Needles district Canyonlands

This past Sunday 4/14 with the girls on spring break we loaded up the truck to drive down to Utah and visit some spring warmth and hiking in a land like no other. On the drive out there I had stopped to fill up and left the gas cap off like a dumbass. I didn't notice until almost 60 miles later when I had to stop again for the wife and a requested pee break. So I put it back on and another 50 miles down the highway some dash warning lights go off. The ABS and TRAC lights are on solid and the 4hi 4lo lights are flashing. The lights came on while I'm throttling over 80 mph so I let go of the gas and merge over towards an upcoming off ramp. I'm thinking the lights have to do with the evap codes commonly thrown when the gas cap wasn't tightened properly. So I unscrew the the cap, inspect it for damage and when I don't see any, I put it back on. I also check a few fuses and get back in and start it up. The abs and trac light are still on at this point but no 4hi 4 lo flashing so I drive forward about 30 yards and they click off. I put the truck in park again and wait a few moments. At this point I think I've cleared the codes by resetting the gas cap and decide to shift it back into drive and pull away and get back on I-70. I drive all the way into moab, approx another 130, miles down the road and the lights never come back on.


We stop in moab to refuel one last time before heading towards the desolate area aptly named the Needles District of Canyonlands NP. No lights on and I drive away again. Another 10 miles down the road all 3 lights come back on and at this point I'm like fuck it. It's shifting normal and I don't need 4 wheel anything and ABS and trac control are overrated anyhow. So I hammer the remainder of the drive into our campground at Needles Outpost camp right outside the park boundary.


We get to camp and walk around the fins and settle into the evening with snacks, bourbon and a beautiful sunset. We set the kids up in a teepee that came with our campground and we make the back of the truck into our kidless oasis. For dinner I grilled some burgers and loaded them up with sliced avo, tomatoes, lettuce and bacon that I had precooked at home. I also serve them with a homemade potato hash from the cast iron griddle. I'm telling the girls that there are some people in my mens group that absolutely love Five Guys as we're enjoying dinner and the kids immediately tell me that my burgers are way better than any five guys...

A few photos from the drive in and camp set up.

 

Monday morning we are greeted with 40° temps and rain clouds all around us. The kids slept inside the teepee and have yet to be seen so I make some coffee and look out towards the storm and rain clouds west of us. I bust out bagels and lox with capers, diced onion and cream cheese for breakfast. My wife isn't happy about the temps nor are the kiddos so we ditch plans for any long hikes and just drive into the park for a look see. I start the truck and see that the ABS and trac light are on so I drive forward 30 yards and they click off. We end up hiking a few short hikes and have lunch roadside amongst the red and pink rock spires and sage brush. After 4 or so hours of darting between storm cells the wife and kids have had enough of the park.





So as we're leaving I mention that newspaper rock isn't too far down the road so we push the day on to go check it out. The dash lights were off the entirety of the day driving short legs between the stops in the park and when I get moving at a good clip again I notice that they pop on around 50 mph. I also ignore this and push on to see newspaper rock. When we get to newspaper rock the sun is shining. As we're leaving a slight rain paints the rock a deep red as we continue to take in the spectacle of the petroglyphs and make up stories of what it all means.





After leaving newspaper rock we head back towards our camp and make plans to warm up and relax for the rest of the day. Tuesday's weather is expected to be much warmer and clear so I tell the kids about a long hike that will take us into the land of the needles formations and slot canyons that I really want to see. All the girls agree on my hike selection and we finish the day back at camp. I putter around camp making a nice big fire and decided to take the battery cables off the truck for the remainder of the evening. I grilled up some bbq chicken thighs and prep a slaw and heat up some baked beans over the coals of the fire. We wind down shortly after another stunning setting sun.

