3 Night Needles Solo Backpack

Hi everyone, I've enjoyed reading the forum, it's helped me decide where I will try and go the weekend of Oct. 15th. This will be my first trip to Utah as well as my first solo backpack. I was able to convince the wife that a solo trip was good idea by promising to stay on well traveled trail - so Needles is what I came up with!

I made reservations for three nights at the LC1, EC2, and CP1 campgrounds. I'll be arriving in Grand Junction (thanks Chase Bank for giving me free roundtrip air just for signing up with your credit card!) at 12:30pm on Thursday and the plan is:

Drive directly to the Squaw Flat trailhead, (I think conservatively arriving by 5pm after getting the rental car, supplies, etc. ) and hoofing it directly to the LC1 campground to set up before dark. Next morning dayhike the Peeaboo trail before returning for my gear and going through Lost Canyon to EC2 camp. Next morning dayhike Druid Arch and carry my gear to CP1 before dayhiking around Chesler Park. Next morning dayhike Devils Kitchen before picking up my gear at CP1 and heading back to my car by evening. That's as far as I've gotten but maybe I'll shower before heading to Arches and camp somewhere near there (in the park) so I can do an early morning quicky before catching my flight home from Grand Junction at 12:30pm.

Does this sound feasible? It's definitely not a restful vacation, more like a "how much can I squeeze into a five day trip" kind, but that way I can sleep when i get back to the office.:-)

If anyone has any comments or suggestions on what I should change, I would love to hear them!

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Originally Posted by Swamp Thing

Hi everyone, I've enjoyed reading the forum, it's helped me decide where I will try and go the weekend of Oct. 15th. This will be my first trip to Utah as well as my first solo backpack. I was able to convince the wife that a solo trip was good idea by promising to stay on well traveled trail - so Needles is what I came up with!

I made reservations for three nights at the LC1, EC2, and CP1 campgrounds. I'll be arriving in Grand Junction (thanks Chase Bank for giving me free roundtrip air just for signing up with your credit card!) at 12:30pm on Thursday and the plan is:

Drive directly to the Squaw Flat trailhead, (I think conservatively arriving by 5pm after getting the rental car, supplies, etc. ) and hoofing it directly to the LC1 campground to set up before dark. Next morning dayhike the Peeaboo trail before returning for my gear and going through Lost Canyon to EC2 camp. Next morning dayhike Druid Arch and carry my gear to CP1 before dayhiking around Chesler Park. Next morning dayhike Devils Kitchen before picking up my gear at CP1 and heading back to my car by evening. That's as far as I've gotten but maybe I'll shower before heading to Arches and camp somewhere near there (in the park) so I can do an early morning quicky before catching my flight home from Grand Junction at 12:30pm.

Does this sound feasible? It's definitely not a restful vacation, more like a "how much can I squeeze into a five day trip" kind, but that way I can sleep when i get back to the office.:-)

If anyone has any comments or suggestions on what I should change, I would love to hear them!

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Canyonlands can be unforgiving. it will be late in the season, so water can be scarce. I would not rely on a filter alone out there. There are rats and other rodents down there carry the plague and other nasty viruses. If I had to, I would be boiling everything and treat it with chemicals if I was not sure of the source. In the slots and narrow areas, flash floods have been pretty frequent this summer. We have had a pretty good Monsoon cycle this year. I imagine until winter sets in down there, it is going to boil up with thunderstorms every afternoon. Do take the time to talk to a Ranger and ask where the water is that you can treat. They will know and make sure you mark your map for those and I would go in fully loaded with H2O just in case. Solo means just that, you get yourself in, you have to get yourself out. A lot of people do not think about this, and you hear about them getting lost or disappearing. It looks like a pretty sane section that you chose out there. October can be hot days, and extremely cold nights down there, so be prepared for the extreme. Make sure you have a contact too that knows when you are going in, where you are going and when they expect you out. I always do this for it gives me peace of mind that the person who knows when I left knows to call S&R to come get me if I do not contact them by a certain time on the day I am leaving. This little detail can really save your life. Ok, I think that is it. Go prepared, better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it. That is my motto. Good luck, have a great time, and take lots of pics, I have not been to that section down there before, look forward to your report. :bandit:

that is one of the first loops i did back in the mid 70's. i have made the trip a few times since then and it is as fun now as it was then. lots of ruins and rockart.

water will be the main issue. there are a couple of springs in lost canyon. plus there is definitely water at peekaboo. i carry a six liter dromedary bag and fill it whenever i can. this will get me through 2 days on the trail if i can't find any water. i just use a filter but its up to you. one thing about going solo i think is to go light. you can get by with a tarp instead of a tent and save you several pounds. i don't carry a stove either. just eat food that doesn't require cooking and that will save you too. i will carry a wee little alcohol pepsi can stove for a cup of tea in the mornings. just google "pepsi can stove" and you will see them. they weigh nothing at all.

