FEBRUARY 2010
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| TRAIL LEADING INTO THE KITCHEN |
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| NARROWS SECTION |
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| LOOKING TOWARDS THE KITCHEN |
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| DEVILS KITCHEN AREA FROM AFAR |
Devils Kitchen is a beautiful loop hike through the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The best place to begin this hike is the Elephant Hill Trailhead. However, because I was hiking in February, the dirt road to Elephant Hill was too snowy and muddy for my vehicle. So instead I began my hike from the Squaw Flat Trailhead, which added about two miles to the hike.
I had originally planned to hike to Chesler Park. However, once I got to the trail junction forcing me to choose between Chesler Park and Devils Kitchen, I ended up choosing Devils Kitchen due to the amazing rock formations I saw in that direction. The Devils Kitchen Loop felt very intimate, as you get to walk among the rock spires.
The only life I saw on my hike were ravens, until I bumped into two hikers near the trailhead on my way back. They were the only people I saw in two days of hiking the Needles. While hiking the Needles in February provides solitude, it can also make for some dangerous conditions. When slick rock gets covered with snow and ice, it becomes especially slick. Luckily there were no major climbs on this trail.
The amount of trail intersection in the Needles District can be overwhelming. You have the option of switching trails about every mile or two. Because of the many inter-connecting trails, the Needles would make a great place to backpack.