Photo Friday: Canyonlands Needles
 |
Southern Utah's Canyonlands National Park is divided into north and south districts. The North district is called Island in the Sky, which I shared in last week's post. Just 15 miles as the crow flies, but 137 miles by car is the south district called Needles.
Needles is a lot lower in elevation than The Island, so it offers greater opportunities for extended hiking and 4WD exploration.
We took the Elephant Canyon Trail, though we did not hike the length of the 11-mile loop to see the famed Druid Arch. Even still, our 2ish-mile leisure walk did not disappoint.
 |
 |
 Then you get some perspective and get to see what you're walking across the tops of. I don't know what these pillar-like features are called, but it's pretty surreal to walk along them. |
 Once The Needles are in sight, you start to feel like you're looking at Oz. It reminded me of the skyline of a distant city, but too dreamlike to be of this world. |
 The Needles themselves are massive red and white eroded sandstone pillars that extend for miles beyond this shot. We were losing daylight and expected rainy weather, so this was as close on the trail as we got. |
Thanks as always to Delicious Baby for hosting travel-inspired Photo Friday stories.
Posted by TheWordWire at 3/12/2010 12:12 AM 
Categories: Photo Friday, Earth and Sky
Tags: Canyonlands Utah National Park
Categories: Photo Friday, Earth and Sky
Tags: Canyonlands Utah National Park
The Needles are spectacular. Have not been there in years - thanks for reminding me of all the natural beauty our National Park System Protects!
Reply to this
We sure thought so. Rufus liked Needles better than Island in the Sky - my preference is the other way around. But it's hard to imagine a trip to the area without making time to see both. It really is like two different parks.
Reply to this
This looks awesome! We'd like to head to southern Utah when our daughter is a little older. Thanks for the guidebook suggestion...I'll keep it in mind.
Reply to this
It's such an incredible area to explore, you will not be disappointed. If you plan to camp, I would definitely grab a Moon Outdoor guide. You can research just about anything online in advance of a trip, but scouting a camping spot is tough without a book. It describes all the possibilities within the area you're visiting, including scenery ratings, contact if reservations are available, features, etc. Great for planning on the fly. Happy travels!
Reply to this