The Canyonlands Needles District literally feels like you are on another planet. Strange rock formations, off-road driving opportunities, and unique hikes will leave you speechless.
The Needles District is more remote and requires a further drive from Moab to visit than Island in the Sky and Arches National Park. If you have time in your itinerary, planning a visit out here is definitely worth your time!
My husband, sister, parents and I spent a week in Moab exploring Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We spent 3 of those days in Canyonlands, which included a day trip to The Needles District. We loved getting a closer look at the Needles formations and hiking some of the trails here.
This post is all about the 12 best things to do in The Needles District in Canyonlands National Park to help you plan your time in Moab!
(And if you’re looking for things to do in Island in the Sky, check out my post on the can’t-miss spots in Canyonlands Island in the Sky District here!).
Canyonlands National Park Overview
Canyonlands is a huge National Park and is divided up into 3 major sections: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and the Maze Districts.
Most people only visit the Island in the Sky District and skip The Needles entirely. Island in the Sky is most convenient to Moab and is home to the panoramic vistas over the Colorado Plateau.
The Needles District is a bit more out of the way and lets you explore the “needles” formations more closely. You will find The Needles to be significantly less trafficked than Island in the Sky, as there are more backcountry 4×4 trails and hikes here. It feels completely different from the Island in Sky District. This section of the park is quite compact when compared to Island in the Sky.
The Maze District is a very remote section of the park and is only accessed by 4×4. You must have a permit for all overnight visits and be prepared to be self-sufficient when visiting this district.
The Island in the Sky District and The Needles Districts are connected on the map, but you have to drive around the Island in the Sky mesa to get to The Needles since the mesa and the Colorado and Green Rivers separate the two regions. Getting to The Needles will take you about an hour and a half from Moab.
If you are thinking about skipping The Needles because of the distance, I get it. But I would urge you to try and make it out here, even just one day will be worth your time.
This post will be focused on The Needles District only. The map below shows the major points of interest.
The Best Time to Visit Canyonlands National Park
The best time to visit Canyonlands National Park is in the spring or fall. Temperatures in the Moab area are brutally hot in the summer, plus the parks will be swarmed with people once the kids are out of school.
October is another busy time to visit Moab since you get all the fall breakers, but the weather is perfect.
Crowds in The Needles District are non-existent, so planning your visit around peak season won’t make a huge difference here. However, it will make a difference if you also plan to visit Arches National Park and the Island in the Sky District.
We visited in the middle of October and had daily highs in the 80s for most of the week, but the morning and evening temperatures were perfect. We had no issues finding parking and had most of the trails in The Needles to ourselves for the entire day.
Related: 15 Can’t-Miss Things to Do at Canyonlands Island in the Sky District
How to Get to The Needles District
The Needles District is located an hour and a half southwest of Moab. From Moab, you’ll take US-191 south until you reach UT-211. This road turns into the park highway that will take you to The Needles District.
The most convenient airport to fly into and rent a car is Salt Lake City. We found the SLC airport to be incredibly easy to navigate, clean, and quick to get through. Since it’s a Delta hub, we were able to get the only direct flight to and from Indianapolis for our trip.
It will take you about 3.5 hours to drive from Salt Lake City to Moab. You’ll take I-15 south to Spanish Fork, and then spur off on US-6 until it turns into US-191, hop on I-70 east for a few miles, and then catch I-191 south again until you reach Moab.
Moab does have its own airport, but there are only direct flights from Denver, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix. If you’re coming from one of these cities, it’s definitely worth looking into flying directly to Moab, otherwise the prices and layover times likely won’t make sense.
Flying into Grand Junction, Colorado could be another good alternative (it is 2 hours from Moab), but the airport is small and there aren’t a ton of direct flights here either.
Fees & Passes Information
Admission to Canyonlands National Park costs $30 per vehicle and is good for 7 days, unless you have the America the Beautiful National Park Pass. This pass will get you into Island in the Sky and The Needles District.
If you plan to visit 3 or more National Parks or Monuments on your trip to Utah (or within one year), getting the America the Beautiful National Park Pass will save you money vs. paying the separate fees at each park. It costs $80 and you must order ahead of time as they will ship you a physical pass.
How Many Days Do You Need in Canyonlands National Park?
The time needed in Canyonlands National Park depends on what you like to do. You can visit the highlights in Island in the Sky and hike a few of the short trails in just one day.
