Day 40 … Back Country Camping in the Needles

This morning we hit the road headed south towards the Needles District of Canyonlands. It was just after noon time when we reached the visitors center where we would look into doing some back country camping in the park. The back country office offered maps, campsite information, and photos of the park. We decided on hiking 5 miles into the Needles to Chesler Park where we would set up camp for the night and could hike another 1.5 miles to the Joint Trail for sunset.

Matt at “Newspaper Rock” on our way into the Needles district at Canyonlands National Park.

The view from the top of a red rock on our hike into the Needles.

Matt and Danielle hiking the Needles.

Matt hiking through Chesler Park in the Needles.

Danielle hiking through the Needles at Canyonlands National Park.

Our campsite while backpacking the Needles.

A view of the needles as we took a sunset hike out to the Joint Trail.

Matt’s homemade and lightweight soda can stove worked great for cooking up some shells and cheese in the back country. As we settled into bed, the wind began to pick up indicating the storm was on its way. The bed was pretty comfortable and warm with our pool float sleeping pads and mummy style sleeping bags. Nevertheless, we spent much of the night waking up to sand storms and gusting winds waiting for the sun to come up.  

After securing our permit and assigning Matt as Trail Leader, the Ranger warned us about the regulations and hazards. There is a biological soil that looks like dirt that covers most of the park which cannot be disturbed as it stabilizes the sand so other plants can grow which makes staying on the trail extremely important. “So the trails are well marked then?” asked Matt, “Oh no, they are very primitive” replied the Ranger. And best of all, the Ranger let us know that it would be very important to follow the map and not the signs along the trail because the maintenance department had recently put up signage without consulting the rangers and mis-marked some of the trails. The forecast was predicting a 50% chance of rain overnight, and we would need to be prepared because the canyon usually gets rain if the forecase calls for anything over a 40% chance. We must hang our food once at the campsite and under no circumstances can any food be brought into the tent. Also, the ravens, being a smart and communal bird, would certainly find our food sack hanging in the tree, so the sack must be durable and sealed tight.

We drove to the trailhead at Elephant Hill and made a checklist of the items we would need: tent, sleeping bags, water, headlamps, hiking sticks, food, rain gear, camera… (and the list goes on – eccentials only, every ounce counts when you have to carry it on your back). Matt’s pack probably weighed 75+ lbs and Danielle’s another 40 lbs or so. Once everything was all set, we drank a bunch of water and hit the trail. The trail started with a staircase carved into the rock. We maneuvered through grasslands, along dry riverbeds, across giant boulders, and in between cracks in the rock. By 5:00 PM, we had made it to CP2, our campsite, with just enough time to have quick snack and set up the tent. After hanging the food, we started our sunset trip to the Joint Trail.

About 3/4 of a mile from our campsite, the trail continued through a small crevice in the boulders. Barely wide enough for one person, the trail followed along the crack for another half mile or so before we came out to a view-point where we sat and watch the sunset. We had drawn lines in the sand where possible to help identify the trail as it would be near impossible to spot the cairns (small rock piles along the trail) in the dark. We put on our headlamps and started our way back along the crack. Being in the midst of the crack 200-300 feet down in the boulders in the dark it would have been very easy to get claustrophobic. Soon enough we emerged from the crevice and followed our markings through the grasslands of Chesler Park back to CP2.