canyonlands

[apasquel]

Going to canyonlands this week to backpack...going to the Needles District. Any thoughts? Advice? Whato see? Where to eat afterwards?

Also, put my girls on real rock for their first time...it was great. Check it out...http://seekingtheburningbush.blogspot.com/

[Scott P]

Upper Salt Creek is my favorite backpack in the Needles District. Highly recommended. Many ruins, arches, pictographs, towers, fantastic scenery and running water. Make it your #1 goal for a backpacking trip. Unless you have two cars, the best way is to come in from the top. If you have experience with routefinding you can make a great loop with the west fork, otherwise, do an out and back from the top. Big Pocket is a great place to hand out and explore.

The standard Druid Arch/Chessler Park Loop is pretty good too. You can expand it to cover places like Lost Canyon as well. In dry periods, the water can be stagnant and might not taste great, so bring drink mix.

There are no places to eat very near the Needles. Also, it's the Jeep Safari week next week, so avoid trying to eat in Moab at all cost.

[USAKeller]

I'll second Scott on the Upper Salt Creek and Druid Arch ideas.

[apasquel]

thanks for sharing guys!

[mrburns]

If you are going to Chesler Park it is well worth the side hike out to the Joint trail, very cool little slot canyon, and decent sized room where people have built dozens of cairns. Some of which are pretty cool.

[elhombre]

If you are looking for cool rocks and a few ruins, the Needles is great. If you want cool rocks with incredible ruins and pictographs, drive the extra 1.5 hours to Cedar Mesa/Grand Gultch and do your hike there. Either way, you can't go wrong.

[jsdratm]

A worthy stop on the way to Needles is the Newspaper Rock State Monument. It is a giant rock covered in pictographs and very cool to see.

[ajkagy]

heading to moab/canyonlands/arches the first week in May to do a bit of mtn biking/climbing...i'll have to check some of this stuff out.

[apasquel]

rock on...just google imaged some of those places mentioned above and i'm getting really pumped. 24 more hours to go!!!! I am forcing myself to work...but it's so hard to concentrate! I've got major outdoors ADHD right now!

[Scott P]

If you want cool rocks with incredible ruins and pictographs, drive the extra 1.5 hours to Cedar Mesa/Grand Gultch and do your hike there

To me at least (I know both areas well), some of the ruins in upper Salt Creek easily rival the ones in Cedar Mesa. The All American Man is at least equal with (or even better than) any pictograph in Cedar Mesa, at least I think so.

Photos of All American Man pictograph:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=all ... S&sk=#x0y0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One of the ruins in Davis Canyon (in the Needles) is probably the best ruin I have seen, at least the best I have seen that you don't need a ranger escort (i.e. Navajo NM). That one is hard to find though and it's only easy to find if you are taken by someone who has been there.

[planet54]

It has not been mentioned that you need permits to backpack in Upper Salt Creek and The Needles. It looks like you will have to try and get a permit on a walk-in basis and that could be difficult or improbable. Campsites are designated so you should have your route planned already.
http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/b ... ermits.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
No permit required for dayhikes.
Good luck . Consider having a solid alternate plan.

[coloradokevin]

Also, it's the Jeep Safari week next week, so avoid trying to eat in Moab at all cost.

I'll second that part! We were camping at Sand Flats in college during the Jeep week some years ago... rowdy crowd that year! My friend even had her vehicle broken into just so they could steal a six-pack of beer.