Slickrock: Lower Little Spring Canyon

A scenic view from the third viewpoint on the Slickrock trail.

NPS/Isabel Gonzalez

Quick Facts

Location:

Slickrock Trail

Significance:

Scenic Viewpoint

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

Gifts from the Sea

This is an unprotected overlook. Use extreme caution near cliff edges.

Welcome to the third viewpoint on the Slickrock trail. As the landscape continues to descend you may notice new colors that appear within the rockface. 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 marine invertebrates give testimony to the ocean's presence. 

The spires of The Needles district display the red and white banding of Cedar Mesa Sandstone, which was formed as sandy beaches and dune repeatedly overlaid red sediments washed down from the mountainous Uncompahgre Uplift to the northeast.