i respect the solo aspect of your trip. most of my favorite trips have been long solos. be aware of the risks involved, you get hurt and you are on your own. it can be a very unpleasant crawl back to your vehicle. just make good decisions and you will have a great time. the loop you describe is easily doable and has very little in the way to technical difficulty. its all on cairned trails and there are signposts along the way at some of the trail junctions. pay attention to your map though, because it is easy to lose track of how many meanders you have turned. good map skills here are important.

make sure when you talk to the rangers you ask about "yellow man" and "red apple". you will get the most amazing glazed eye look from them. kinds like a deer in the headlights.

leaving the squaw flat trailhead at 5pm will be cutting it close on dark, to get to LC1. it doesn't look like far on the map but it can be a bit of a slog up squaw creek and over into lost canyon.

as far as the above advice concerning talking to rangers, telling someone of your plans, well i never bother. but thats just me. just getting the permit is about all i can handle for dealing with rangers.

send me a pm if you would like some more detailed route info. and things not to miss. have fun

Excellent advice from denaliguide - heed his words, guy's a freakin' guru! (And take him up on his offer.)

Have a great trip - I love solo trips as a nice antidote to the rat race. Report back here when you're done! :2thumbs:


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First time to Utah? You'll surely get a southern Utah sampler in that trip!

We visited the Canyonlands NP last year mid-October, and the weather was absolutely perfect in my book. T shirt and tanks by day, and fleece and pants by night. It was so nice to have that "Indian Summer" feeling after fall settled in up in Northern Utah already. Plus all the Freemont Cottonwoods were blazing in yellow. It might have been a warm spell I don't know, but I still remember that weather quite fondly.


The water will be an issue. Perhaps the ranger station will know of some spots that were witnessed. However, sometimes the answer might be, "Well, 3 weeks ago someone spotted a pool." And that pool is a green sludgy mess when you find it!

I would try to bring along meals that do not require water if possible and carry much more water than you would normally.

Thanks denaliguide, I think I will take that offer.

And thanks Dr. Nebz for the word of wisdom. I'm an Eagle Scout, so I am always prepared - (which has it's down side because it means I'll have to check the back that has my multitool in it, and I hate checking bags). I've got a First Need h2o purifier, which they say clears viruses, and if a corporation says it, it must be so! :-) But I will watch out for plague rats and their fleas (will post a picture of them if I see one).

And as long as I bring enough batteries for my cameras, I will be sure to post a trip report of at least questionable quality.

As far as water goes, the nice (or not so nice depending on your point of view) thing about this Needles loop is that I'll usually never be more than 4 miles from my car.

No problem Swamp Thing.

I never underestimate an area I am heading into. Some may say I over plan or they don't need to take the precautions I do, but even as much as I know about survival, having a game plan can be the difference between life and death for anyone.

Our motto is "Not gonna be 6'oclock news."

It has worked out nicely so far.

I've usually found water in Elephant Canyon on the way to Druid Arch as well. We used that to resupply ourselves for 2 nights in Chesler Park last time we were there. Try to allow some time to just "poke around". Some of my favorite times in that area have been just wandering off trail (always in the washes or on slick rock). It's a magical place. Might be interesting to hike Elephant Hill if the 4WD access is still prohibited. (see the thread in the 4WD section).

The Ranger seemed to feel pretty sure there would be water in Elephant Canyon in Oct.

"Poking around" is what I tend to do normally, which is why I picked a different campsite each night. Kind of to keep me moving. 3 days seems a little meager for the area, just enough to get a feel for it.

The roads are closed, hmmm. Could be a nice time to hike if that's the case!

Yeah, heading back from CP I think I would favor walking over Elephant Hill, especially w/no 4WD traffic. It's an interesting route. We walked it once when trying to hitch hike from the air strip and our ride gave up half-way up the hill. You get to walk down a graben that has lots of car paint decorations!

For something very different the day hike down to Spanish Bottom takes you through some completely different geology than the rest of the Needles.

Oct. is a great month to BP the Needles, I've done it the last 3 years, not many people, usually water is available and the temps are perfect.
You're cutting it kind of close the 1st day though. The CNP website says that they will issue backcountry permits up to an hour before they close, in Oct. that could be 5pm or 6pm, not sure. I've gotten a permit within minutes of the VC closing so it may depend on the ranger that's there. A reservation is not a permit, you still have to fill out all the paper work when you get there.
I'm surprised a ranger told you there would probably be water there in Oct. They're usually not so honest. I live an hour away from the Needles and even when I know there's water in there they tell me to bring all that I'll need.:roll: Watch for side trails off of the main trail they usually lead to a water source.

