OverviewDruid Arch, Elephant Canyon This route page describes three routes in the Needles District of Canyonlands. All of these routes are fairly long and will take most of a day to complete. Experience in desert hiking is recommended. You should wear hiking boots with good tread and bring food and lots of water on these routes. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
For more information about the Needles District, see this area page.
Additional route contributions are encouraged! Devils Kitchen, Peek-A-Boo Arch, Lost Canyon and many other Needles combinations await display here at SummitPost, as well as your own custom outing!
All digital photos displayed here by Aaron Johnson.
The Joint Trail Druid ArchLooking down Elephant Canyon from Druid Arch GETTING TO THE ELEPHANT HILL TRAILHEAD
From the Visitor Center, proceed west on the road. Stay to the right at the first intersection, which is simply a loop road around Squaw Butte. On the other side of the butte, the loop road rejoins your route. At the next intersection, turn left. Then stay to the right, bypassing a campground entrance. The road then bends to another campground access. Turn right onto a maintained dirt road and proceed cautiously, as the road is narrow and has many sharp and blind curves as it winds its way to the Elephant Hill trailhead. Stay to your right as you reach the parking area. A restroom facility is on your right, with parking mostly on the south side of the loop.
ROUTE
The trail climbs out of the parking area due south via some steps. Beyond, the route is marked by cairns and winds around countless rock formations and through narrow joints for 1.5 miles. Large wooden signs will aid in your navigation at trail intersections. At the first intersection, turn right and go a half mile across Juniper dotted desert and descend into Elephant Canyon. At the canyon’s sandy bottom is the next intersection, where your turn left, and follow the canyon due south for 2.3 miles. Expect lots of fine, deep sand to slow your progress, dotted by stretches of smooth canyon bottom rock. Keep your eyes looking up so as not to miss the incredible scenery towering around you.
The further south and up the canyon you go, the narrower and deeper it becomes. Eventually you will come to a spot that is easy to miss, because it is simply a pile of wooden limbs and cairn designed with the intention of channeling you out of the canyon bottom. If you miss this exit, that’s okay, because a lot of people do. The canyon bottom will become choked with vegetation and become a challenge to navigate. If that doesn’t stop you, the impassable pour-off with the very deep pool will. Simply back track to the cairn and staked wooden limbs.
The route ascends the left canyon side and some fun scrambling is encountered, first up a cleft (Class 3), followed by a ledge walk above the dead end pour-off. Beyond, the canyon splits. The cairns lead left into a narrow canyon, which soon becomes solid rock. A wide bowled pour area is encountered. The tread on your boots will become handy here as you scale this steep slickrock portion. The canyon splits again. Cairns again lead to the left where some Class 2 scrambling leads you up a ladder and into a draw of fallen debris which you must climb (Class 2) to enter a huge amphitheater at the head of Elephant Canyon. At the top of this climb, you double back to the west and are blessed with the amazing tower of Druid Arch. Photo opportunities abound! Be sure to look north back down the canyon you just came up!
Return the same route.
10.4 miles round trip, 680 feet gain
Big Spring to Squaw Canyon LoopSquaw Canyon, North Six Shooter Peak and La Sal Mountains looking due east GETTING TO THE SQUAW FLAT TRAILHEAD
From the Visitor Center, proceed west on the road. Stay to the right at the first intersection, which is simply a loop road around Squaw Butte. On the other side of the butte, the loop road rejoins your route. At the next intersection, turn left. Take the next left. As you round a rock formation on your right and a series of camp sites, you’ll come to a large parking area. This is the trailhead.
ROUTE
This route can be executed in either direction. This description is the counter clockwise version. Shortly after departing the parking area, take the trail to the right toward Big Spring Canyon. The trail leads across the grassland and soon climbs up on slickrock, following the ledge to a shady passage through the rocks. Leaving the slickrock, stay left at a signed intersection. You’ll start walking up the surprisingly lush Big Spring Canyon. Evidence of water and perhaps even some intermittent pools will explain the canyon’s name. The trail winds through the heavy vegetation for 2.5 miles, then your path begins to gradually climb out of the canyon. Ahead and to the south the great headwalls of the Needles loom.
Vegetation gets scarce as you embark upon slickrock and steadily climb toward the towers of stone. Cairns angle left up ever steepening rock, now solid and void of plant life. Climb up a fun and narrow chute, then up a smooth slope, angling briefly northward toward an impressive tower. Vistas open up to the north, including the gigantic Island in the Sky mesa. At the pass leading to Squaw Canyon, the La Sal mountains come into view, as well as much more of the rugged Needles landscape. This view is stunning and inspiring.
