Forum Index > Trip Reports > Canyonlands Natl. Pk: Needles Dist Backpack April 26-30,2012
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John Morrow
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John Morrow
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PostTue May 01, 2012 8:00 am 
Five days of backpacking in the Canyonlands Needles District can't be beat with sublime scenery and lots of Ancestral Puebloan ruins, rock art, and artifacts! Warning: Lots of pics--they tell the story. My goals for this trip (with a zone backcountry permit for the Salt/Horse Zone) was to explore the lesser travelled canyons of Horse and Five Fingers. Horse is dry so I thought I'd have to move fast and get out to Salt Creek and water after one night. Going in I was blessed with a significant rain shower which provided me run off initially and pot hole water for the remainder of the trip. It was a miracle and my first time having to rely on finding pothole water sources! I used each sparingly and dipped into multiple ones to reduce the impact. In addition, the jeep trails have been closed from flooding so it felt like real wilderness! I saw no one in Horse or Five Fingers the whole trip. Not even recent tracks beyond my own! Both times on the main Salt Creek Trail I saw about 5 to 10 people. Thurs 26th Day one, hike into Horse Canyon just past junction of Trail Fork to position for tomorrow's day explorations, about 8 miles. The rain shower on the way filled my water bottles with slickrock run off and thus I never had to carry more than the gallon I started with and saved it all!
Getting started in showers
Getting started in showers
alcove rain cover
alcove rain cover
Precious aqua, in a dry canyon!
Precious aqua, in a dry canyon!
a wet potty
a wet potty
Rain  subsides
Rain subsides
Clearing skies!
Clearing skies!
Horse Canyon, Needles District
Horse Canyon, Needles District
Setting sun color
Setting sun color
Evening hits
Evening hits
Fri 27th I started today up the fork to the Thirteen faces panel. Missing them at first was a blessing as I just continued up canyon to the slick rock pouroffs for the view of the backside of Castle Arch and thus was blessed to find more precious rain water in small potholes! This water allowed me to be comfortable for the entire 2nd day in this dry canyon and even have enough for the hike back out to Salt Creek tomorrow.
Bobcat!
Bobcat!
Pretty day
Pretty day
Backside of Castle Arch
Backside of Castle Arch
More precious water!
More precious water!
slit arch
slit arch
Returning down canyon I found the faces and some other neat ancestral puebloan sites. Back in Horse I continued up canyon to Fortress Arch, also finding an isolated rock art Face and a couple other arches, too!
Frontside Castle
Frontside Castle
Fortress Arch
Fortress Arch
Fortress canyon
Fortress canyon
Conical Arch
Conical Arch
Parapet Double Arch
Parapet Double Arch
The remainder of the day I spent locating and taking the only known route out of the Horse canyon system. I hoped to establish route potential for further explorations into Davis and/or Lavender Canyons on another trip. It goes, but with a multiday pack it will be delicate! The view into Davis Canyon was great. Returning back through Trail Fork Canyon, I roamed the alcoves (big ones!) and found some of the best ancestral puebloan sites of the entire trip: great art of little known Faces and dwellings, granaries, and even a kiva.
Trail Fork arch
Trail Fork arch
Trail Fork exit
Trail Fork exit
Davis Canyon view
Davis Canyon view
Where I came from
Where I came from
Reentry
Reentry
3rd class friction entry
3rd class friction entry
headed to camp
headed to camp
Big alcove--hmm
Big alcove--hmm
I probably covered around 12 miles this day and 1500 vertical. I love the Trail Fork! Sat 28th Today was camp relocating day so I left for the 4 miles down Horse back to Salt Creek. Found another great archaeology site on a whim. My clue was that someone built a rock pile ladder to start a climb into an alcove!
downcanyon unnamed arch
downcanyon unnamed arch
Canyonlands National Park: Paul Bunyan's Potty
Canyonlands National Park: Paul Bunyan's Potty
Paul Bunyans bastard child
Paul Bunyans bastard child
Turning up Salt Creek I explored my way up canyon near Peekaboo for rock art and continued onto the junction with the Five Fingers Canyon system. I went up Five Fingers to the edge that my camping zone permit for Salt/Horse Zone would let me. Just beyond that I found a significant existing camp so I thought that would be best in following LNT practices! Five Fingers has clear running water off and on for the first mile and a half!
Into Five Fingers Canyon system
Into Five Fingers Canyon system
Near a new camp
Near a new camp
Old Growth Crypto
Old Growth Crypto
Camp canyon
Camp canyon
Toward sunset I found a route out of a spur canyon onto the famous yellow and red formations of the Needles District slickrock for the sunset. Clouds muted it some but the view was great. All in all another 11 or 12 mile day with explorations.
Sunset on distant Wingate cliffs
Sunset on distant Wingate cliffs