As a plan b option; particularly the first night, after possible long jet flight and equally long (180 miles) ride to Canyonlands, you might want to fall back on car camping at Squaw Flat. If you don't want to pay, then consider roadside camping. There's a road that goes off to the right about two miles before the park boundary. Plenty of pulloffs on that road. Plan B would allow you to get an early and light on the back start to Peekaboo. You could easily extend that hike to include Paul Bunyan's Potty. And if found that day hike to your liking, you could dayhike your other objectives the next two days and car camp at Squaw or just outside the park. A campsite in Chesler, however, can be a very special place to watch a sunset rock out on the stone surroundings.

Showers probably can still be had at the Needles Outpost just outside the park entrance station.

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Originally Posted by erial

A campsite in Chesler, however, can be a very special place to watch a sunset rock out on the stone surroundings.

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You had some good suggestions about a Plan B to avoid rushing the first night. But, the above I think is the most important point. Especially the way they keep the number of overnight visitors low and campsites separated, spending the night in CP is really the whole reason to backpack in this area vs. day hike it. It's not on my laptop but I have a pic of my wife and son at sunset after a full day of day hiking from our CP campsite as we played around on some slickrock and the spires lit up around us. It's one of my favorite shots and family bonding memory. Don't miss a chance for something similar!

Attachment 37086Here's a couple old slide photos. One of Chesler and the other of a graben that StStephen mentioned which you can encounter over by Devil's Kitchen/Lane.Attachment 37085 Attachment 37084

Thanks ststephen, I didn’t consider hiking the elephant Canyon route, but will consider it!

Yes, I know I need a plan B, and am working out some options, including abandoning the Needles hike altogether (which would be “plan C”) if I find I won’t make it to the visitor’s center on time that first day. I’ve spoken to the backcountry ranger, and he says it all depends on who’s working the day I arrive. If all goes smoothly I’ll arrive by 4:15-4:30, and probably, with a little sweet talk, could get a permit as late as 6 (although I don’t think I’d head out that late!), otherwise I’d have to wait until 9am the next day until the VC opens. I’ll make sure to be in communication with the VC rangers before I arrive.

It seems that getting an early pre-dawn start from the LC1 campsite, which is right at the start of the Peekaboo trail, and heading over to Peekaboo with the dawn would be a cool thing to do, so I’m going to shoot for that (and of course have a “consolation prize” plan ready if the rangers don’t feel like accommodating me.

With that goal, the first day is the only one I’m worried about and don’t mind over-planning for.

How much daylight do you think I’ll have after the official sunset time? Sunset is listed at 6:40. Will that get me to 7:00 before I’ll need a headlamp? If so, as long as I hit the trail by 5 I may even have time to stop occasionally and appreciate the trail on my way to Lost Canyon.

Slickrocker, it seems I’m talking to a very straight-shooting ranger at the back-country office. I’ve spoken to him four different times and he’s very liberal with his advice and info. He seconded your opinion about how nice the weather is in mid-Oct.

And thanks erial, but I don’t know if I’ll do too much freelancing around the Peekaboo area. I’ve no doubt that that area is worth as much time as one could spare, but that first day I’ll be hiking though Lost Canyon on the way to an Elephant Canyon campsite and will definitely save any “extra” exploring for after I’ve set up camp at EC2, if I have the time.

A couple of gear items - if you use trekking poles be sure you have rubber tips.
Also, 50' of paracord can come in handy. I was there backpacking once and 2 dayhikers were unable to negotiate a steep slickrock slope. I was at the top and offered all kinds of help and suggestions but they insisted on finding their own way up. It took them 20 min. but they finally made it. Sometimes it's easier to pull your pack up after you've made the unencumbered scramble.
Another thing, out on the slickrock areas the only water you might find will be in a shallow pothole. Something like an old bladder or even a gallon ziplock is great for collecting water that's an inch deep and 3' across. Don't expect to find water in Chesler Park, collect and carry as much as you'll need before you leave the canyons.
Have a great time...it's practically impossible not to.

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Originally Posted by Swamp Thing

Yes, I know I need a plan B, and am working out some options, including abandoning the Needles hike altogether (which would be “plan C”) if I find I won’t make it to the visitor’s center on time that first day. I’ve spoken to the backcountry ranger, and he says it all depends on who’s working the day I arrive. If all goes smoothly I’ll arrive by 4:15-4:30, and probably, with a little sweet talk, could get a permit as late as 6 (although I don’t think I’d head out that late!), otherwise I’d have to wait until 9am the next day until the VC opens.