I highly recommend reserving at least 1 day each at Island in the Sky and The Needles on your trip to Canyonlands National Park. Plan on spending these 2 days at a minimum, and then add one extra day for each long hike or off road trail you plan to do. You can easily spend 4-5 days in Canyonlands National Park and not run out of things to do.
We spent 1 day in The Needles, and it was the perfect amount of time to see the highlights. However, I wish we had another day to do a longer hike and drive some of the 4×4 roads. Oh well, we will just have to come back!
12 Best Things to Do in The Needles District
1. Slickrock Foot Trail
The Slickrock Foot Trail was my favorite thing we did in The Needles. It’s a relatively short, 2.7-mile loop with 183 feet of elevation gain.
You will hike on top of some slickrock to 3 different viewpoints and will get a closer view of the needles formations. There are also some opportunities to rock-scramble off-trail for an added adventure.
We had so much fun on this trail taking pictures and enjoying the unique scenery. Plus we almost had the trail all to ourselves!
If you only have time for one hike in The Needles and don’t want anything too strenuous, I highly recommend the Slickrock Foot Trail.
2. Elephant Hill Road (Permit Required)
Elephant Hill Road is one of the most strenuous 4×4 roads in the Moab area. You need a day use permit to visit this road and a lot of 4×4 experience.
If you have a capable vehicle, a permit, and experience, you can attempt this road yourself in your own vehicle. More information on driving the 4×4 roads in The Needles District can be found on the NPS website here.
You can drive to the entrance of Elephant Hill Road in any vehicle, though. There are some good views from the road and a lot of popular trailheads start at this parking lot.
We visited the trailhead just to check it out and we actually saw a tow truck heading up Elephant Hill Road, I assume to rescue someone who got stuck. Imagine how expensive that tow bill was!
Note: ATV’s, UTV’s, and OHV’s are not permitted on Elephant Hill Road or anywhere in Canyonlands National Park.
3. Confluence Overlook
The Confluence Overlook is a viewpoint that overlooks a cliff where the Colorado and Green Rivers meet.
Getting here is quite tricky, though. You either have to hike a strenuous 10 miles or access the overlook via Elephant Hill Road. There are places with deep sand and steep grades, so either way is challenging to get here!
If you plan to hike, the trailhead is located at the Big Spring Canyon Overlook.
We skipped this due to the challenge and time required to get here. If you have an off-road vehicle and have the required experience, I think taking the detour here from Elephant Hill Road would be the best way vs. hiking 10 miles.
4. Pothole Point Trail
The Pothole Point Trail is a short, easy trail on top of some slickrock with numerous “potholes.”
These are indentations in the rock that have been caused by downward water erosion. When it rains, they fill with water and are home to various species of snails, shrimp, and other microorganisms. They were bone-dry in October when we visited, but I imagine they are more likely to be filled with water in the spring when it rains more frequently.
You’ll also get a view of The Needles from this trail, but we thought the scenery was much better from the Slickrock Foot Trail!
5. Big Spring Canyon Overlook
The Big Spring Canyon Overlook is where the road dead-ends just past the Slickrock Foot Trail. There is a short walk to an overlook with expansive views of canyons and rock formations.
This viewpoint was unfortunately closed when we visited, so I don’t have any photos. It is a quick and easy visit so I definitely recommend stopping by.
6. Chesler Park Trail
This trail is consistently rated the top trail in The Needles. If you want to get up close with the needles rock formations, this is the trail to do.
There are two ways to hike this trail: do the entire loop (10.2 miles with 1794 feet of elevation gain) or hike to the Chesler Park Viewpoint (5.4 miles with 1151 feet of elevation gain).
The loop portion of the hike is where you’ll get to see the formations up close, but the viewpoint is a good alternative if you’re not up for a super long hike.
We originally planned to hike to the Chesler Park Viewpoint, but we had unseasonably hot weather on our trip and decided against it. After hiking the Slickrock Trail in the morning, it was just too hot to continue hiking and be enjoyable. If I could do it again, I probably would have hiked this trail first thing in the morning and reserved another day to spend in The Needles.
We will have to come back, hike this trail, and then I’ll update this post with photos!
7. Roadside Ruin
The Roadside Ruin is a short, 0.3-mile trail to an ancestral puebloan dwelling that was used to store food and supplies over 800 years ago.
