trail out of Elephant Canyon took us over some amazing pink sandstone.
On the way back to the trailhead, we noticed this chocolate pudding drop.
While the hike was only six miles, there was plenty of up and down and rock scrambling to tucker us out. We took our time driving out of The Needles and stopped at a few overlooks. The potholes at Pothole Point give the impression that you are walking on the moon.
Even thought Canyonlands National Park celebrates the canyons and needles, they still have a few arches they are proud of. This particular arch is known as the Wooden Shoe.
The entrance road into The Needles is 35 miles long and traverses both private and BLM lands. We had passed Newspaper Rock on our way in and made a note to stop on our way out. Newspaper Rock is rock panel carved with one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs. The first carvings at the Newspaper Rock site were made around 2,000 years ago, left by people from the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures. In Navajo, the rock is called "Tse' Hone'" which translates to a rock that tells a story. The petroglyphs were carved by Native Americans during both the prehistoric and historic periods. There are over 650 rock art designs. The drawings on the rock are of different animals, human figures, and symbols. These carvings include pictures of deer, buffalo, and pronghorn antelope. Some glyphs depict riders on horses, while other images depict past events, as in a newspaper. While precisely dating the rock carvings has been difficult, repatination of surface minerals reveals their relative ages. The reason for the large concentration of the petroglyphs is unclear.
Tomorrow, we head back into Arches National Park to hike with a Ranger through the Fiery Furnace.
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