Canyonlands Nat'l Park, Part II: The Needles District 5/17/11

After the haze-filled Island in the Sky experience at the tail end of our 2010 journey to the Canyonlands, we were looking forward to the lower, and presumably more visually pristine, Needles District. Mind you, it's difficult to top the endlessly Grand Canyon-esque visions of the higher planes, but we felt that at least here, we could get out among the formations. Little did we know that one really needs to get out, and not just in a metaphorical sense. Yes, the Needles is, above all, a hiker's paradise, and cars, while welcome, are not catered to in a similar fashion to the park's northern stop. After hitting the visitor center (you'll be lucky if this shabby spot takes more than five minutes of your time), there's precious little road to keep you entranced, and unless you brought your hiking books, backpack, and jugs of water, don't bother even starting out. Backcountry reigns, and the Cales don't do backcountry. Hell, we even try to avoid frontcountry when possible.

Located a good half-hour west from Utah's I-191, Canyonlands Needles is wonderfully isolated in a way impossible to imagine with the more centrally-located, "in the hub" Arches National Park in Moab. This is mean, desolate country, and one feels a bit silly sipping iced tea in an air conditioned motor vehicle while the real people roast alive, risking life and limb. In a sense, we were immediately out of place well before we crossed the park's boundaries; even more so when we looked at the brochure. The trails, ranging from the "modest" Big Spring Canyon to Squaw Canyon route (7.5 miles, 3-4 hours round trip) to the staggering Chesler Park Loop / Joint Trail (11 miles, 5-7 hours round trip), were all ridiculous on their face, though we knew that they were the only real way to see the numerous arches. And what about the four-wheel drive roads? Not in our Dodge Journey, my friends. And if it requires a permit, we automatically assume that we must follow up said permission with a dual casket purchase.

The driving tour, while brief and unsatisfying, was still a reasonable way to spend a late afternoon, as just about everything in Utah is worth seeing with one's own eyes. And in its own way, the Wooden Shoe Arch Overlook was pretty damn cool. We might not go skipping across slick rock with our well-worn walking sticks stabbing the rain-starved dust, but we'll rarely crab in the face of natural beauty. The best of the best was far off in the distance, but we felt that for us, the Canyonlands journey was now as complete as it was ever going to be.

For us, the best part of the Needles District was the little nugget on the way in: Newspaper Rock. While only a single wall (200 square feet), the petroglyphs and ancient scribblings were endlessly fascinating; a collection of rock art extending as far back as 2,000 years. Sadly, Newspaper Rock is a state historic monument, and therefore unconnected to the Eastern National passport program. That said, it contains more striking imagery in its single spot than the entirety of, say, Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque, NM. Left by peoples of the Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont, and Pueblo cultures, the creations range from deer, buffalo, and horses to more human-like figures. There's a modern date or two to show what might happen before official protection, but the rock is surprisingly "clean" of contemporary additions (unlike El Morro, which beckoned travelers well into the 19th century). One doesn't stay very long at Newspaper Rock, but it's a blissful addition to the Canyonlands trek, given that we weren't pitching a tent under the stars, now or ever.

FINAL RATING

6/10