8. Colorado River Overlook
Visiting the Colorado River Overlook requires a 7-mile (one-way) drive down a rugged dirt road. The NPS recommends you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle for this road.
There are large rocks that “stair step” down for the last 1.5 miles which is challenging in any regular car, but you can park and walk from this point if you want.
It is not as technical as Elephant Hill Road and you don’t need a permit. We didn’t feel comfortable taking our rental car down this road so we unfortunately skipped it.
9. Cave Spring Trail
This short little trail was so much fun! You’ll hike a 0.6-mile loop to a historic cowboy camp, see the “cave spring,” climb up some iron ladders, and then hike up on top of the slickrock cave spring to complete the loop.
This is also one of the few trails that has shade, which was a welcome surprise on our 85-degree day!
10. Wooden Shoe Arch
The Wooden Shoe Arch is a viewpoint located right off the road of a small arch that looks like a wooden shoe. It is located quite far away, so your photos might not turn out the best.
11. Hike to Druid Arch
The hike to Druid Arch is another strenuous hike in the backcountry of The Needles. Round trip, it is 9.7 miles with 1446 feet of elevation gain.
This is one of the only trails that allows you to hike into The Needles formations themselves.
The first part of this trail is shared with the Chesler Park Loop. You can hike the Chesler Park Loop and to Druid Arch on an extremely strenuous day hike, or you could backpack out here and do it over 2 days. How cool would that experience be!
12. Go Backpacking (Permit Required)
As you can probably tell from this post and the map, there are tons of backcountry hikes and 4×4 roads to be explored in The Needles. No doubt, the best way to experience this district of Canyonlands National Park is to lace up your hiking boots and take a backpacking trip out here.
You will need a permit for any overnight trips in Canyonlands National Park, and they are quite competitive. Read more about backpacking in The Needles on the NPS website here.
BONUS: Newspaper Rock
Newspaper Rock is technically located in Bears Ears National Monument, but you will pass right by this historic site on your way into The Needles District and you shouldn’t miss it.
There is a huge rock with tons of petroglyphs!
Best Things to Do in The Needles With Limited Time
If you’ve got time in your itinerary to make a day trip to The Needles, here is how I would spend your time:
- Hike to the Chesler Park Viewpoint or hike the Slickrock Foot Trail (if it’s not too hot you might be able to hike to both if you get an early start!)
- Picnic lunch
- Visit the Roadside Ruin, Wooden Shoe Arch Overlook, and Big Spring Canyon Overlook
- Hike the Cave Spring Trail and the Pothole Point Trail
- If you have a 4WD vehicle, visit the Colorado River Overlook
I hope this post helps you understand the unique things to do in The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Visiting out here really is worth the trip, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
-Megan
More Information on Southern Utah
MORE ON CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK: Continue your visit in Canyonlands by checking out the 15 best things to do in the Island in the Sky District or my guide on driving the Shafer Canyon-Potash Road Loop.
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: Explore over 2000 sandstone arches in this incredible National Park that neighbors Canyonlands. Check out my guide to the best things to do in Arches National Park or the ultimate 1, 2, or 3 day Arches itinerary.
DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK: This state park provides an incredible panoramic vista over the Colorado River, and it’s on your way to Canyonlands Island in the Sky District.
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK: Visit Utah’s most underrated National Park located just 2 hours west of Moab. Check out my 1-4 day Capitol Reef itinerary, the top things to do in Capitol Reef, and the best hikes in Capitol Reef.
HANKSVILLE, UTAH: Hanksville is a tiny town between Capitol Reef and Moab that is near some otherworldly landscapes. Here’s how to visit Factory Butte and the Moonscape Overlook, hike to the Long Dong Silver Spire, or explore Goblin Valley State Park for sandstone hoodoo rock formations.
GRAND STAIRCASE ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT: Nestled on one of the most scenic highways in the US, Grand Staircase is a massive National Monument that is home to incredible waterfalls, slot canyons, and remote outdoor adventures. It typically gets overshadowed by the Mighty 5 National Parks, but it is just as impressive.
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK: Bryce is a compact park, so you can thoroughly explore the hoodoos in just one day. This post shows you how to spend a day in Bryce Canyon National Park.
ZION NATIONAL PARK: Visit Utah’s most popular National Park. Hike the famous Angel’s Landing, the Narrows, and do the scenic drive. Zion is still on my list of parks to visit, and is currently experiencing lots of overcrowding issues. I plan to visit during the off season when we get a chance!
