Canyonlands National Park is located in Moab, UT. Three districts make up Canyonlands National Park: Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles. Each district has different entrances, the most popular is Island in the Sky. This is where we spent all of our time during our first visit to UT in 2016. As we began planning our 2021 visit, there was no question The Needles district would be on our bucket list.
When planning our return trip, we chose Moab Valley RV Resort & Campground in Moab as our “home base”, as we planned to stay in this area for one week. Moab has a great downtown with plenty of restaurants and shopping. From here we would plan our daily excursions, with The Needles District first on our list.
As we set one day aside to visit this district our goal was to visit Needles Overlook, The Needles Visitor Center (and the surrounding area), and drive the La Sal Loop Road. It would be a long day.
The Needles Overlook is located at the end of county road 133, about 30 miles off US Highway 191, and an hour drive from Moab. Although it was raining and foggy when we arrived, we decided to hang out to see if the rain would pass. An hour later it did. And we were rewarded with amazing views! The expansive scenery from this overlook was worth waiting for. After an hour of taking in the scenery and taking photos, it was time to head to our next destination.
As we made our way to the Needles Overlook on county road 133, we had noticed a sign for Anticline Overlook at the intersection of 133 and 132 (Hatch Road). Now, with the Needles Overlook complete, we decided to do some exploring. We turned on county road 132 (Hatch Road) to see what Anticline Overlook had to offer.
I am not one for taking dirt roads, especially in remote areas, which 132 was, but I had the desire to explore Utah. This also provided me an opportunity to get outside of my comfort zone, which I had hoped for when we began planning our trip in 2020. County Road 132 is about 16.5 miles and ends at a loop where you can park and take a short trail to the Anticline Overlook. The views from this overlook are stunning! Here you can see the blue potash pools, the Colorado River, Arches National Park, Dead Horse State Park, and Canyonlands National Park. It was simply amazing, leaving me speechless! This place was one of the most treasured memories during our three-month trip! In addition, there was not a single person there. Not sure if that was due to the weather or the time of year, but it was spectacular! As one who is not comfortable getting outside of my comfort zone, this unexpected side trip was just what I needed and hoped for during our three-month road trip.
Having spent most of our day in this area, we decided not to visit the Needles Visitor center or drive the La Sal Loop Road. This would give us a reason to return someday. The Utah landscape is amazing, and I would love to spend more time exploring the Needles District. Instead, we decided to head back to Moab, making stops for pictures at Wilson Arch and Hole N’ the Rock, a roadside attraction on 191. We did not take the house tour of the Hole N’ the Rock, but I have included a link if you would like to learn more about this stop.
As a side note, Anticline Overlook is about an hour’s drive from Monticello. Depending on where you are traveling from, consider staying a day or two in Monticello. We passed through Monticello as we made our way to Moab from Farmington, NM and it was beautiful. Another destination I added for our next trip to UT.
We ended our perfect day with coffee and scones at Sweet Cravings. We are always on the quest to find the best scones in the US and these ranked pretty high.
Have you been to Anticline overlook? Do you think this overlook offers the best views in all of Canyonlands National Park? Let me know your thoughts below.
Savvy-Traveler 