Chesler Park Backpacking

When most people think of Canyonlands National Park, what comes to mind likely is the vast open landscape of the Island in the Sky District where the Colorado and Green Rivers have cut deep, wide canyons in the sandstone.  The Needles District, approximately 1.5 hours by car from Moab, is quite different.  Also formed by erosion, it is a much more intimate landscape, filled with spires of every shape, fins, slot canyon-like crevices between huge boulders, and grassy meadows.  In other words, a photographer's paradise.  

Getting a campsite in the Needles can be quite competitive, so when I went to look at fall dates I was happy to see that there was plenty of availability at the Chesler Park campsite for in late October.  I convinced my friend and fellow photographer, Tristan, to join me on the camping trip and we settled on the night of October 20.  

I had done overnight camping/photography trips before, but this would be the first where I'd have to carry in all the water I would need since there aren't any water sources.  That meant not only did I bring a full water bladder in my backpack, I also added two water bottles to the load.  That, combined with camera gear, made a pretty heavy pack for such a short trip.  

From the start of the hike at the Elephant Hill Trailhead to the campsite was about 3.5 miles through some of the most otherworldly scenery you can imagine.  A good description of the hike can be found here. 

Chesler Park is a large circular meadow surrounded by rock formations that gave the Needles District its name.  The trail basically hugs the sides of the meadow, forming a loop.  Our campsite was a little past 1/4 of the way around the loop going clockwise.  After setting up camp, we decided to resume hiking along the loop to find a spot to photograph the sunset.  Near the start of the Joint Trail, I found an elevated spot that looked back over Chesler Park to the needles at the other side.  To make the foreground more interesting, I composed shots with several water pockets in the foreground.  Unfortunately, the day's clouds cleared out before sunset, but the rock formations still made for some good shots.  Following sunset, we hiked back to the campsite, had dinner, and got to sleep early.  

I was on my own for photography the next morning.  About 45 minutes before sunrise, I hiked back in the direction of the prior evening's session, but opted for a different composition - using the trail as a leading line back to the needles.  The sunrise ended up having a lot more color than the sunset and the winds were mostly calm, making it easier to keep the grass in focus.  Overall, I was pretty happy with the result (pictured above).  

I joined Tristan for a quick breakfast back at camp and then we were off on our return hike to the trailhead.  All-in-all, it was a rewarding experience and I left the trip wanting more, which always is a good thing.