Winter Trip to Needles

Cody

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Joined
Mar 4, 2012
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Desperate for some clean air and pre-holiday solitude, I skipped town for an overnight loop in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. I stopped in at Park HQ in Moab to talk over permit options since the Canyonlands permit page indicated the Needles Visitor Center was closed for the season (this year). Chatting with a Ranger, I learned that permits are self-serve only at the visitor center for now... and free. Not that I would have minded paying--wouldn't be the first time I've paid the park $30 for a worthy overnight solo trip--but it was a rather nice surprise to get a permit on the house.

I had the only permit in all of Needles that night. In fact, the permit matrix was blank for the two weeks prior as well.

Just as I was heading to Elephant Hill, the sky lit up like this:

Needles Winter Sunset.jpg
Needles Winter Sunset-2.jpg








I parked the truck at Elephant Hill TH and strapped the microspikes and gaiters on my boots for an icy, moonlight hike into Elephant Canyon, where I would be camping at EC1, just a couple miles in. The Geminid meteor shower was peaking over the weekend and I saw plenty from the trail and many laying in camp as well; some were surprisingly bright even with a nearly full moon.


PC140004.JPG

It was very cold of course, and not much daylight to work with; but seeing the park in snow conditions was quite nice.

Come morning, I looped through the Joint Trail and Chesler Park counter-clockwise and then headed out Elephant Canyon in the afternoon, back to the truck at dusk. Great weekend to be in Canyonlands, and a bargain!

La Sal from Needles Viewpoint.jpg

Chesler Park-7.jpg

Chesler Park-8.jpg
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Chesler Park-9.jpg

Chesler Park-2.jpg

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That's great news about the permits, I didn't realize they were free in the winter time. I may just have to plan a trip out there in the next few months.
 
That's great news about the permits, I didn't realize they were free in the winter time. I may just have to plan a trip out there in the next few months.

It's not normally the case, but with the federal budget such as it is, they had to shut things down that they normally don't. The ranger I spoke with at Park HQ really regretted that they had to scale back so much. That aside, it is a great time to see the park.

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They definitely weren't free when I did a very similar trip during the same time of year in 2012.

Props to you for sleeping out under the stars in such cold weather.
 
Well done Cody! What do you figure the lowest temp. you experienced was? Microspikes are the bomb! Some of the slickrock gets pretty dicey with ice on it. What do you figure your total hike mileage was?
 
Well done Cody! What do you figure the lowest temp. you experienced was? Microspikes are the bomb! Some of the slickrock gets pretty dicey with ice on it. What do you figure your total hike mileage was?

It probably got down around 15 degrees. The sections I did were not horrible with ice, but melt and freeze on some southern aspects has made some very slippery sections. I was reminded that there was a fatality in Needles about a year ago on an icy exposed section of trail between Squaw and Big Springs. I steered clear of there although my original plan was to spend a second night in Big Springs. Total mileage was probably only 13 or so miles. I took my time, and lots of photos.

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I did this hike with my wife last November, and it was incredible. I thought we were tough for doing in with a low of 35. No shelter, in that cold, is impressive.

I'll definitely hit that hike again this year.

Did the Ranger fill you in on the new "carry out your own shit" rule?
 
I did this hike with my wife last November, and it was incredible. I thought we were tough for doing in with a low of 35. No shelter, in that cold, is impressive.

I'll definitely hit that hike again this year.

Did the Ranger fill you in on the new "carry out your own shit" rule?

No mention of it, but I was aware of the change. The EH Trailhead now has a human waste bag disposal receptacle.

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When I saw your sleeping bag with no tent I thought "Is this the way everyone on here camps in winter?" I'm glad to see everyone else marveling at it as well because I was feeling like a serious lightweight! Okay, I am a lightweight but not as bad as I thought. :D Great trip, thanks for sharing!
 
Awesome trip, Cody. Feels like I say this every year, but I really want to get down there the winter. Just gotta get one where I'm not injured or working 70 hours a week like right now I guess. Thanks for posting.