Setting sun colors
Setting sun colors
Sun 29th My big day. The goal was to find a route out of Five Fingers for future traverse into the Butler/Chesler/Westside region of the Needles. This route would circumnavigate the Center of the Needles in a great loop some day if I found it. The shorter choice is the main West Fork of Five Fingers to Chesler Canyon. The longer, but maybe more reliable, would be the Middle Fork Five Fingers to Butler Wash. This is water free country so I opted for shorter. I made it out of the Main West Fork of 5 Fingers Canyon and in doing so actually scrambled a Benchmark (BM 6417'). I got fantastic views all around and down into Chesler Wash, but no way would I take a big pack over this and I had a bit of a route finding struggle to find my route back down. It all looks so similar!!!
small arch
small arch
starting a big day
starting a big day
Take the left one!
Take the left one!
I'll take the stairs!
I'll take the stairs!
Looking back
Looking back
Pt 6417', a shrine?
Pt 6417', a shrine?
View Upper Salt Creek head
View Upper Salt Creek head
View east
View east
Main W Fork Five Fingers
Main W Fork Five Fingers
Little seen arch
Little seen arch
Beautiful Chesler Wash
Beautiful Chesler Wash
Time to descend
Time to descend
What did I do?
What did I do?
W. Fk. arch
W. Fk. arch
Gotta try this
Gotta try this
Fun slickrock below moon
Fun slickrock below moon
I finally retraced my steps and couldn't contain my curiosity (though tired) so I went up the main Middle Fork of Five Fingers in the late afternoon to scout. Wa La, without even trying the final climb I could see that this would go with much less difficulty into Butler Wash. When the time comes the concern will be the distance to travel with no water sources.
Moon up
Moon up
Der Needles
Der Needles
End of the line arch
End of the line arch
That route out definitely goes!
That route out definitely goes!
Satisfied and happily returning to camp, I explored the nooks, junction buttresses, and alcoves for ancestral puebloan sites. Compared to Salt Creek this was paltry settlement with very simple and minimal construction but there is some interesting art. I wish I knew an archaeologist to confirm my crude observations! Another 12 mile day and about 1500 feet of climbing--rare for here. Mon 30th My body is a bit worn from many days in a row of hiking but I mosied out the 7 or 8 miles to the TH looking occasionally for arch. sites but mostly with my head contentedly in the sand!
Morning headed out
Morning headed out
Salt Creek beauty
Salt Creek beauty
Where it all began
Where it all began
For those who go: I have to add that I am maniacal about not busting crypto. I will say it is impossible to 100% do so, but that is my goal. At an archaeological site I watch every step and mostly only walk on bedrock and stop to view when I can no longer do so. The Park Service has a tough mission of protecting these fragile ecological and archaeological places so I will always try to leave no impact and ask the same. That said, these places bring me the absolutest great joy and I hope others can feel the power of these places. We are all better people for it, and we must protect it for those who follow. Here is a sample of what the Ancients left us to enjoy, protect, and ponder! (Thanks for listening to my sermon, sorry if it is too preachy)
Horse hands
Horse hands
Painted design door
Painted design door
granary tucked away
granary tucked away
Fingers in mud!
Fingers in mud!
Interior granary
Interior granary
Nice granary
Nice granary
2 of 13 Faces, said to be Fremont influenced
2 of 13 Faces, said to be Fremont influenced
5 of Thirteen Faces
5 of Thirteen Faces
Well preserved
Well preserved
Single outline face Castle Arch Canyon
Single outline face Castle Arch Canyon
Hmm, storage cist?
Hmm, storage cist?
Petroglyph over metate
Petroglyph over metate
Basic Kiva?
Basic Kiva?
High alcove dwelling
High alcove dwelling
Great view!
Great view!
This is in such an esoteric spot I was surprised to see it.  In an area where this Fremont shape is mostly in pictographs.
This is in such an esoteric spot I was surprised to see it. In an area where this Fremont shape is mostly in pictographs.
Great find: Faces!
Great find: Faces!
Fire cave and corrugated cherd
Fire cave and corrugated cherd
High dwelling
High dwelling
Granary, fire scar, pic
Granary, fire scar, pic
Kiva with air vent
Kiva with air vent
Seldom scene but right there!
Seldom scene but right there!
Nice, obvious, Horse Canyon
Nice, obvious, Horse Canyon
Oh wow!  Barrier Canyon style
Oh wow! Barrier Canyon style
Painted dots
Painted dots
Small anthropomorph???
Small anthropomorph???
Cool surprise tower
Cool surprise tower
Tower view
Tower view
Greyware cherd at site
Greyware cherd at site
Eerie at the end of the day
Eerie at the end of the day
Close up
Close up
Black on white (Mesa Verde?)
Black on white (Mesa Verde?)
Summer residence (no fire?)
Summer residence (no fire?)
Sentries of the canyon!
Sentries of the canyon!
Lots of hands
Lots of hands
Close up hands
Close up hands
Cool. last find
Cool. last find