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I would imagine, if you call in route, that they would hold the remainder of your permit for you. If you've come this far and still have backcountry nights in EC2 and CP1...Take them! No plan C! If you end up doing that, try to take the "long way" to EC2 and do the bit that joins Squaw and Elephant Canyons. If you had the time, it's not very far to drop your pack and run up to the saddle at the head of Lost Canyon and take a peak down in it from there (departing Squaw Canyon at the SQ2 site). That's a nice spot too.

Slickrocker, why do I need the rubber tips? I've got them around here somewhere! And I never leave without ziplocks, but have never used them for collecting water, thanks.

Ststephen, the Plan C is there just in case. I'm still optimistic that things will work out, and a shortened trip around Needles is still the backup plan, although to me I would be losing a day if I had to wait until 8am the next day and get my permit. I spoke with a ranger at the visitor's center and she was pretty inflexible. They stop issuing permits at 4:30.

"4:31?"

"No, sorry!" (even though the center is open till 5). That is the actual answer I got to that question!

The backcountry ranger I talked to told me it all depends on who's working that day, some rangers will work with you and some won't (and some even will issue a permit if they happen to be working late that day). Depending on how bad of a taste I have in my mouth from dealing with whichever ranger happens to be there - good cop or bad cop - the only cure might be to ditch the park altogether and spend the three nights in say, Dark Canyon.

That said plan A is still the plan, but after reading Kev's trip report to Dark Canyon, I definitely feel better having a backup plan to the backup plan!

[QUOTE=Swamp Thing;415139]Slickrocker, why do I need the rubber tips? I've got them around here somewhere! And I never leave without ziplocks, but have never used them for collecting water, thanks.

QUOTE]
Sandstone. The metal tips on trekking poles slip and slide, mark up the sandstone and can be down right dangerous in many situations.

[QUOTE=slickrocker;415142]

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Originally Posted by Swamp Thing

Slickrocker, why do I need the rubber tips? I've got them around here somewhere! And I never leave without ziplocks, but have never used them for collecting water, thanks.

QUOTE]
Sandstone. The metal tips on trekking poles slip and slide, mark up the sandstone and can be down right dangerous in many situations.

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gotta agree with slickrocker. the rubber will give better grip on the sandstone. plus you dont get the click, click, click from the metal tips. stealthier.

Well, two weeks to go, so I started thinking about this thing again. On the last day I was looking at hiking from the CP1 campsite over and up Devils Pocket and continuing to the confluence overlook via Cyclone Canyon. Then I can just take the Confluence Overlook trail back to the road and road walk back to the Squaw Flat trailhead where my car will be.

I found some info on some nice looking rock art in Cyclone Canyon, but it looks like there is much more to see in that area. Has anyone heard of the "blue heron"? (something Google mentions, but then refuses to tell me where it is!) It seems maybe that the better known sites around that area are on the 4X4 roads. I'm most interested in the Barrier Canyon style, want to see as much as I can.

Next, is the whole trecking pole thing. I can't live without poles on uphill trails, but sometimes feel like a tool when I bring them on rocky/scrambling hikes. Anyone want to share their feelings on using poles in the needles. I'm considering leaving mine at home.

Oh, and Summit, you have to chime in here because I voted for your pic 4 times. :clap:

that will be a very ambitious last day. could end up being over 15 miles depending on your exact route. and you won't find any water on it either. been there done that.

its up to you about the poles. i always tarp camp so the poles do double duty for me.

i will pm you on the barrier canyon stuff. never heard of the "blue heron" rockart site.

Maybe drop your pack at Devil's Kitchen and just carry water out to the confluence and back? I agree with Denaliguide that you're biting off a lot but then again maybe you're a stud and this is a normal day for you.

We used poles in our last Needles BP and I found them useful for balancing on the slickrock, but there will be times when you need your hands and have to put them down, so again hard to say what annoys you vs. helps you.

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Originally Posted by ststephen

Maybe drop your pack at Devil's Kitchen and just carry water out to the confluence and back? I agree with Denaliguide that you're biting off a lot but then again maybe you're a stud and this is a normal day for you.

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Well, maybe I am and maybe I'm not, but that loop sounds like it might be just the ticket. Carrying my full pack all day was not the most attractive aspect of the route I had. Am I right in assuming I could easily negotiate the road from DK to EH at night if it came to that?

the road from devils kitchen to elephant hill by moonlight or headlamp would be no problem. it is very obvious. only one "y" junction. stay right. there is a shortcut that is half the distance though. would be interesting in the dark however.

Hey Swamp Thing, how'd the trip go? Gonna give us a trip report?

Hi peregrine, I left one but put it in the hiking/peak bagging forum by mistake. http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...edles-Oct-2010.

I hope you enjoy it!