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Geography
| Needles, Canyonlands   | 
| Page Type: Area Location: California, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.13024°N / 109.80835°W Trail Type: Cross Country, Downhill, Mountain Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter | Page By: Cedar Created/Edited: Nov 23, 2007 / Nov 23, 2007 Object ID: 264670 Hits: 379 Loading... Page Score: 87.32% - 5 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
OverviewThe Needles district of Canyonlands offers some of the most challenging rides in the park. These are spread throughout the region and used only to experienced.
This section of Canyonlands is the largest of the three (the others being Island in the Sky and Maze). The terrain is varied and sometimes unpredictable.
Because of its location in the national park, bikes are limited to the hundred or so miles of unpaved and 4-wheel drive roads. The park also charges a $10 fee at the visitor center.Getting ThereThe Needles are about an hour away from Monticello to the south and an hour and a half from Moab to the north. Both are atttached to the region by US-191.
Look for this when coming in. |
From Moab
Moab is a small town located in the Moab Valley on the Colorado River. The town has plenty of biking on its own and well known for it. It has its own page on MbPost here.
From its town center, head south on US-191 past the Needles Overlook intersection and Wilson Arch. Turn right at the road signed for Canyonlands National Park and turn right. Continue on past the road to the Needles Outpost and into a wonderland of rock fingers.
From Monticello
Rather larger than Moab, Monticello is the gateway city visitors will encounter entering from Cortez, CO.
At the junction of US-421 (US-666), drive north on US-191. The road will come to an intersection about 40 miles later. Turn left and again, drive into the fields of towering fingers of rock.Rules and RegulationsAs mentioned before, biking is restricted to the roads and off the trails. A permit is also required if venturing into the areas labeled as wilderness (on the park map) and/or if spending the night out camping.
Do not ride or even walk off the roads as the soil (called crytobiotic crust) contains the vital ingredients of life for it to survive here. This is detailed further down.Cryptobiotic CrustCryptobiotic crust is actually a bundled mixture of microscophic life. This includes cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), moss, lichens and fungi. These lifeforms cling on to soil particles around them to form a dark brown colored crust which hold in nutrients and water for the plants which grow in them. When stepped on, the organisms die and release the soil particles which will often expose plant roots which come up looking for water once held by the crust.
Elephant Hill, Needles. |
It is often said that a hiker's footstep can kill a decade's worth of growth. This is more than true for mountain bikers. When soil becomes loose, it, most likely, will gain flight and land on other patches on undestroyed crust and deprive it of sunlight causing it to die. This process repeats and can cause serious destruction which may take up to evena century to recover.External LinksMany of these sites contain vital and/or interesting information.
Canyonlands NP - Needles- A page set up by the NPS on the Needles District.
Soil Crust - Wikipedia- More on cryptobiotic soil from Wikipedia. Images |
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