When I saw your sleeping bag with no tent I thought "Is this the way everyone on here camps in winter?" I'm glad to see everyone else marveling at it as well because I was feeling like a serious lightweight! Okay, I am a lightweight but not as bad as I thought. :D Great trip, thanks for sharing!

Out of all the times of the year to go tent-free, winter is one of the best, in my opinion. Zero creepy crawlies whatsoever! It's nice to get under something like a tree to keep the frost off though. I've gone so far as to lean a camp chair forward over my head for the purpose, but I've also had some times where it was so cold (subzero) that frost never even formed!
 
I agree. Moisture isn't a problem, and all the bugs are gone. If it's going to be above 20*, I prefer to sleep under the stars.
 
Okay, that's two that have mentioned bugs. How bad are the bugs at night in summer w/o a tent? Just wondering, had a weird thing happen with a guy friend once (long story, no not telling).
 
Yeah, it varies wildly. After many, many nights of sleeping sans-tent in a variety of conditions, I tend to prefer a little bug protection when the nights are more than 50-60 degrees. I haven't had anything too traumatic happen aside from frequent little bites on my scalp, crushing a large gooey thing on my tarp in my sleep, having one night where I was being bombarded by invisible, extremely painful biting no-see-ums, witnessing mice attack swarms of oversized daddy long legs around my head and getting through half of a tornado where I had to tie down everything to rocks including my sleeping bag and pad. Oh.. and that time when it rained really hard and I didn't bring a tent or rain jacket on a 4-day backpack trip. Phew. Tents are fun sometimes. So are tarps.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Cody! ;)
 
Out of all the times of the year to go tent-free, winter is one of the best, in my opinion. Zero creepy crawlies whatsoever! It's nice to get under something like a tree to keep the frost off though.

I agree. Moisture isn't a problem, and all the bugs are gone. If it's going to be above 20*, I prefer to sleep under the stars.

Pros for a tent: creates a static air bubble (if you have a rain fly on), offers some privacy, provides illusion of shelter. Cons for a tent: weight, holds respiration close (if you have a rain fly on).

Phew. Tents are fun sometimes. So are tarps.

I've been quite impressed with the hammock/cat-cut tarp combination in my limited use so far. I could see it working well in the winter under proper conditions.
 
Pros for a tent: creates a static air bubble (if you have a rain fly on), offers some privacy, provides illusion of shelter. Cons for a tent: weight, holds respiration close (if you have a rain fly on).

Other cons: more work to setup/break down, blocks view of night sky, makes it harder to get up and take a leak in the middle of the night. ;)

I've been quite impressed with the hammock/cat-cut tarp combination in my limited use so far. I could see it working well in the winter under proper conditions.


I love the idea of a hammock but I'm a side/stomach sleeper so I could never do it. :(
 
I love the idea of a hammock but I'm a side/stomach sleeper so I could never do it. :(

Modern hammocks are actually a lot friendlier to side sleepers. I'm one, and as long as the hammock's set up right, it's great. Stomach is hard though.
 
I've been quite impressed with the hammock/cat-cut tarp combination in my limited use so far. I could see it working well in the winter under proper conditions.
I have a Hennesy Hammock that I really enjoy for bug season. Whether wet or dry, it's so nice to keep all the gear off the ground and it is a zip-in setup so it's a combo hammock and bug net. Cat-cut tarp for overhead cover too. I haven't yet explored under-quilts much, but I'm really anxious to build a winter hammock setup. I'll probably work on that this winter.
 
Nice, meteor shower in winter. AND a place to drop your droppings. I still got issues with the WAG bags. I have nightmares about them:)

No bivy sack even! I sleep under stars a lot but like the wind shielding aspects of a lightweight breathable bivy. All moisture freezes on the top of the bivy and not on my bag.
Are there enough trees to hang a hammock in Needles?? Hammocks are big in the east but never tried them.
 
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