An unforgettable backpacking trip through the incomparable scenery of Canyonland’s Salt Creek Canyon.  This classic hike, located in the Needles District, surveys one of the few places in the Park that has water year round.  Perhaps the biggest thrills on this hike are the enormous amount of ruins, hanging gardens and arches.

Type of Trip:  Backpacking/Camping
Dates:  March – November
Number of Days: 5
Total Miles:  30
Elevation Gain Loss: 2130ft
Difficulty:  Moderately strenuous
Orientation Time:  8am the day of the hike
Orientation Location:  La Quinta – Moab
Trip Departure: 9am
Trip Return:  4pm 

Cost:  $1225 per person

** This trip can be customized around different starting point and times**

In the Needles area of the park you’ll discover an amazing desert landscape of stacked boulders, soaring spires and dramatic color.  Salt Creek is no exception!  This canyon is a green island in the midst of a redrock desert. There are few hikes in the Southwest where one can experience two different ecosystems, which makes this hike unique.  The setting for the canyon’s greenery is an amazing array of red, white and black sandstone sculptures carved into alcoves, natural arches, pinnacles and many other uniquely shaped formations. 

Possibly the most interesting sites on this hike are the ancient cliff dwellings and rock art that were left behind by the Anasazi and Fremont Indians centuries ago. The cliffs are superabundant with their ancient pictographs and prehistoric granaries.   Our layover day will allow time for us to explore other structures that lie hidden away in the depths of these side canyons. The Anasazi Indians were one of the earliest cultures to start farming, and they must have found this level-bottomed canyon an ideal place to grow their crops.