Chesler Park via Elephant Canyon • Hike • Utah • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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wallyfrack

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In 1982, after my first year of college, I took a roadtrip from Denver to Utah. We hiked some trails near Moab, but the highlight of the trip was going to the Druid Arch in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Car camping, beer drinking, glaucoma medication and hiking in amazing places.

Going back to this place has long been in my mind. I finally decided to just do it and got some backcountry permits for an overnight backpacking trip. The original plan was for me and sons #2 & #3 to hike in and campout and explore the area. New jobs and scheduling conflicts put a damper on that plan. So, plan B was to invite Wally and Chris. Chris had some plans, but Wally agreed to go and off we went.

I opted for hotel accommodation over backpacking. So, I got a hotel room in Monticello, UT. Good choice as it was in the 20’s at night. We drove up Friday, hiked Saturday and checked out Sunday.
The plan was to hike to Druid Arch, then over to Chesler Park, visit the Joint Trail, then head back to trailhead via the Chesler Park trail. About 14 miles in total.

We started out from Monticello about 630am and made it to the Elephant Hill Trailhead a little before 8am. It was chilly, but not too bad.

The hike starts with a little climb up to the plateau and then some up and down until you make it to Elephant Canyon and the junction of the Druid Arch trail and Chesler Park. My memories of hiking to the Druid Arch back in the day was rock hopping and wash hiking. And, that’s exactly what it was, all the way. The trail is in the wash and occasionally up along the edge. As you get closer to the arch, it gets steeper and ends up in a steep chute for the final climb up.

The arch was everything I remembered. Such a fantastic view. The arch is much larger than people realize. And, the canyon views looking north up the canyon are remarkable. Even Wally was impressed.

We hiked back down the canyon and started looking for the connector trail between Druid Arch and Chesler Park trails. We located the cairned route and were blown away with the views as we climbed up. We came across a section that had two tunnels and an unusual formation. The best part was the area right before the final climb up to the park, a 360 degree view of needles and spires. This was an unexpected treat.

Chesler Park was nice, especially the flat and soft trail. We hiked over to the Joint Trail and explored down one of the slots. A very cool area. We turned around at the first big obstacle and started back towards the trailhead.

I was surprised how steep the hike back going down to Elephant Canyon was. I am glad we went clockwise and missed the 2 miles up to Chesler Park. The great views were ever present.

The weather had turned from chilly to very pleasant by the end of the day. The cloudy skies gave way to partly cloudy.

We finished up about 4pm, just a little under 14 miles. An EPIC day in an amazing place. Thanks for coming along Wally. It was an incredible visit.

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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."

instagram: @andydilling

Nov 23 2024

wallyfrack

Routes 93
Photos 7,758
Triplogs 1,691

64 male

Joined Mar 11 2003
AZ

Southeast, UT

Hiking		Nov 23 2024
		wallyfrack • Triplogs 1,691

Hiking	13.79 Miles	2,184 AEG

Hiking	13.79 Miles	7 Hrs 34 Mns	2.00 mph
	2,184 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

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adilling

Andy planned a trip to Utah and ended up with an empty seat on the bus. I have no trouble being a parasite so off we went. The drive is a little long but the scenery is worth it. The weather cooperated while is was a cool 28 degrees at the start it warmed into the 50s with partial sunshine later in the day. The Canyonlands trails seemed narrow for a national park, no problems hiking but cozy getting around other groups. We went to Druid Arch 1st and we had the views to ourselves for a while. The elevated view of where you hiked was better than the views down in the canyon. On the hike out many more hikers were going in so getting there early was a good choice. The side trail to Chesler Park was a gem with no other hikers, cool features and some scrambles. The slot canyons on the Joint trail were interesting and we didn't have to squeeze by anyone in our stroll in or out. A nice day in the park.

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4 archives

Jun 07 2022

AugustWest

Routes 174
Photos 471
Triplogs 184

51 male

Joined Mar 16 2019
Phoenix

Southeast, UT

Hiking		Jun 07 2022
		AugustWest • Triplogs 184

Hiking	8.98 Miles	1,328 AEG

Hiking	8.98 Miles	3 Hrs 33 Mns	2.85 mph
	1,328 ft AEG	24 Mns Break

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Started out at Elephant Hill at about 11 AM. The backcountry office at The Needles Visitor Center was doing everything possible to keep people off the trails. I explained my experience hiking and all the ranger seemed to take from my comments was strangely associating Arizona with sitting in air conditioning

There was another much more chill and kinda cute ranger who was moving the smaller trail border rocks and replacing them with larger rocks. She joked about only needing to work the first quarter mile of trail because that is about how far 90% of people make it. We talked for about 45 minutes and gained some intel for The Maze.

