The park information office had suggested that we walk the trail to Chesler Park to see the Needles, so that is what we did today. We got to the trailhead by 9:30 hoping to avoid the heat of the day for our hike; however, it was still a very warm day.
Enid in narrow canyon
We had interpreted the distance, about 10 km round trip, as being an easy hike. It wasn’t. The path climbed and fell over many sets of stone steps, across slickrock ledges that fell off to the side, and through some tiny slot canyons. One of the canyons was so narrow that you could barely squeeze through, your hips rubbing on the stone walls. Overall it was probably the most difficult hike we’ve been on since Lake O’Hara this summer.
Rock formations along the Chesler Park trail
However, the views made the trip worthwhile. There are huge numbers of mushroom shaped rocks along the way, red sandstone stems capped with a different kind of yellow-white stone. Chesler Park is a large open area of desert grass and shrubs surrounded by “The Needles”, sandstone spires of alternating bands of red and white. We ate our lunch here in the shade of a small juniper before heading back.