Canyonlands National Park
South and west of Moab lies Utah’s largest National Park, Canyonlands. The Park is divided into districts, which are separated by the Colorado River and accessed from two main roads in either the north or south end of the park. We spent our time in the southern Needles District where the many miles of trails and slick rock hiking earned Canyonlands a spot on my list of favorite parks.
The Needles, Canyonlands National Park
The Squaw Flat Campground in the Needles has 26 beautiful campsites nestled into the canyon sides. These limited sites fill up quickly (and incidentally have a check-out time of 10:00 am!)but there are huge areas of dispersed camping available in the BLM land adjacent to the park. We spent one night in each location.
Dispersed camping on BLM land
Squaw Flat Campground, Canyonlands National Park
I chose an eleven mile hike though Big Spring and Elephant Canyons which afforded expansive views of the omnipresent sandstone spires. Hiking in the region is challenging and diverse enough to suit all interest and skill levels. I found the transitions from the valley floor riparian zones through the cryptobiotic soil crusts and the pinion pine/juniper complex to slickrock peaks fascinating enough to obscure my exhaustion from the steep climbs.
Cryptobiotic Soil Crusts
The trail up Big Spring Canyon
Elephant Canyon Trail
Sandstone Spires in Elephant Canyon
The Needles, Canyonlands National Park
The Squaw Flat Campground in the Needles has 26 beautiful campsites nestled into the canyon sides. These limited sites fill up quickly (and incidentally have a check-out time of 10:00 am!)but there are huge areas of dispersed camping available in the BLM land adjacent to the park. We spent one night in each location.
Dispersed camping on BLM land
Squaw Flat Campground, Canyonlands National Park
I chose an eleven mile hike though Big Spring and Elephant Canyons which afforded expansive views of the omnipresent sandstone spires. Hiking in the region is challenging and diverse enough to suit all interest and skill levels. I found the transitions from the valley floor riparian zones through the cryptobiotic soil crusts and the pinion pine/juniper complex to slickrock peaks fascinating enough to obscure my exhaustion from the steep climbs.
Cryptobiotic Soil Crusts
The trail up Big Spring Canyon
Elephant Canyon Trail
Sandstone Spires in Elephant Canyon
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