I had recently moved to Monticello, UT, a month an a half ago and I was itching to do something outside. It was early March and the weather was warming so we planned to head to the Needles District of Canyonlands. We did a quick stop at Newspaper Rock on the way to the ranger station, picked up our permit, and headed to the Elephant Hill parking area. Our plan was to hike out to our site and set up tents, then hike to Druid Arch and back for the night. Then hike the Joint-Chesler loop back to the trailhead versus backtracking.

IMG_1015 IMG_1030 IMG_1043 IMG_1059-Pano IMG_1074 IMG_1112

We made it to camp and the views were great. We set up camp, ate some snacks, and then made our way south to Druid Arch.

IMG_1150 IMG_1156 IMG_1160

"Trails" in the Needles are usually in a wash or on slickrock. The sand an be slow going, so it's actually nice when it's a little wet. But if you like to scramble, the hiking here is super fun.

IMG_1181 IMG_1194 IMG_1196 IMG_1106 IMG_1229 IMG_1205 IMG_1206 IMG_1209 IMG_1214

After a while of hiking up the drainage, we climbed up into the bowl with Druid Arch. I had only seen photos of the arch, and man, it's HUGE! It's like 450 feet tall. 

IMG_1238 IMG_1241 Druid Arch

The following morning I woke up with the sun and watched the sunrise before we started our hike to hook up with the Joint Trail.

  IMG_1369-Pano IMG_1380 IMG_1383 IMG_1385 IMG_1388 Joint Trail tunnels IMG_1502

Eventually we hooked up with the Chesler Park Trail where we were able to overlook the terrain we hiked through the previous day. Amazing geology! We took a break at the overlooks to grab snacks and watch the clouds float by. Amazing place and I was excited that this was going to be my backyard for the next year or so!

IMG_1542-Pano IMG_1553 IMG_1554 Chester Park Overlook panorama

Trip notes: spring hiking here seems to be nice weather and reliable water. We hiked just shy of 13 miles in two days which was a nice easy trip to knock the dust off the hiking boots for the year. I'm not kidding, this place has so much terrain with all the cracks and joints. There is so much opportunity to hike off trail, if you know how to avoid biological soil crusts. Looking forward to more trips in the future!

Screen Shot 2024-01-07 at 5.08.32 PM Screen Shot 2024-01-07 at 5.08.43 PM