The trail to Chesler Park includes incredible geological features and some surprisingly fun sections that border very light scrambling. Cairns are omnipresent virtually everywhere in the park as are signs with mileage to the next junction or feature. I only was turned around once and it was because I wasn't paying attention.

Chesler Park proper opened up into a valley that could lead to The Joint and Devils Kitchen (one way) or Elephants Canyon and Druids Arch the other way. I chose to take Elephants Canyon back to Elephant Hill.

Elephant Canyon walks like White Canyon and the red rocks and spires are an indescribable joy to walk through. This was my favorite part of the hike.

I think I saw around 30 people all day but not a single person in Chesler Park or Elephant Canyon. There are larger groups and families that dominate the tourist mix out here.

It was hot and dry. There just isn't a drop of water to be found out here right now (short of the Coloado), but it wasn't that uncomfortable compared to some of the stupid stuff I have done in AZ.

Definitely worth the $30 admission and despite my aversion to National Parks, I would come back here any time.

80's to start at 11 and 102 at my car just before 3.

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Wildflower seed in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again

May 05 2021

emilystardust

Routes 386
Photos 49
Triplogs 792

43 female

Joined Jun 23 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Southeast, UT

Hiking		May 05 2021
		emilystardust • Triplogs 792

Hiking	10.80 Miles	1,820 AEG

Hiking	10.80 Miles
	1,820 ft AEG

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Chesler Park Loop. It was a pretty warm day in the afternoon so we had to push ourselves out a bit. First time at Canyonlands. Joint Trail was very enjoyable and much needed respite in the shade.

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Mar 20 2021

PaleoRob

Guides 171
Routes 253
Photos 6,100
Triplogs 1,135

44 male

Joined Apr 03 2006
Pocatello, ID

Chesler Park Overnight, UT

Backpack		Mar 20 2021
		PaleoRob • Triplogs 1,135

Backpack	8.60 Miles	1,654 AEG

Backpack	8.60 Miles	1 Day 2 Hrs 7 Mns
	1,654 ft AEG		40 LBS Pack

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My last backpacking trip was to Chaol Falls in 2011, almost ten years ago, and I've been missing it. I have been trying to get back out for the last two years but between COVID, equipment failure, and a knee surgery I haven't been able to make it happen. Finally all the things came together - weather, gear, COVID vaccinations, good health. Got to get out and get to the backcountry of Canyonlands in a way I've been wanting to for a long time. Now to keep the momentum going and get some more backpacks in this year - maybe I'll even head to the mountains (finally) this summer.

I know this isn't as long and flowery as my prior backpacking triplogs, which is slightly disappointing to me, but I am so tired after getting back today I don't have the energy to make it more exciting. Sorry!

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
One Indian Paintbrush and a couple Biscuitroot in bloom.

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"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon

1 archive

Nov 05 2020

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Chesler Park - Joint Trail Loop, UT

Hiking		Nov 05 2020
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	12.60 Miles	1,722 AEG

Hiking	12.60 Miles	6 Hrs 37 Mns	2.26 mph
	1,722 ft AEG	1 Hour 2 Mns Break

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slowandsteady

We spent a few days in the Moab area and checked out Needles District in Canyonlands. It has been on the list for awhile and wanted to do an overnight but day hiking was our option for this trip. The drive to Needles from Moab is somewhat long so we arrived late morning at the Elephant Hill Trailhead. From the trailhead we headed towards Chesler Park on the Devils Kitchen Trail. Amazing terrain on the way to Chesler Park and hard to describe but the pictures are the best example. Another hike where our camera phones were working overtime with great shot around every corner.