The descent into Squaw Canyon is fun but steep, and good tread is recommended to make this part of the route safe. Follow a smooth and narrow pour chute down into the canyon, reaching a shelf, which you follow a for a bit northeast until dropping into the canyon bottom, where more lush vegetation awaits. At the next two intersections, stay left. It’s 3.7 miles down the extensive and wide Squaw Canyon back to your starting point.
7.4 miles, 400 feet gain
Chesler Park via The Joint TrailGETTING TO THE ELEPHANT HILL TRAILHEAD
From the Visitor Center, proceed west on the road. Stay to the right at the first intersection, which is simply a loop road around Squaw Butte. On the other side of the butte, the loop road rejoins your route. At the next intersection, turn left. Then stay to the right, bypassing a campground entrance. The road then bends to another campground access. Turn right onto a maintained dirt road and proceed cautiously, as the road is narrow and has many sharp and blind curves as it winds its way to the Elephant Hill trailhead. Stay to your right as you reach the parking area. A restroom facility is on your right, with parking mostly on the south side of the loop.
ROUTE
The trail climbs out of the parking area due south via some steps. Beyond, the route is marked by cairns and winds around countless rock formations and through narrow joints for 1.5 miles. Large wooden signs will aid in your navigation at trail intersections. At the first intersection, turn right and go a half mile across Juniper dotted desert and descend into Elephant Canyon. At the canyon’s sandy bottom is the next intersection, where to proceed due west, crossing the canyon’s sandy bottom.
Encounter an intersection after .6 mile, where you stay to your left. The trail then gains some altitude as it climbs toward the countless needle formations that mark the rim of Chesler Park. Climbing up between the towers, you enter the isolated Chesler Park area and another intersection. It is here you must decide which way you wish to execute this looped portion of the route. Going to the right (west) is the more dramatic option, which is described here.
The trail stays on the north side of expansive Chesler Park, winding through towers, over slickrock and in and out of drainages. The further west you go, the more isolated and primitive the area seems to become. Altitude is gradually lost as you descend down the park’s sloping terrain. Exiting a wash, you’ll encounter one of the Park’s 4WD roads, which you follow briefly, staying left at a fork to a terminus where picnic tables and a pit toilet mark the approximate half way point of your journey.
Now the fun begins! This portion of the route is known as the Joint Trail, which climbs up from the road’s end and winds among rock towers. You’ll be channeled into a narrow spot, from which you must scramble up between rocks, but instead of encountering a view, you drop into a vast chasm between two massive mushroom shaped rocks. Just short of being a huge cave, this wide joint is perpetually shaded and provides welcome relief from the heat you’ve been hiking in. This huge underpass through the Needles sandstone is a pleasant surprise.
Follow this subterranean passage to bend that sunshine manages to occupy, then turn left. Class 2 scrambling is required to exit this area, and then you are deposited in a narrow passage between great slabs of slickrock. Depending on the time of day, you’ll still be hiking in shade in this surprisingly long joint, which runs for almost a quarter mile, narrowing to just less than two feet wide. Side slots are even narrower and prevent easy exploration. You’ll soon pass UNDER a dead tree and climb out of the joint via some steps installed by the Park service.
A sign will be encountered and this is a confusing spot. If you want to proceed to a scenic overlook, go south, following cairns that lead up to a slickrock perch that affords a fantastic view of Chesler Park, but that is the extent of this side trail, unless you want to go exploring.
Looking north across Chesler Park At the sign, make a hard left and stay sharp for cairns that will lead you to the worn trail which contours the south side of Chesler Park, gradually turning north and passing side trails to primitive camp sites. Stay left at an intersection and eventually reach the point at which you entered Chesler Park. From here, retrace your steps back to the Elephant Hill trailhead.
11 miles, 520 feet gain
EssentialsCount on no water anywhere in the Needles District except at the Squaw Flat campground and the Visitor Center. You must carry all of your water with you on any type of excursion. For a day outing, carry twice the amount of water you would normally carry on a similar outing elsewhere. Drink plenty of water during the course of the day.
For day hikes or backpack trips, the obvious supplies and equipment are indicated, with an emphasis on a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, food and lots of water. Be sure you wear comfortable hiking boots with good tread, which is essential when maneuvering on the slickrock. And don’t forget to bring and drink plenty of water.
Your camera will be working overtime. Bring plenty of film or have a large card ready to go. Be sure to have a good map. Trails Illustrated produces an excellent map of the Needles District.
And do not forget to bring plenty of water! Images
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