Spring 2026 - Idaho, Utah, Arizona, 5.2.26 - 5.27.26, Part 5: Canyonlands National Park/Backpacking Into The Needles
Every one of our trips has a seed that starts the entire plan. This next portion of our Spring 2026 trip was that seed and I developed the entire itinerary around this event.
Way back in 1989 I took my very first trip to the desert southwest. My girlfriend at the time, Michelle and I drove my brand new Toyota 4Runner from Denver to Arches. We spent a couple of days there and then headed down to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. We camped down Salt Creek at a small backcountry camp called Peekaboo Spring. The next day we drove up Salt Creek all the way to Angel Arch. This is no longer possible as the road is closed beyond Peekaboo Spring. It is now a 29 mile round trip hike so I am so grateful I got to go there before they closed the road.
We also wanted to see The Needles and considered driving over the notorious Elephant Hill Jeep Trail to get there. Back then there was no internet, no navigation apps. All I had was a map of the Needles and a description of the jeep road over Elephant Hill from a book. We parked at the base of Elephant Hill and walked up to the top. It looked like it would be pretty hard to drive up it but the other side was considerably worse so I opted out of attempting to drive it. Instead, we decided to do a day hike. We hiked over Elephant Hill and down a canyon to a place called Devil’s Kitchen. It was an absolutely gorgeous backcountry campsite under a large alcove. From the site looking across a large meadow was a wall of incredibly jagged, multi-colored pinnacles. We followed some cairns across the meadow and right up into the heart of these pinnacles. We had never seen anything so amazing in our lives. On the other side we descended into a sea of slickrock. Thank goodness there were some rock cairns to follow or we would have been utterly lost. I don’t remember if there was even any signs back there so we just kept following the cairns. Knowing what I know now, we missed a junction with a trail that would have taken us back to the Elehant Hill Trailhead. Instead we continued hiking east until we finally came to the Squaw Flats Campgrouund, now known as Needles Campground. It was still a long hike on the road back to my 4Runner at Elephant Hill. I recently calculated how far the hike was and it turned out to be about fifteen miles. We were wiped out but had seen non-stop blowaway scenery the entire way.
Where we had hiked skirted the northern part of the Needles. From my map and some research, I knew that a bit further south was an area called Chesler Park. Even further were two other cool spots. One was Druid Arch and the other was the Joint Trail. This area was too far to go on a day hike and ever since that amazing first trip I have wanted to somehow get back to the Needles and see these other sites.
There are two ways to drive closer to Chesler Park. One is the aforementioned Elephant Hill. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and decided I still wasn’t ready to test my skills on that route. The other way is to come up from way south of the Needles. This requires going through a section called Bobby’s Hole and it looked even harder than Elephant Hill. So with my driving options depleted and knowing it was too far for a day hike, my only other option was to backpack into Chesler Park, basecamp there and go to Druid Arch and the Joint Trail as day hikes from our basecamp.
On the phone one night talking to my friend Mike from Steamboat I told him about my plan. He had been to that area many years earlier but the idea of backpacking into Chesler Park sounded too good to pass up so he eagerly got on board to go with Bridgit and me. I started studying our camping options. Several canyons had backcountry camps but I wanted to base our operation right in Chesler Park. There are five backcountry camps in Chesler Park. I made my first choice to try and get a permit for CP1. This was only 3.2 miles from the trailhead, provided a good base for our other day hikes and was isolated from all the other campsites which were about a half mile further away and around a corner. On the day the backcountry sites became reservable for the dates we wanted, I was all over it and secured three nights at CP1. Our plan was to hike in the first day, hike to Druid Arch the second day and hike the Joint Trail loop the third day, packing out the fourth morning.
Backpacking in the desert has some unique challenges, water being the most obvious one. I did a bunch of web searching and talked to the backcountry rangers about possible water sources where we could use a filter to replenish our water supply. While there is typically a water source along the Druid Arch trail, the rangers seemed to think that all the water sources were dried up in this year of severe drought. They recommended packing in whatever water we would need. Uh, what? In a desert climate it is recommended that each person drink a minimum of one gallon of water per day. That would mean that for hiking in and out, drinking and cooking each person would have to pack in 3 to 4 gallons of water. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds so we were looking at carrying about a thirty-five pound backpack and about thirty-two pounds of water. Hmm. Not so sure that sounds fun. But then I had an epiphany! Mike was taller and stronger. We would carry our packs and a blanket for him to sleep on and he could carry the water!
