Elephant Hill Trail

Trail Leaders

Michael & Debbie Dosen

Saturday, April 9

Linda Adams

Tuesday, April 12

Brett Davis

Sunday, April 10

Marlin & Julia Sharp

Thursday, April 14

Rick Whiteside

Monday, April 11

The National Park Service likes to keep its trails readily available to the public and not cluttered with large groups. Again this year we plan to use this trail under controlled conditions on weekdays. The trail enters the beautiful small canyons, called “Grabens” in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and is renowned for its challenge to stock vehicles. Because of the most recent permit restrictions, the trail is limited in size. The popularity of the trip, combined with this last round of restrictions, has led the Club to off er the trip more times during the week, but with an overall group size of ten. The leader of each trip will pick among the options available. The variables that eff ect each leader’s choice are: group travel rate, group size, Safari activities in Moab that participants desire to attend, weather, road conditions, etc.

All choices will include the famous Elephant Hill. From there one choice will be to walk the Joint Trail, a fascinating narrow and deep crack in a rock layer. The other option will walk to an overlook of the deeply entrenched confl uence of the Colorado and Green rivers. A fast traveling group that has no evening plans in Moab could possibly do both. Participants have to trust our leaders to make the right choice for their group. Approximate mileages: 178 total, 22 off highway.

The restrictions we put on the signups for this trail are really worth noting, so you can avoid throwing away your registration money. First, your vehicle must be capable of sustaining a 55mph speed on the highway since the trip involves about 75 miles of highway driving each way. Next, your vehicle needs to carry enough fuel for 180 miles of travel, because fuel may or may not be available at the Needles Outpost. Third, the National Park Service will require the normal entrance fee be paid and that all NPS rules be followed by participants (visit NPS.gov to determine current fee).

Rules say pets are not allowed on the 4x4 trails even in vehicles, and the NPS inspects for street legality of vehicles and will refuse to allow those blatantly non Utah legal to enter the park. Our leaders cannot help you if the NPS refuses you entrance, they have to abide by the rules and take the legal group in and leave you behind! Fourth, our fi nal restriction is no long wheelbases (over 116”).

Scenery: The tall cliff s lining the rivers are similar to those seen near Moab. Most of the surface rock formations, however, are of the Cedar Mesa Sandstone Formation, which produces the spectacular colors of the canyons, spires, and balanced rocks that give the Needles District its name.

Road Surface: The ridge crossings are mainly rock ledges while the roads in the bottom of the grabens are mostly fi ne powder laced with a few rocks.

Highlights: Elephant Hill itself features diffi cult climbs in both directionseven after cement was added to some ledges to obviate the need for chinking them with loose rocks. There are other ledges between grabens, and a little slickrock over the Silver Stairs.