Canyonlands National Park - Needles District

Right now we're relaxing in a coffee shop in Moab enjoying both fruit smoothies and internet service.  We've left Canyonlands National Park (Needles District) and are only a few miles from Arches National Park before we head to the Islands in the Sky District of Canyonlands.  Out here a 30 mile distance is often a 100 mile drive due to canyons and cliffs.  After finding the campgrounds full at Canyonlands, we went to the privately-owned Needles Outpost where a campsite and hot shower awaited us.  Well worth it.

 The Needles District is a maze of canyons, cliffs, and plains that we decided would be best seen with an 11-mile hike.  As the pictures show, this was more challenging than many BWCA portages.  Many areas lacked a trail and stacked rocks were the only thing guiding our way. 

 

The soil is highly protected because it is Cryptobiotic, meaning that bacteria and microorganisms hold the soil together and retain moisture, allowing everything else to survive.  You cannot leave the trail, and the surrounding land looks like this bumpy ground.  A side benefit is that the desert is not dusty, as the soil is held together.  

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One of our favorite portions of the hike was The Joint, where you travel down into these massive boulders in tight joints between them.  It was also 65 instead of 90 and sunny, which may have played a role in our favorite spot.  Not for the claustrophobic.  

The rest of the hike was extremely grueling, with lots of scrambling, route finding, and general desert mayhem.  Beautiful but tiring.  It is nearly impossible to stay hydrated, and they recommend 4 liters of water a day per person.

We made it back home to enjoy a large dinner, with no blisters or other injuries to speak of.  The cool night came, and we left this morning.  We stopped by Newspaper Rock to check out some Native American cliff drawings, then headed to Moab.  Arches here we come!