 

Tuesday morning is crisp and chilly as I awake around 0630. I walk the small camp to stretch the legs, and take in the morning colors in the lingering storm clouds. I heat up coffee and make a breakfast of sausage and grits that I separate into bowls. I also pan fry up some over easy eggs to top the salty buttery goodness awaiting their arrival. We depart camp by 0745 and drive into the park again. This time we have to drive off road for a few miles to get to the elephant hill trail head. This trailhead is also the start of one of Utah's most technical 4X4 routes the begins at elephant hill.

The hike began up a steep climb into the fins and spires that make up the heart of the Needles. I'm awestruck by the beauty and unusual nature that surrounds us. The formations remind me of kindergarteners candle making projects with hues of of pink, blush, red, white and off beige as they are layered into and on top of one another. The trail winds up the sandstone slopes and crests with a stair like entrance into elephant canyon. The hike requires scrambling and paying close attention to our off camber footing as we climb across the sandstone ledges throughout the canyon. Up and down we go through a forrest of rock like no other. Silence surrounds us as we can only hear our steps on the stone and deep breaths in our lungs.









We climb into the needles and sneak through slots between the massive rocks before we come to a grassy plateau with yet another set of needles just over a quarter mile away. We cross the plateau and come to an intersection labeled The Joint. As we turned southwest on the trail and walk into an area known as Chesler Park I was with rank excitement thinking about this trail.










A week prior to this impromptu adventure we had planned last minute for spring break I had mentioned to my wife that I wanted to hike The Joint trail. She frowned at me and said, this isn't about reliving your college days Jay. It's a trip for the girls. Now that I was at the crossroads and staring down into the rocks that make up The Joint, It was the highlight of my day and this trip. The Joint isn't exactly a slot canyon but looks like one. It's referred to as the joint because of how two separate rock formations stand side by side and create just over a half mile long tunnel of passage between them at their base. Throughout most parts of the joint trail the towering walls were barely shoulder width apart. However, there were a few sections where it was closer to a few feet wide, and a few other sections where it was quite wide.



As we descended a set of man made steps that took us down into the passage I was excited to lead the girls into a section of trail that I had not told them about. At the bottom they looked at me and then down the long line of the crack, and then at me again, and then down into the slot like canyon again, and finally asked where does the trail go? All 3 of them wide eyed and excited they were still unsure. I told them to go into the chasm and not a one of them believed me. I reiterated that the trail follows the joint of the 2 rocks and we started our way into the surreal joint.








It took us about 30 minutes to sloth our way through the passage. We came out cleansed of man made thoughts after walking through The Joint. On the other side we all agreed that this small section of trail was one of the most amazing experiences we've ever had hiking. It's damn near impossible to explain in words how beautiful it truly was. Our experience was even more beautiful because while we were in The Joint we saw no one, heard no one and had it all to ourselves for the time we were there.





As we came out of the trail we stopped to take in the experience and decided to have lunch at the opposite end of the chasm. When we're we're finishing up our sandwiches a young couple walked out of the crack also wide eyed and gleefully smiling. The guy looked at me as said, that was the coolest thing I've ever done.

We finished up lunch and put our packs back on to continue on the rest of the hike. At this point I gave the girls an option; We could A: walk back the way we came in reverse 5.9 miles. Or B: continue on and loop the hike and only have to retrace our steps near the very end 5.6 miles. They chose to loop the hike back around towards the trailhead. We descended a slope towards the 4x4 road and walked on it for just over 1/2 a mile before we came to another trail which would continue the loop and climbed steeply to a rock outcropping. The trail wound us through dry stream beds and over sloping sandstone as we followed the cairns up into Chesler Park's ubiquitous spires.



After the big hump up to the outcropping we stopped again to take in the views and decompress. The girls were getting tired and I had pushed them pretty hard to this point. We had just under 3 miles left I I didn't want to have any injuries near the end of such a impressive hike so far. We meandered through a few more joints and came back to the trailhead in good spirits. The girls and I were beat. This was our first big hike this season and the elevation gain and loss throughout the day netted us almost 1800' over the course of 11.5 miles. We finished the hike with stops included in 5.25 hours and I was in need of some good camp time.


