Backpacking Canyonlands-Needles District and Druid Arch

December, 2022. On a short winter trip to Utah, we finally made it to the Needles District of Canyonlands National forest for a two day backpacking trip. Day 1 began at Elephant Hill Trailhead, and we camped in Chesler Park at campsite number 4. Day 2 began with an out and back hike to Druid Arch, one of the most impressive arches we’ve seen, and ended hiking back out to Elephant Hill.
Music
“Easy“ McKenzie Lockhart
“All The Pretty Things“ McKenzie Lockhart
“The Weather“ De Lune
“By The Coast“ Thomas Lavine
Licensed by The Music Bed, LLC
Instagram: / lylesuch
Website: Lylesuch.com

[@waterfallmadman]

Awesome place. I really like the video and commentary, and the “cute“ boulders. 😄

[@lylesuch4421]

Thanks! Lots of crazy rock formations out in Canyonlands...it was a wonderful place to go backpacking.

[@YongsungKim]

It's incredible you guys explored so many amazing places just in two days. Such a nice backpacking trip!

[@lylesuch4421]

Utah never disappoints! Canyonlands has always been on our radar, it was great to finally see it in person. If you want some solitude it's the perfect place to go. We only saw a couple of people, all the campsites were open, and no permits. Just had to be ready for the cold nights and a little bit of snow on the trails. We're lucky to have Utah nearby when we're needing a break from the Sierra's.

[@davidfantle6721]

I really love that hike! Just found your channel, and I'm enjoying your content. Puzzling why you haven't gotten more views yet, as your quality is very good. Focus-pulls, slides, timelapses, detail shots, and editing/pacing are all really nice! We've been to many of the same places (in the US), and I have the same Xterra too :) Best of luck with growing your channel. Subscribed.

[@lylesuch4421]

Thanks! For our sanity we only create these videos for fun and we don’t worry about gaining viewers. It removes the pressure of releasing too many videos so we can focus on the quality, not quantity and we’ll never get “burned out”. We were surprised at how nice and uncrowded the Needles District was…such a beautiful place especially in the winter. Do you have any favorite hikes or more out of the way places for adventure? We’re always looking for new places to explore. The Xterra is great, they seem to have a cult-like following and we absolutely love it. Bought it for the pandemic to explore the backroads of Utah and California and it was the best purchase we’ve ever made. Wishing Nissan would bring them back now that they’re nearly impossible to find with low miles! One of the funniest thing's we've seen while exploring was down in Anza Borrego...there was a group of at least 25 modified Jeeps doing some off-roading and the leader was a stock Xterra.

[@davidfantle6721]

@lylesuch4421 That's a great attitude to have about your videos. I've been filming for years but also am a bit of a perfectionist and take forever to complete a project. I was thinking of starting a YT channel, but got too anxious about doing it. I'm on my 3rd Xterra now, the perfect vehicle for me. There are rumors that Nissan may bring back a new version in the next year or 2. There are so many beautiful hikes in the PNW, but like so many other places, many have become over-used in recent years. I enjoy backpacking in the Wind River range in WY particularly.

[@sonsofthesportsguy]

Great video. Too bad you weren't able to do the Joint trail behind Chessler Park.

[@lylesuch4421]

Thanks! This was more of a scouting mission to learn a little about the area...hopefully we'll return soon and explore a little more thoroughly. We were planning on staying an extra day and would have made it over to the joint trail, but the thought of Arches in the snow with low crowds was too tempting so we bailed out a day early for that. The Needles District seems like one of those great places that you can return for the solitude, couldn't believe how empty it was out there...apparently the winter weather keeps people away.