My vision for solving the water dilemma
Somewhat surprisingly, Mike didn’t think that was such a brilliant idea. Then I came up with another option that actually made some sense. Our CP1 camp was only 3.2 miles from the trailhead. Since we would be arriving in the Needles area two days before the scheduled start of the backpack, we could day hike in to CP1 with just the water and cache it. This also required a permit but after explaining our plan to the ranger we were issued a permit to pack in the water on Sunday, May 10th and then start the backpack trip on Monday, May 11th. Bridgit wasn’t too sure that she would have the energy to hike in two days in a row with a heavy load. Jane had considered coming with us for the water cache day but she had to get back home so she couldn’t stay. So now that the plan was in place, it was time to execute the plan.
On Saturday, May 9th we drove about an hour and a half from Moab down to Needles Outpost Campground. This is a private campground just outside the park boundary. You can reserve a spot in advance but not a specific site. We arrived fairly early in the morning in the hope that more sites would be available to choose from. They had no site map and the YouTube series called Campsite Photos did not have a video for Needles Outpost. I had found one video of a woman who videoed a walk through the campground so all I had to go on was a note to myself that said, “Site 3 looks nice”.
When we arrived we checked in with Caleb and Amber who run the place, unhooked the Jeep and drove the Jeep in to look for a site. The first sites were more bunched closer together. They were nice but we didn’t see a lot of level spots other than a few out in the wide open that didn’t look that appealing. Then we drove down to the end of the road and sure enough, Site 3 was not only really nice but available! We backed the Navibahn up into the site which had a picnic table and fire ring. It is all dry camping there and this would be a test for my new batteries since we would be here for seven nights in a row with no hookups. We LOVED this site! It was nestled up to some big red rock walls and had a great view looking out to the Needles. Being at the end of the road it was very private and isolated from the other sites so we could easily sit around naked in our camp chairs for our morning coffees (not that we would ever do that-wink wink).
Wonderful campground for our Needles week
Site 3 at Needles Outpost
Tons of friendly lizards at our campsite
Shortly after we got set up, Mike pulled in. He had spent the previous night dispersed camping on the rim near Needles Overlook. To be closer to the action, he had driven into the Needles Campground inside the park which is first come, first serve and found a sweet campsite with a view of the Needles so he was very happy. With time to kill, we stopped into the visitor center and talked with the backcountry ranger (Naomi) and she also thought it would be tough to find any water. Then we just drove to the end of the Scenic Drive just to see what there was to see and stopped back by Mike’s site in Loop A for a bit before leaving him and heading back to our site.
After dinner the light was starting to get good so Bridgit and I drove back into the park and stopped to hike the .6. mile Pothole Point Loop. We did the loop clockwise but thought the trail missed the best views. By leaving the trail and heading out closer to the rocks overlooking the Needles we were able to see much more. On a familiar note, not a soul was to be seen during our short hike.
Wooden Shoe Arch from near Mike’s site
The Needles from near the Pothole Point Trail
The Needles from near Pothole Point Trail
I picked up MIke the next morning at six-fifteen and we drove to the Elephant Hill trailhead. Our day packs were heavy but comfortable. We each had about two and a half gallons of water. It wasn’t the ideal amount but Mike would only be backpacking two of three nights. He had to pack out early to get back home for a knee replacement surgery. I know that sounds kinda crazy and it is but he swears the hiking and backpacking wasn’t bothering the knee as much as skiing did. Anyway, by leaving a day early he thought he would have some extra water to leave for us so we thought it just might work.
Starting up the trail we climbed a steep hill. As we went up the hill we came to a narrow crack in a rock with stone steps to climb. The sun was doing its magic as we topped out on the hill and began a beautiful traverse across mostly slickrock towards some pillars.
Cool feature on the initial climb up from the Elephant Hill trailhead
Early morning light casting shadows
The trail traversed over slickrock to the rocks left of center
Our path would take us between the two rocks on the right and the clump of rocks on the left
Once we passed between the first set of rock pillars we came to our first wow moment. Spread before us was an entire left to right panorama of needles. It was a spectacular view. We would hike across a large meadow to get right into these needles and actually hike through the middle of them. Yet this still wasn’t close to Chesler Park!
