Canyonlands Classic

Shuttle to the Trailhead: 1.5-2 hour drive Hiking Mileage: 5 miles Elevation Gain: 360 feet We begin this exceptional Canyonlands backpacking tour with pick-up from your hotel in Moab and make our way out to the Needles District. Our hike begins with a gentle ascent to our first of a series of sandstone ridges with expansive views of the snow-covered La Sal Mountains to the northeast. We travel in and out of canyons that tease us with views of wave upon wave of colorful sandstone formations below. We will eventually drop down into our canyon home. We will set up camp for the night and then sit down for a relaxing wilderness dinner prepared by your guide. If we’re lucky we’ll have the opportunity to see why the International Dark Sky Association granted a gold-tier status to Canyonlands – an honor reserved for the darkest of night skies. Some of our Utah backpacking guests say the stunningly vivid view of the Milky Way is the biggest highlight of their trip!

Hiking Mileage: 5 miles Elevation Gain: 300 feet The morning begins with a departure from camp via the floor of a wide, beautiful canyon out to a remote and marvelous arch. Elephant Canyon is an endless delight of sandstone rock formations that enchant us as we make our way to the head of the canyon. The final section of the trail is a challenging, adventurous climb, first up a ladder, and then a scramble up a ravine to top us out onto a slickrock saddle. At the saddle, we see Druid Arch’s unique, angular and elongated double openings right in front of us! We will marvel at this arch and how it came to be before making our way back to camp for a wonderful dinner, relaxing evening and great night’s sleep.

Hiking Mileage: 4-8 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 500 feet After breakfast, we will leave camp with what we need for the day and head off on a day hiking journey through Chesler Park. Our adventure today will be an exhilarating one, full of unique rock formations and an exciting narrow canyon formed from a linear fracture in the rock layers. What these geological events leave for us is a stunning pathway through meadows of rock formations, tight, shear rock walls, tunnels opening up to chambers and exciting rock scramble transitions. We will finish the loop back to our campground for another beautiful evening.