Canyonlands!

It’s funny how so few people seem to have heard of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Honestly, it’s fine by me – it means less crowds. But I kinda wish people would stop passing it by. During my hike here, I just could not stop smiling. This place is so beautiful!

See, the deal with Canyonlands is that it’s divided into three “districts,” or areas.

1. Island in the Sky is north of Moab, and really, just down the road from Arches NP. All the trails there are nice and high up, giving incredible views.
2. The Maze is probably the least accessible district, at 3-6 driving hours from anywhere. Even the NP’s website basically tells you not to go: Four-wheel-drive roads in the Maze are extremely difficult, present considerable risk of vehicle damage, and should not be attempted by inexperienced drivers. A high-clearance, low range, four-wheel-drive vehicle is required for all Maze backcountry roads. (Here’s the Link to that statement.)
3. And that brings us to The Needles. All the hikes here are basically on the valley floor, or close to it. So you get to hike inbetween these cool fins, needles, and other amazing rock formations. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Moab.

Here’s an example of what you see in the Needles District:

We hiked on the Joint Loop trail, which quickly descends down to the valley floor.

Everywhere I looked were the most amazing sights. Photos just begging to be taken.

I love this next one so much, I made it the screen background on my laptop:

So, we didn’t get to hike the entire 11-mile Joint Loop Trail. Partly because of our late departure time. But mostly because I was taking so many damn pictures that we ended up moving at about 1 mile/hour. There’s only so long we can leave the dogs in the truck.

Still:

The time I spent on this trail was totally worth it.