Our first panorama view of the Needles
After crossing a broad meadow and winding through some needles we started a descent into Elephant Canyon. It started with a long crack in a rock that had a few steps leading into it. After that was a series of down climbs, none too difficult but a tad more challenging with the weight of our water jugs. We dropped down into the wash of Elephant Canyon and crossed the wash to the other side. Maybe fifty yards down the canyon was EC1, the furthest backcountry camp north in Elephant Canyon. It was nice but I was optimistic CP1 would be a better spot.
Once across the wash we began to climb out of Elephant Canyon. Again, there were a couple of trickier moves but nothing death-defying. In short order wwe were back up out of the canyon and followed the trail on a mostly level path towards some more giant needles. It was in this area that I came across a scene I had been hoping to find. When searching for info on the Needles hike I kept seeing a particular view photo. It was a scene of a whole bunch of jagged needles with a ton of what I call mushroom rocks in the foreground. I had thought that perhaps it was taken way down by the Joint Trail at a spot called Chesler Park Overlook but I couldn’t confirm a location. As we hiked, we came to a big light gray rocky area and looking north I realized this was the spot! We took a break here so I could get some photos. I really wanted to be here at sunset or sunrise but it was still a ways away from our camp.
The crack in the rock that starts the descent into Elephant Canyon
Barely wide enough for a backpack
Dropping down into Elephant Canyon
The view I was looking for
Just past this rock and viewpoint we came to a signed junction. To the left was our trail to Chesler Park. To the right was a trail leading to Devil’s Kitchen. I realized that I had stood here in 1989 on that first trip to the Needles. Actually I had been hiking on a section of trail we had been on in ‘89 ever since a bit before descending into Elephant Canyon. It was kinda cool being on that same trail some thirty-seven years later.
Taking a left at the junction, we still had a big hill to climb before getting to Chesler Park. It really wasn’t too long so it was pretty easy and soon we were at the gap between huge needles. This is called Chesler Park Overlook, although there is another Chesler Park Overlook further south at the far end of Chesler Park. But this one was the gateway to Chesler Park and the views in both directions were incredible.
The way to Chesler Park is through the big gap right of center
From Chesler Park Overlook we dropped down a hill and made our way another third of a mile or so to a post that said CP1. We made it! We browsed around until we found a good spot tucked into some rocks to cache the water jugs. It felt really good to get rid of all that weight for the hike back out. We didn’t linger too long because we would be coming back here the next day and I wanted to experience it with Bridgit. We did at least check out the campsite and it was really a great spot. from the main trail through Chesler Park we took a side trail up a hill maybe thirty yards. the site itself was tucked behind a huge rock which provided privacy from anyone hiking by but also precious shade. The site was also butted up against two huge pinnacles with a gap between them. The pinnacles would keep the site in the shade during most of the morning hours while the big rock in front provided afternoon shade.
We ran into a ranger lady that Mike had met near his campsite the previous night. We asked her about the route to Druid Arch and she said the connector trail between Chesler Park and Elephant Canyon (different than the one we had already done) was a bit hard to follow and had some tough scrambling involved. This had me worried for Bridgit. She’s a gamer but isn’t a huge fan of exposure so I wasn’t sure if she would enjoy the hike. But we would deal with that later.
The hike back was uneventful. We made it back to the trailhead just after noon. I dropped Mike off and drove back to our camp at Needles Outpost. When I arrived, my neice Sarah and her boyfriend Brady were already there with Bridgit. They had flown in to Slat Lake City the day before, rented a car and were staying in Moab for a week of exploring. I had actually helped them set up an itinerary of things to possibly do. One of those was to go on a hike with us on this afternoon which was why they were there. I was feeling a bit whooped from the water cache hike and it was getting hot so I had to bail on the hike plan. The hike we were going to do together was in the Needles area so after we had lunch they took off to do the hike on their own and I relaxed for the afternoon. I didn’t show Bridgit any of the photos I’d taken that day so she could see it all for herself the next day. That evening we packed up everything we needed into our backpacks and went to bed early, excited for our pending adventure. The forecast for the backpack trip called for highs in the upper eighties and upper fifties for the lows with no rain or wind. We couldn’t have asked for a better situation.
