Canyonlands National Park (redirected from The Needles (CNP))

Canyonlands National Park, 337,598 acres (136,679 hectares), SE Utah; est. 1964. Located in a desert region, the park contains a maze of deep canyons and many unusual features carved by wind and water, including spires, pinnacles, and arches; surrounding mesas rise more than 7,800 ft (2,377 m). Cataract Canyon, through which the raging waters of the Colorado and Green rivers flow, contains one of the world's largest exposures of red sandstone. Island in the Sky, a plateau overlooking the junction of the Green and Colorado rivers, has walls that drop in giant steps 2,200 ft (671 m) to the canyon floor. Upheaval Dome, pushed upward by the pressure of surrounding rock on underground salt deposits, contains a crater 1 mi (1.6 km) wide and 1,500 ft (457 m) deep. Also found in the park are many Native American petroglyphs drawn on rocks c.1,000 years ago. Bighorn sheep, mule deer, and beaver live in the park. See National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Canyonlands National Park

Park, southeastern Utah, U.S. The park, established in 1964, occupies a wilderness of water-eroded sandstone spires, canyons, and mesas extending over 527 sq mi (1,366 sq km). Some of its rock walls display Indian petroglyphs. The Needles section in its southern part contains the Angel and Druid arches, gigantic balanced rock formations.

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Canyonlands National Park

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Parks

Address: 2282 S West Resource Blvd
Moab, UT 84532
Phone: 435-719-2313;
Fax: 435-719-2300;
Web: www.nps.gov/cany/
Size: 337,598 acres.
Established: Established on September 12, 1964.
Location: In southeastern Utah. There are two paved entrances into the park: Hwy. 313 leads to the Island in the Sky District and is 10 miles north of Moab; and Hwy. 211 leads to the Needles District and is 40 miles south of Moab.
Facilities: Campgrounds (é), picnic area, rest rooms (é), off-road vehicle trail, visitor centers (é), ranger station, self-guided tour/trail. Entrance fee required.
Activities: Camping, hiking, biking, horseback riding, boating, kayaking, canoeing, interpretive programs, guided tours.
Special Features: In this geological wonderland, rocks, spires, and mesas dominate the heart of the Colorado Plateau cut by canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers. Petroglyphs left by Indians hundreds of years ago are also present. The Colorado and Green rivers divide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers themselves. While the districts share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and offers different opportunities for exploration and the study of natural and cultural history.

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See other parks in Utah.