When we returned to camp we spent our time reminiscing the days events and talked of our schedule for Wednesday. Sleep was welcomed that evening and the morning came in an instant after such a strenuous day.


My wife and I had initially planned to hike some more in the Fischer Towers area on the way home but everyone agreed that we didn't need to extend our drive home and push the girls any more on sore and blistered feet. I drove the truck home like I normally would even through all my lights were still on the dash screaming at me that something was amiss. We came home to snow on our decks and news that cooper Mtn had received 18" of fresh snow on Tuesday while we were out in the desert soaking up the sun. The air was cool and thin like I like it and I unloaded all the gear and started to clean and put everything away.



We had all felt refreshed from the desert warmth and the lack of cell phone reception over the last four days. I always feel like it's nice to reset and give the internet connectivity up for few days and spend that time in a one on one connection with nature and the people we love. The Tundra performed flawlessly even with the lights on for the majority of the trip. Now I've got to find the time to start hunting down what's throwing the code for me. Could be anything from a bad battery, wheel bearing to wheel sensor or even the abs module itself...

 

Sounds like an amazing trip, we need to make it down there soon.
Good luck on the truck!

 

Thanks for the awesome write up and pictures! Hope the codes are an easy fix.

 

Thanks. Highly recommend spring and fall desert trips if you go. It's gets unbearably hot in the summers and the crowds tends to thin out in the shoulder seasons.

 

Thank you as well. I'm throwing a wheel sensor code C0210. I'll have more time and better weather looking into everything tomorrow.

 

Update: pulled the bad wheel sensor and it was covered in grease. Possible bad bearing seal? More digging before I just start buying parts. The wheel has no play in it and no noise is coming from it either which definitely would indicate a bad bearing. Could the seal just be bad and that's why I'm not getting play or noise from the bearing?

 

I’m headed up to Moab area in May to see The Swell, off-road to Moab and then drive Northeast.
Anyone interested in doing this trip w me?

 

This is a great time to be there.

 

Great pictures and writing!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I hadn't broken out my dslr since last summer and when I was getting ready for this trip I couldn't find the battery charger for it. So I didn't bring my Cannon and used my wife's iPhone because she has a much better camera in hers than mine. I was quite impressed with the way a lot of the pics came out.

 

Great pictures and write up! Bummer about the truck, but sometimes you gotta pay to play

 

Thanks man. I do love time with the kids when we can exclude cell phones and add nature in its place.

Hahaha. She wears those Chacos everywhere, so she'll gladly accept the high five I'll pass along.

I did end up ordering the 2 bearing seals for that rear axel from Toyota. I'll get into it once they arrive.

 

Love Canyonlands. 40 is the ideal temperature for down there lol, way better than trying to go hiking when it's 100 in the summer. Elephant Hill itself really isn't that difficult any more IMO as they've been putting concrete/asphalt in some of the more difficult parts. I coached my dad over it in his stock '08 T4R with nary a scrape a few years ago, put a photo in my media of him going over one of the paved over sections. Hope you get the bearing sorted out!

 

Love this write up. Makes me excited to get back to canyonlands. We did a single day there prior to skiing at Brighton and it wasn't anywhere near enough time.

The off-road sections you had to do, stock tundra friendly?

 

Very friendly for the off-road section get to elephant hill trail head. A stock Prius could make it. The co river overlook is also doable and more of a 4x road. There are quite a few four-wheel-drive roads in the park. And if you're unsure of where you could go in a stock Tundra just stop in at the visitor center and have a chat with them and they'll help you out.

 

Great trip Old Guy 03!
Mystery ⭐️ Lights 〽️

 

I’ll be there over the next few months, may go a couple times, lots to see.
Fabulous photos and family fun.

 

Thanks man. Bring your water. It was already pushing the limits of what I like for heat and temps. Especially if your hiking a lot.

 

40's a bit on the cool side for comfortable for me, but I'm with you, cooler is better than heat. That's a sweet photo of your dad's rig on elephant hill.