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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the Zachster
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PostTue May 01, 2012 8:43 am 
What a great adventure! The ancient sites and art work are amazing...admiring them now, and also thinking about what was going on when they were created. Great report, thanks! up.gif up.gif up.gif

"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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John Morrow
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John Morrow
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PostThu May 03, 2012 3:37 pm 
the Zachster wrote:
What a great adventure! The ancient sites and art work are amazing...admiring them now, and also thinking about what was going on when they were created. Great report, thanks! up.gif up.gif up.gif
Thanks, Zachster! Yeah, that is a big part of the fun trying to imagine the day to day of the ancestral puebloans. Yesterday a friend showed me a lithic scatter that I would have missed and we thought, "Why would someone be creating and sharpening hunting points here??? Love questions like that. I also wondered if some of the pictographs were clues as to which canyons to take at junctions, etc. It really is great stuff to ponder. John

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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GaliWalker
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GaliWalker
Have camera will use
PostThu May 03, 2012 5:13 pm 
Fantastic! Great report. Reading through all that you saw, it's a bit deflating and exciting to realize that while I covered a lot of ground on my recent trip and saw so much good stuff, I've only scratched the surface. No way can I see it all...thankfully, I get to read your (and others') reports. up.gif

'Gali'Walker => 'Mountain-pass' walker bobbi: "...don't you ever forget your camera!" Photography: flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani
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silence
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silence
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PostThu May 03, 2012 5:38 pm 
wow .. we just dipped our toes in the needles for the 1st time a week b4 .. now you have me drooling for more .. i agree about the crypto .. everywhere you look the ground was covered in it .. it's like heather here .. you REALLY don't want to step on it .. so we found off-trail travel was rather limited and thus somewhat disappointing ... but still we were willing to make the sacrifice

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Benzarino
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PostFri May 04, 2012 10:43 am 
5 days must have been amazing up.gif What a great time of year for that trip, I should really get back there. Thanks for the report!

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snowshoeman
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PostFri May 04, 2012 8:42 pm 
Spectacular place. up.gif up.gif Great photos capturing the raw beauty of Canyonlands. Thanks for sharing your trip report. Would love to get into the Needles District someday. I had the good fortune of taking a 5 day backpacking trip through The Maze and Ernies Country awhile back. Very remote place. We didn't run into anyone else the whole trip. Seeing your pics of petroglyphs and artifacts reminds of what a very special place Canyonlands is. The excitement and element of discovery we experienced as we observed similar types of ancient structures, markings and artifacts was exhilarating. Really stretches the mind pondering their existence in these canyons. The combination of terrain, history and hydration challenges was like nothing I had ever experienced. Here are a few pics of stuff we found that was left behind by those earlier inhabitants from The Maze area of Canyonlands
petroglyphs
petroglyphs
fragments
fragments
structure?
structure?
more glyphs
more glyphs

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Hiker Mama
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PostSat May 05, 2012 11:14 pm 
Wow, that is so cool!

My hiking w/ kids site: www.thehikermama.com
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John Morrow
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PostSat May 12, 2012 7:09 pm 
Abert wrote:
We walked into Five Fingers Canyon the day you walked out. I should have known the only footprints I saw were a NWHiker's.
Entrance Five Fingers Canyon
Entrance Five Fingers Canyon
Well I'll be darned! I doubt that area is busy and yet two PNW'ers back to back. You didn't happen to be the group taking a break at Peekaboo when I went through toward the Salt Cr. TH were you? I was uncharacteristically untalkative--especially after 5 days. Love the pics. Looks like you went up that same westernmost canyon I did. I'd love to see more pics if you are interested in posting a few more. Thanks, John

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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John Morrow
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PostMon May 14, 2012 6:45 pm 
Great pics! Thanks for the link to your Picassa site. I may have walked into your Salt Creek camp and said something stupid like, "Does this trail go back to the river?" Salt Creek is not much of a river. Incidentally we did some similar stuff on Cedar Mesa too: https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7997880 Did you make it to the Chesler or Butler divide with Five Fingers? I wondered about that right gully. Thanks for sharing. John

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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harinama
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PostTue May 15, 2012 1:57 pm 
Thank you for the wonderful pictures. I went to southern UTAH 6 years in a row to see the canyons. It's been a while, i think it's time to go back! Tentative planning for spring 2013!

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nickagee
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nickagee
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PostWed Jun 06, 2012 8:38 pm 
Very cool, John. Thanks for sharing.

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