After about 3 miles we reached a low pass that provided access to Chesler Park. We continued on a loop around the park eventually linking up with a 4WD road. So technically we could have driven but I’m sure the road is more aggressive than what I would want to drive. However, with the scenery on this hike I’d recommend walking anyway. Going around the loop the 4WD road ends at the start of Joint Trail. We continued on the Joint Trail which is fantastic fun despite it’s relatively short length. We spent some time exploring the narrow passages and crazy intersections of the rock formation. Definitely one of the more interesting geologic features I’ve seen.

After finishing the Joint Trail we passed through the opposite side of Chesler Park to complete the loop of the park. Exiting the park we headed towards the Druid Arch junction which had more dramatic scenery especially late afternoon. Arriving at the junction we had a choice to make on whether to do the 4 miles out and back to the arch plush 3 miles back to the trailhead. After a short discussion we decided to leave it for another day especially with the long drive back to Moab and we would probably finish hiking in the dark. Instead we found a nice spot for another break and took a slower pace hiking out. We finished just before 5 but what a great hike to see the Needles District. Now just need to return and backpack more of the area.

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1 archive

May 28 2016

arizona_water

Guides 9
Routes 118
Photos 1,079
Triplogs 118

35 male

Joined Mar 06 2016
Salt River Valle

Tour de Needles, UT

Backpack		May 28 2016
		arizona_water • Triplogs 118

Backpack	19.00 Miles

Backpack	19.00 Miles	3 Days

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Big Spring / Squaw Canyon Loop

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Had a great Memorial Day trip up to the Canyonlands. Melody is relatively new to backpacking (her first backpacking trip was down the Bill Haul trail to Thunder River, the lower river trail, and then back up the Deer Creek trail. Pretty epic first backpacking experience). Our previous trips have been high-mileage and really challenging. So sometimes it's nice to have a relaxed pace trek with lots of time for exploring the surrounding areas. We definitely accomplished that this weekend! Usually, the end of may gets up in the mid-90s. We were lucky to have nice clouds and highs in the mid 70s and lows in the 50s! Perfect weather. And there were multiple water pools from recent rains, which is ideal since the western side of the Needles District does not have perennial water.

Friday: night at Monument Valley.

Saturday: Obligatory stop at Newspaper Rock (Very cool). A couple of friends dropped us off at the trailhead, then they continued up to Arches without us. Apparently arches had a several hour wait time to get into the park. It's just as Ed Abbey predicted!
:SB:

Anyway.
Melody and I began the backpacking trip at Squaw Flat - :next:

Big Spring Canyon - :next:

Brief time in Squaw Canyon - :next:

Elephant Canyon. Camped at EC3. I love how isolated the designated backpacking sites are! We took our time and explored a lot of the side canyons in the area.

Sunday: First we did the out and back trail to Druid Arch (definitely worth it) and then stopped at the spring in this canyon to filter water. Then we hiked out to Chesler park which was exploding with wildflowers in bloom. Then we continued on to the Joint Trail. We built a cairn in the cairn room (see pics) and then back-tracked to Chesler and on to backcountry campsite CP1. This is a wonderful campsite with extensive views over the Needles District. You can even see the Maze in the distance!

Monday: On the trail by 6:30 and at the Elephant Hill Trailhead before 8. Our friends picked us up here, which was nice that we didn't have to walk 5 miles back on the dirt road to Squaw Flat.
Breakfast burritos in Monticello and then a quick stop at Natural Bridges National Monument (I love Utah). Planned another stop at Coalmine Canyon, because it was still early afternoon, but everyone in the car yelled at me when I brought up the idea :whistle:

Guess they were tired or something? :lol:

Yay Utah!

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

Pools to trickle

Dry

Dry

Quart per minute

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- there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert -

9 archives

Oct 24 2015

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

The Big Needles Loop

Lost Canyon - Squaw Canyon Loop

The Big Needles Loop

Southeast, UT

Hiking		Oct 24 2015
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	19.50 Miles	2,500 AEG

Hiking	19.50 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns	2.05 mph
	2,500 ft AEG

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Big Spring Canyon - Elephant Canyon

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Lovely day to wander around the Needles after they had received several days of good rain. From the "A" trailhead at Squaw Flat: out Peekaboo to Lost Canyon then west over to Chesler Park and the amazing Joint Trail, looped around the north side of Chesler and back to the start. Excellent canyon and slickrock hiking with tons of short ups and downs (the AEG is my best guess). This hike is listed in Peter Potterfield's Classic Hikes of the World - I haven't hiked enough of the world to know for sure, but I'd say it's pretty darn classic.

