UT- Elephant Hill

[Handlebars]

The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park is a place where the sky seems to be held up by the many columns of Cedar Mesa Sandstone. The topography consists of vertical cliffs broken into spires and the sandy, narrow valleys between them. A jeep road negotiates steep ledges, narrow slots and some of the tightest switchbacks ever carved into a crag to access to this dreamland.

There is much to see beyond where your vehicle is allowed. Chesler Park is a grassy meadow surrounded by a sandstone parapet that you can access through fissures in the rock via the Joint Trail. A high overlook allows you to peer down at the deeply entrenched confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. Sixty more miles of hiking trails in the area can keep you busy for several days, better reserve one of the backcountry campsites to extend your sojourn.

Canyonlands NP has a really nice map on their website which I could not improve upon. The .gpx file has tracks for the Elephant Hill/Confluence loop and a separate side trip to Chesler Park. Waypoints correspond to Charles Wells' Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails, Second Edition and are labeled as follows:

• 53## - Elephant Hill
• 54## - Lavender Canyon
• 55## - Beef Basin

I have also included waypoints for Bobby’s Hole (has been stabilized by the BLM and is passable to any 4x4) and nearby Impossible Hill, which is a steep, bouldery dead end. Bobby's Hole is uphill when traveling from north to south.

Coming into the Needles from Beef Basin


SOB Hill


Coming in from Elephant Hill


The Devil's Pocket


The Silver Stairs


An xjblue photo of a trailer negotiating the switchbacks


Switchback on the other side is even tighter


The Joint Trail




Chesler Park