I've visited the Needles District of the Canyonlands three times. Each time has been completely different. On this trip David and I lucked out and found a camping spot in popular NPS campground. We hiked out on well maintained trails through the spires of the Needles. Each turn drew us down through slots between the spires, through dry creek beds, and an unending landscape of color. The Canyonlands are an absolute pallette of color. The orange, yellow, tan, and white of the spires. The deep dark green of the pines, and the bright green of the oasises along the canyon floors. Then on top of that there are the spring flowers and blooming cactus. Suddenly, for a short time, there is an explosion of colorful desert flowers that makes a hike feel like a treasure hunt!
The trail.
Two faces.
Distant peaks.
A current of stone leading down a path.
Leading to adventure and discovery!
The flow of time, water, and sand.
Castles of Stone.
A path of sunlight in a creek channel.
Entrance into a world of stone.
A cavern in shadow and a slice of sunlight!
I could have all the money in the world and all I would spend it on is preserving our natural environment and traveling the world discovering and enjoying our natural planet!
Canyons of sandstone and all the incredible habitats that it supports.
Cairn along a dry creek bed...Flash flood and everything changes.
Narrow trail of orange sand between the rock. A small bright green plant eeks out an existant in a harsh environment.
A castle of sandstone.
Desert Primrose.
View from our campsite.
Local wildlife.
Desert bloom.
Not a bad place to camp.
The play of light and cloud.
Skyscapes.
People along the sandstone mesa near camp at sunset.
The play of sunlight in a cloud scaped sky.
A storm overhead and a break between land and sky.
Sunset and heavy clouds.
Islands of stone.
Sunrise the next day.
Morning breakfast on one of the best perches of our trip!
