by Alex Gugel , all rights reserved
![]() | Trail GuidesSlickrock Foot |
Trail guide of Slickrock Foot Trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park (NP). Published by Canyonlands Natural History Association.
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Viewpoint 3
Viewpoint 4
Lower Little Spring Canyon
Big Spring Canyon
Gifts from the Sea
The gray and purple rock layers visible in
Little Spring Canyon contrast sharply with
the red and white rock that dominates most
of The Needles district. Both, however, were
derived from the same source — the ocean.
Millions of years ago this area was covered by
a shallow sea. Little Spring Canyon is predominately limestone, a hard sedimentary
rock composed mostly of calcium
carbonate, the hard parts of
tiny marine animals that
settled to the ocean floor
as they died. Fossilized
remains of crinoids,
brachiopods and other
Brachiopod
marine invertebrates
give testimony
to the ocean’s
Crinoid
presence.
A Monumental Change
Grand View Point and Junction Butte, rising
a thousand feet above Big Spring Canyon, are
visible to the north. These landmarks show
erosional patterns typical of sedimentary
rock. The various layers exhibit different
degrees of resistance to weathering. Softer
rocks, such as shales and mudstones, crumble
into slopes. Sandstones, limestones and other
harder rocks maintain vertical bluffs. The
massive Wingate cliffs, the most prominent
layer, were once enormous sand dunes.
The spires of The Needles district display
the red-and-white banding of Cedar Mesa
Sandstone, which was formed as sandy
beaches and dunes repeatedly overlaid red
sediments washed down from the mountainous
Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast.
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Canyonlands National Park
2282 SW Resource Blvd.
Moab, UT 84532
The Canyonlands region remained near sea level during
the time these rock layers
were deposited. Change
came when massive forces
within the earth pushed
these layers upward,
forming the Monument
Uplift and causing the
rock layers to fracture.
Cracks and joints
weakened the rocks,
exposing them to
erosion from water
and wind. Given
time, these forces
molded the rocks
into the spires
and mushroom
shapes of The
Needles.
Slickrock
Foot
Trail
T R A I L
G U I D E
Navajo Ss.
Kayenta Fm.
Wingate Ss.
Chinle Fm.
Moenkopi Sh.
White Rim Ss.
Organ Rock Sh.
Cedar Mesa Ss.
Lower Cutler Beds
Honaker Trail Fm.
Published by Canyonlands Natural History Association
Illustrations by Teri Manning
Printed on recycled paper
06/19 2.1m
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
RIVER
Paradox Fm.
LEGEND
Fm. – Formation
Sh. – Shale
Ss. – Sandstone
2.4 miles (4 km) roundtrip
2.5 to 3 hours
NEEDLES DISTRICT
CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Viewpoint #4
Viewpoint #3
Little Spring
Canyon
Big Spring
Canyon
Viewpoint #2
Viewpoint #1
Scenic
Drive
The Slickrock Foot Trail provides an
opportunity for beginners to orient themselves
to trails in Canyonlands National Park. The
trail is marked with cairns (small rock piles)
spaced at intervals. Keep an eye out for cairns
in the distance as you walk the trail and look
for four side trails—marked by small signs—
that lead to viewpoints. Bicycles and pets are
not allowed on the trail.
Slickrock, a general term for any bare rock
surface, dominates much of the landscape in
Canyonlands. For millions of years, natural
forces have interacted to create the sweeping
vistas and landmarks visible along this trail.
Ironically, one of the dominant forces in
shaping the landscape is now an intermittent
feature of this semi-arid region. Can you
guess what it is?
Viewpoint 1
Panorama
A Land Exposed
Geological landmarks are visible in every
direction. The La Sal Mountains to the north
east and the Abajo Mountains to the southeast
are igneous formations created when
molten rock (magma) rose from the Earth’s
interior and slowly cooled and crystallized
underneath layers of sandstone, shale, and
other sedimentary rocks. Eventually the
overlying layers eroded, exposing the igneous
rock as our present-day mountains.
Dominating the rest of the scene is the
stair-step topography of canyon country:
canyons, buttes, mesas, and needles. Unlike
the fire-born igneous mountains, these older
sedimentary rocks were deposited by wind
and water. Layer upon layer of sand, silt, clay,
and gravel were laid down over geologic time.
Following deposition of these sediments, water
gradually eroded them into the formations
visible today.
Ekker Butte
12 MILES
4 MILES
Needles Overlook
5 MILES
13 MILES
North Sixshooter Peak
8 MILES
Please report any bighorn sheep
sightings to a park ranger.
Upper Little Spring Canyon
Sculpting Forces
Water has played a vital role in carving
this canyon. Although precipitation in the
park averages only nine inches per year,
late summer flash flooding is common. The
impact of swiftly moving, sediment-laden
floodwaters as well as water alternately
freezing and thawing within rock cracks
has worked in conjunction with
La Sal Mountains
gravity to become the dominant
37 MILES
sculpting force.
Colorado
River Basin
Elaterite Butte
Viewpoint 2
Molly's Nipple
11 MILES
Needles
4.5 MILES
Abajo Mountains
23 MILES
Water has also influenced the sparse,
open character of this landscape.
Juniper trees, cacti, soil crusts, and other
plants with specialized adaptations have
managed to survive and thrive in this semiarid environment. Crevices in rock offer
moisture and protection, and plants often
take advantage of such favorable locations
to become established.