Category: desert

The best guidebook for Canyonlands was written by Bill Schneider.

Somehow, “Salt Creek” seems to describe a dry, harsh, and unpleasant place when quite the opposite is true. Upper Salt Creek is definitely one of the most delightful places in the Canyonlands region, and it deserves a name like “Paradise Creek”.

Details from our just posted information page:

* in the Needles section of the National Park
* walk in the wash of a broad canyon
* sometimes strenuous hiking
* 24.2mi (39km) Upper Salt Creek from Cathedral Butte to Peakaboo, plus sidetrips
* minimum 3 days for the normal route
* most hikers will want to do a number of (essential) sidetrips, some more challenging
* many more excellent shorter hikes in this region
* the only easy way to do our recommended route is with two vehicles
* worst months are June – Aug when average highs of 104F (40C) can strike down even fit hikers
* open year round, best months are in the Spring and Fall

more Salt Creek photos – Joel Duenow

WHY WE LIKE THIS HIKE

… The highlight for many is lovely Angel Arch. (1mi sidetrip)

* more arches: Wedding Ring, Fish-eye, Kirk and Natural.
* stream flows through much of the canyon, year round! (a rarity in this region)
* wildlife—mule deer, coyote, bobcat, cougar
* rock art and ruins
* it’s difficult to get lost as you follow the creek.

Greg Smith, the wildergeek, “wild camped”. But read his comments on the flickr photo page for this pic:

Seems you can no longer legally camp at this spot. Too bad.

Check carefully with the Rangers. Some wild camping is allowed, with restrictions.

Everything you need to know to organize your hike: Upper Salt Creek in Utah is one of the best hikes in the world.

It’s all good.

This may be the best region in the world for hikers.

i could not find a bad official hike anywhere out of Moab, Utah.

That’s a problem for someone trying to list the “best hikes”. Still, in this post I sum up recommendations for hikers coming to the area for the first time. It’s a starting point.

Travel to Moab, Utah … in a motor vehicle. The US National Park system caters to everyone, no matter how obese. No matter how obese their motor home.

But the hiker with no vehicle is looked upon with suspicion. Indeed, is cited if caught hitchhiking.

Best hikes closest to Moab:

Delicate Arch, Arches

Devil’s Garden, Arches
Negro Bill’s Canyon

A mad walker can do these 3 dayhikes and more in a long day. Better would be 2-days.

Next drive 45min up to astonishing Dead Horse Point State Park. In fact, I suggest you stay in the car campground there, one of the best in the entire 4 corners region.

source – USGS

Next, move on to Island in the Sky in Canyonlands and hike (at least) Syncline Loop. There are perhaps 6 more essential short “parking lot hikes” including Mesa Arch. You need minimum 2 days on the Island in the Sky.

I’d strongly recommend you bypass Canyonland’s The Maze entirely. It’s too remote, too dangerous. Perhaps the most isolated land mass anywhere in the lower 48 States.

Instead, take a leisurely, scenic drive down to The Needles. Spend the rest of your hiking days there starting with the Chesler Park area.

campsite CP2 – Needles

You can do a lot in a week out of Moab as access to trailheads is so easy and most of the trails short. (Two weeks would be twice as good.)

And there is plenty to interest everyone. Many of the walks are wheelchair accessible. But those looking for adventure need merely scramble off-trail up the slickrock.

Read Edward Abbey’s 1968 classic Desert Solitaire while in the desert.

The Fall is slightly better than Spring for this region. The bugs are gone by early August. October would be best — but in October 2006 some of the roads were washed out due to atypical rainy weather.