Page Updated: May 24, 2023
Canyonlands National Park: Needles
2021 JUNE
Big Spring Canyon - Canyonlands National Park
In our pursuit of cramming all of the Mighty 5 into our first ever Utah trip, we spent a day knocking about The Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. The entire park covers over 330,000 acres making it the largest national park in Utah. Since our rental was close by, we skipped camping in the area and opted to drive in early for our hike.
The 32mile stretch down UT-211 from Church Rock to the Canyonlands National Park sign is picture perfect. Along the route, there are several features to stop and enjoy. We were eager to get hiking and opted to skip stops in favor of an early trail start. This route also has a number of campgrounds, including a yurt glamping campground that looks interesting enough to check out in the future.
Our chosen hike - Squaw Flat to Big Spring Canyon Loop - whooped up on us a little bit. Newish to hiking in the desert, we started early but not early enough. The heat leached energy and made this 7.3mile mod feel longer. I wish one of us had taken photos of us both of stopping for a short minute in the shade of a lone tree in a sea of sunshine… It was rough but fun - still makes me laugh.
We skipped driving to end of the park’s scenic road which has no other name than Canyonlands National Park Rd or UT-211. Looking back, we probably should’ve just to see the views at Big Spring Overlook. But other than our hike, we didn’t do much else other than stop at the visitor’s center on the way out for our NPS merch.
One of the features of the area sits just outside Canyonlands. It’s an archeological site known as Newspaper Rock. And though we passed it up on our way into the park, we opted to stop and see it on the way out. Once a state park, it’s now designated as a state historic monument.
One of the neatest aspects of this location is visitors don’t need binoculars to see it. You can practically walk right up to it.
The site contains petroglyphs spanning thousands of years. Figures of buffalo, horses, and human are among the hundreds of petroglyphs etched through the desert varnish exposing the lighter rock underneath.
A different route back to our rental took us through the Manti-La Sal National Forest (encompassing Abajo Peak). The route provided different scenery and spectacular views of the Needles district from higher elevations. There’s even a dedicated Needles Viewing area for looking for the panoramic views.
It’s also worth mentioning there are several campgrounds tucked in the trees in this section of Manti-La. Less than 30miles from the Canyonlands sign should make it a good option for those looking to explore the park.
scenes from Canyonlands
-b&b
Loam Zone - Sailing Hawks Loop
Squaw Flat - Big Springs Loop
