Canyonlands National Park Needles District
Our next stop was the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. I found this section of Canyonlands much more interesting than the Islands in the Sky District. Much more scenic and more variety. We were 45 miles from the closest town so we were very isolated. First stop before we entered the park was Newspaper Rock. The photo below is from the campground where we stayed. On our first full day we hiked a few of the shorter hikes in the slickrock area of the district. That’s the Islands in the Sky District in the distance. An old cowboy camp On day two we hiked over slickrock and through canyons up to the needles, the namesake of the district. This is cryptobiotic soil full of microorganisms. It was quite common in Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. On day three I did a solo 8 mile hike through two canyons up to the base of the needles. Next stop is Lake Powell and Page, AZ.