We met Mike at the Elephant Hill trailhead at six-thirty and hoisted our full packs. The hike into CP1 went very smoothly. Bridgit did great having not backpacked in quite some time. I hadn’t either for that matter and I was pleased with how strong I felt on this hike in. Like the previous day, the light was sensational on the way in.
Packing in to Chesler Park
Can’t get enough of that early morning light!
Bridgit at the junction of Chesler Park and Devil’s Kitchen
CP1 backcountry campsite in Chesler Park
CP1 didn’t have perfect shade the entire day but there was always some shade in some part of the site. We discovered a huge bonus that CP1 had over all the other sites. Right behind our site was a gap between two giant pinnacles. If you stayed to the left while hiking through the gap you come to a ledge that has shade the entire afternoon. The ledge provided a commanding view looking way down Elephant Canyon. In my pre-trip research I had thought that a large gap between the rocks just beyond our site along the main trail would be a great spot but as it turned out, our private ledge gave us a much better view up and down the canyon than the big gap did.
After setting up camp and relaxing a bit, Mike and I were ready for some exploring. Bridgit was very content to relax in the shade at camp. We got on the main trail that runs through Chesler Park. The park itself is a huge sage flat. All along the edges and scattered throughout the meadow are needles of rock sticking up like chess pieces on a board. Some were individual, some were walls of needles and it was all pretty awe-inspiring. As we hiked further south through Chesler Park I was scoping out all sorts of ideas for what might be good spots for sunrise and sunset photography. It was all good.
We came to the junction with the connector trail that leads over to Elephant Canyon and eventually to Druid Arch. We met a woman coming back from that way and she also reiterated that there were some sketchy spots as you descend into Elephant Canyon. She used the “E” word (exposure) and once again my concern for Bridgit loomed. Mike and I talked about it. We agreed that if we told her what we had learned in advance she would have been more tense and tentative. We figured the best way to handle it would be to take one obstacle at a time and if it got too dicey we would just have to turn around.
Just beyond this junction was CP2 on the left side of the trail. It was also a nice spot but clearly not as nice as ours. We continued down the trail, passing another side trail that led to CP3, CP4 and CP5 which we would explore on our way back. After a mile and a half we came to a junction once again. To the left was the other Chesler Park Overlook and to the right was the entrance to the Joint. We started left, climbed some moki steps (small indentions carved into steep rock) to a high shelf overlooking Chesler Park. There was already a bunch of people up there as part of a guided trip so we didn’t stay long. Back at the junction, since Mike could only stay one more night, he decided to hike through the Joint. It was getting pretty warm by now with not much shade to speak of so I opted to slowly work my way back while he did the Joint. I also planned to do the entire Joint Trail Loop with Bridgit on our last day so I didn’t need to do it twice.
I worked my way back and stopped in the shade at CP2. Mike caught up to me soon after and we hiked the side trail to the other campsites which is about a half mile each way. All the other sites seemed like they would get pounded by the sun in the afternoons. None of them could hold a candle to CP1 and I was really pleased with my decision to go for that site instead of any of the others.
Our constant companions on this entire trip
A cool cave behind CP4
The trail through Chesler Park
Back at camp, we got out the stoves and made dinner. Bridgit and I had Backpackers Pantry Lasagna and it hit the spot. After dinner the light was starting to get good so we took our camp chairs and headed through the gap behind our site and plunked on our awesome ledge to watch the sunset. Looking back, I think this was one of the premium places to photograph sunset because the far walls of Elephant Canyon all faced west. We stayed out there for a really long time just enjoying the fact that we had made it to Chesler Park and just how great it was for the three of us to be sharing such a beautiful sunset together.
The gap behind our campsite
Our viewing spot on the ledge
Sun setting on Elephant Canyon from the ledge
Sunset on Elephant Canyon
The La Sal Mountains behind the needles of Elephant Canyon
Spectacular sunset in Elephant Canyon
Just before the sun sank below the horizon I went back to our site and out in front by where the main trail was. The walls on this side were also all lit up and made for a gorgeous end to a fine day.
Sunlit walls by the big gap right next to our campsite