In early August I found myself with a free weekend in Flagstaff. Jay and Laurel had adventures planned with friends and family - Jay to Zion with friends and Laurel to Grand Canyon and Flagstaff area sites with her mom and aunt. I considered checking out Mesa Verde in southern Colorado, but was quickly convinced by my friend Nicole to visit the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Nicole was working at Grand Canyon on detail from Canyonlands and thought I would enjoy the natural beauty of the Needles District over the cultural heritage of Mesa Verde. I don't know if she was right, because I only went to Canyonlands, but I definitely enjoyed the amazing beauty of the Needles District.
I bravely ventured solo from Flagstaff on Saturday morning up the now familiar 89 north route to Utah. I drove through the red mesas and buttes of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona and southern Utah. Beyond these familiar sites, I enjoyed driving by a beautiful lake of green water and seeing volcanic mountains in the distance.
I arrived in Canyonlands National Park - about 50 miles from the nearest gas station, hotel or restaurant - in the early afternoon. This was just in time to experience the heat of the day, which was certainly 100 + degrees Fahrenheit. My first stop was the Visitor Center where I discovered that all the park's first-come, first-served camping spots were occupied. So after getting some hiking advice and stamping my National Parks passport, I headed back out of the park to the privately-owned Needles Outpost to secure a camping spot there. Thankfully, there were plenty left and I even scored a sweet spot between two trees and just far enough from a family camping nearby.
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| Sweet camp site at the Needles Outpost. |
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| View from my campsite. |
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| Another gorgeous view from my campsite. |
Because it was the heat of the day I rested at the campsite for a while before heading for my first hike on the 2.5 mile Slick Rock Trail. Along the trail I only saw a few other people - a family leaving as I was about a quarter mile in. There was still plenty of daylight and I had water and snacks, so I was not nervous, but it was a little strange to be so alone on the trail. The hike provided some amazing views of the nearby volcanic mountains and beautiful needles rock formations in the red and white sandstone. The hike was not strenuous, but did require some concentration as the trail did not have natural boundaries like the tree clearings in the Smokies or sheer cliffs of Grand Canyon and Zion. Instead, the trail is marked by small Buddha-like rock formations.
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- After the hike I stopped by the visitor center to call family on the pay phone before turning in for the night. You read correctly, I stopped at the pay phone! There is no cell service in the Needles District, which made my mom and grandmother a little nervous for me, but in a way added to the wilderness experience of it all. I enjoyed a novel by headlamp in my tent and turned in early to be ready to explore more of Canyonlands in the cool early morning.
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