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| Canyonlands Needles Backpack, UT | |
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| | Canyonlands Needles Backpack, UT | | | |
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Canyonlands Needles Backpack, UT
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| Backpack | 31.50 Miles |
3,000 AEG |
| | Backpack | 31.50 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 3,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | I spent some time in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands back in early 2016 and wanted to return to check out the Needles District. I scored permits in early 2017 and the months blurred by. Chumley was able to join me for this trip and we left after work on Wednesday afternoon. We car camped by Mexican Hat and completed the drive into Canyonlands and started hiking after a quick stop at the Visitor Center. Our plan is three days backpacking followed by car camping and day hikes and then returning to Phoenix the following Monday afternoon.
Thursday - April 19, 2018
We parked at the Squaw Flat Campground and started our hike to Chesler Park. The first mile is over a traditional trail and then you climb up onto slickrock and follow cairns. This will be the story of our hiking over the next three days. Following cairns is critical to not getting lost. Fortunately there are a lot of them and we also had Route Scout loaded with our GPS Route. This kept us on track. We continued hiking and were blown away by the views! Pictures don’t do this park justice! The hiking is also rugged with lots of easy to moderate obstacles to negotiate. The heavy overnight pack made things more difficult and my knees took a pounding!
After a few hours we arrived to Chesler Park and headed over to our campsite in CP2. It’s a nice site situated between several large boulders. It was a very windy day and this boulders helped as a wind break. After camp was set up, we put on day packs and headed for the Joint Trail. We made quick time and had a quick look from above before heading in. The Joint Trail is world class! The walls are roughly two feet apart and there are several side cuts that run for hundreds of yards. Several of these require you to turn your body sideways and shimmy through. I’m not the claustrophobic type but I felt it in here. We spent some time exploring and eventually exited on the far side where we connected onto a dirt road which we followed north for a bit before joining a single track that led back to Chesler Park and our camp. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing around camp and eating dinner. It was very windy which was annoying but manageable.
Friday - April 20, 2018
We woke on day two and checked the skies for precipitation. There appeared to be rain clouds to the north. We packed up camp and started our hike for Squaw Canyon. Along the way we’ll make the side detour to Druid Arch.
The first mile was relatively easy going and we dropped our packs at the junction with Druid Arch. From there it was two miles north to the Arch. Along the way we stopped by the spring which had lots of water. I filtered a quick liter and we continued on. There is good trail for most of this hike with a few obstacles mixed in. There is also an NPS ladder as you near the Arch. It aids the climb out of the canyon. Once we reached the arch we took our time and took a variety of pics. During this time the clouds moved in and some light snow flurries started to fall. Surprisingly the temps were pleasant and we enjoyed the snow! After we had our fill we started our return. The wet rock made things interesting but was not an issue. After some time we arrived at the spring and filtered more water and took another break. From there we returned to the junction and put on our overnight packs. By this time the snow/rain had stopped and the sun came out. The area dried up quickly!
Once we had our overnight packs on, we continued hiking towards Squaw Canyon. The trails conditions were similar to the day before where we follow cairns as we climb into and out of canyons. We also encountered two more ladders which were a lot of fun. With some effort we arrived at Squaw Canyon 2. All campsites are specific in this part of the park. We set up camp and Chumley headed north to get some beer from the car. I chilled out at camp for a bit before doing my own short hike up Squaw Canyon as well. We met back at camp around 6pm and settled in for the evening. This time with beer! Thanks Chumley!
Saturday - April 21, 2019
After a light rain fell the night before, we packed up and started our exit. We opted for a longer hike through Lost Canyon and this was a great option! Lost Canyon was a lot of fun and featured several fun obstacles and had plenty of water after the rain the night before. Before long we dropped down and connected onto our exit trail that would take us back to the car. The last few miles blurred by and we were back to the car around early afternoon. The first part of our backpack was complete. We would car camp in Indian Creek and then day hike to the Confluence the next day.
Final Thoughts
Water can be an issue. We got lucky. Our first night in Chesler Park was dry. We then had plenty of water north of Druid Arch and more water near our second nights camp in Squaw Canyon. Lost Canyon also had some pools.
We got lucky with the weather. We started our hike with cool temps with overcast and lots of wind. The wind held up all evening and was annoying but manageable. We had rain & snow flurries on our second day but it was actually enjoyable and never got super cold. We had sunshine on our final day.
Campsites are designated sites. I scored these permits back in early January. There is a website that shows real time availability. Securing the permit was quite easy.
I'm guestimating my AEG. There were a lot of short ups & downs. We didn't have any major climbs. I think the biggest one was 400ft.
I really loved the Needles District! I would even say it instantly became one of my favorite National Parks! The terrain is rugged and challenging while the views are jaw dropping. There are lots of hiking options especially if you start looking at off trail options. I will be back! And thanks Chumley for driving! |
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