Elephant Hill Access Road: The Needles

A sign on a designated overlook on the Elephant Hill Access Rd. provides information on the Needles.

NPS/Isabel Gonzalez

Quick Facts

Location:

Canyonlands: The Needles

Significance:

Wayside Panel

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

The surprising secret of this striking landscape is the presence of salt. The story begins 300 million years ago with an immense salt layer left by ancient seas. Today it lies over 1,000 feet below where you are standing.  

Over time, coastal sand dunes and sediments from eroding mountains buried the salt. The crushing weight of overlying rock caused the salt to flow like cold molasses. This movement fractured brittle sandstone into a grid-like pattern. Erosion along these fractures slowly created the spires, fins, buttes, and canyons of the rugged landscape you see today.  

Below this text are three diagrams depicting the formation of the Needles, labled one, two, and three, respectively. Each diagram is accompanied by a description. 

1. The Needles were formed by sandstone gradually sliding over an underground layer of salt toward the Colorado River.  

2. This caused the sandstone to fracture into parallel cracks. 

3. Rainwater, ice, and snow gradually eroded the exposed sandstone into spires called the Needles. This erosion continues today.