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Mar 30 2013

nonot

Guides 107
Routes 249
Photos 2,067
Triplogs 514

male

Joined Nov 18 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Canyonlands-NeedlesDistrict, UT

Backpack		Mar 30 2013
		nonot • Triplogs 514

Backpack	74.00 Miles	7,000 AEG

Backpack	74.00 Miles	7 Days
	7,000 ft AEG		45 LBS Pack

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Lost Canyon - Squaw Canyon Loop

Peekaboo Trail

Big Spring / Squaw Canyon Loop

Upper Salt Creek

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7 Days in the Needles District of Canyonlands. Attractions included Druid Arch, Chesler Park, Angel Arch, awesome slickrock and ancient art and dwellings.

Water was scarse at the beginning, but Salt Creek was flowing for the majority of our itinerary, for which we were grateful to not have to carry multiple gallons of water.

For once, found someone else crazy enough to spend a week away from modern conveniences.

Spectacularly complex geology in an isolated area. Glad to have visited it once.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Angel Arch Chesler Park Druid Arch Elephant Canyon

Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Very isolated, this area appears to have received very little moisture this winter.

	Chesler Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Dry as a bone along the area of the Joint trail trailhead.

	Elephant Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Dry except for the spring near Druid Arch

	Lost Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Lost Canyon had water trickling in the very upper section, and had pools along the trail near the intersection with Squaw Canyon.

	Peekaboo Spring	Dry	Dry
	The area this spring is on HAZ is dry, but Salt creek had water about a half mile upcreek.

	Peekaboo Spring	Dry	Dry
	I believe this spring has been covered by a landslide and is no longer a reliable source of water.

	Salt Creek	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Salt Creek was flowing between approx 1 mile above Peekaboo to about the SC3 area. It was also flowing at a crossing in Upper Salt, but was also dry at other areas above SC3.

	Squaw Canyon	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Squaw Canyon had water pools and trickling the last quarter mile to Lost Canyon

	Upper Jump	Medium flow	Medium flow
	Salt creek was flowing well from SC3 area to about 1 mile before Peekaboo Camp. At the upper jump waterfall it was flowing over the falls.

	West Fork Salt Creek	Dry	Dry
	At the junction with Salt, I didn't notice the west fork contributing any flow to Salt, but did not check upstream where there may be more reliable points for water.

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Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
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Mar 13 2013

iborrego

Triplogs 348

32 male

Joined Oct 13 2012
Tucson, AZ

Southeast, UT

Hiking		Mar 13 2013
		iborrego • Triplogs 348

Hiking	3.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles
	500 ft AEG

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Mar 12 2013

dborrego

Triplogs 8

58 male

Joined Jun 16 2013
Los Alamos, NM

Southeast, UT

Canyoneering		Mar 12 2013
		dborrego • Triplogs 8

Canyoneering	6.50 Miles	1,000 AEG

Canyoneering	6.50 Miles
	1,000 ft AEG

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May 27 2009

jochal

Guides 2
Routes 25
Photos 1,890
Triplogs 604

41 male

Joined Sep 13 2009
Mesa, AZ

Southeast, UT

Hiking		May 27 2009
		jochal • Triplogs 604

Hiking	6.50 Miles	1,000 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles
	1,000 ft AEG

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May 11 2009

Trishness

Guides 14
Photos 720
Triplogs 187

66 female

Joined May 21 2003
Apache Junction,

Southeast, UT

Canyoneering		May 11 2009
		Trishness • Triplogs 187

Canyoneering	6.50 Miles	1,000 AEG

Canyoneering	6.50 Miles	3 Hrs	2.17 mph
	1,000 ft AEG

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It was a toasty 96 degrees yesterday so we opted to do an adventure at the Island in the Sky district.....today was much more pleasant and in the 80's. My cousin from Pennsylvania was with me on this trip and we set out from Elephant Hill TH around 3 PM and trekked out to Chesler Park and back, finishing around 6 PM. I love this hike.

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Trish-Kabob

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds" Ed Abbey

Oct 07 2007

Vaporman

Guides 3
Routes 4
Photos 8,687
Triplogs 931

46 male

Joined Mar 28 2005
Gilbert, AZ