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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Utah >> Canyonlands National Park – Utah >> Canyonlands National Park – Utah (2016) >> Canyonlands National Park – The Needles - Utah tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Canyonlands National Park – The Needles - Utah

Images of Canyonlands National Park – Eastern Utah, taken in April 2016.

The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is so named because of the great red and white sandstone spires that rise up above the canyons and fields of desert grasses and shrubs. These spires dominate the area and can even be seen from The Island in the Sky District of the park.

I ventured to this area twice even though it is over 70 miles from where I was camped, first to see what the area was about and then to hike in to explore the interesting terrain. I had decided to take the short 3 mile (one-way) hike into the Chesler Park Viewpoint to get a view of the area but as with so many times like this in the past, once at that point I was sucked into what I found there and decided to go a just little further. “Just a little further” today totaled an 11-mile primitive trail hike…it was exhausting but exhilarating! Beyond the view of the impressive spires surrounding Chesler Park the trail wound through the sandstone formations and included a trip through “The Joint”, a deep narrow fracture in the rock which was at least a quarter mile long.
The Needles viewed from Pothole Point in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles viewed from Pothole Point in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles viewed from the Elephant Hill road in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles viewed from the Elephant Hill road in Canyonlands National Park
Flowers in Canyonlands National Park
Flowers in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires in The Needles District in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires in The Needles District in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles viewed from Pothole Point in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles viewed from Pothole Point in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
La Sal Mountains and rock formations along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
La Sal Mountains and rock formations along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
View of Chesler Park along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
View of Chesler Park along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires on the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires on the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Chesler Park from along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Chesler Park from along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Rock formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Rock formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Towering sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Towering sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
“Cairn jungle” at the entrance to The Joint along the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
“Cairn jungle” at the entrance to The Joint along the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Winding through deep narrow fractures along the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Winding through deep narrow fractures along the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Looking up through the sandstone spires on the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Looking up through the sandstone spires on the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spire viewed from the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spire viewed from the Joint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The Needles along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Rock formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Rock formations along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone spires along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Chesler Park along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Chesler Park along the Chesler Park Loop Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The moonrise along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
The moonrise along the Chesler Park Viewpoint Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Wooden Shoe Arch from the Wooden Shoe Arch Overlook in Canyonlands National Park
Wooden Shoe Arch from the Wooden Shoe Arch Overlook in Canyonlands National Park
Historic Cowboy Camp along the Cave Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Historic Cowboy Camp along the Cave Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park
View of the Island in the Sky from the Slikrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park
View of the Island in the Sky from the Slikrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone rock formations along the Pothole Point Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Sandstone rock formations along the Pothole Point Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Big Spring Canyon from the Slickrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Big Spring Canyon from the Slickrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Lunch break at the edge of Big Spring Canyon along the Slickrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park
Lunch break at the edge of Big Spring Canyon along the Slickrock Trail in Canyonlands National Park