The Needles, Protected area section in San Juan County, United States.
The Needles district contains sandstone spires and rock formations stretching across 174,000 acres of desert land in southeastern Utah.
Native American tribes inhabited this region for thousands of years, leaving behind petroglyphs and dwelling sites throughout the Needles district.
The district earned its name from the red and white striped sandstone spires that rise from the desert floor in the Colorado Plateau.
Visitors can access the area through paved roads leading to various trailheads, campgrounds, and interpretive centers within the district.
Geological processes over millions of years formed the district's deep canyons, creating a network of paths between towering rock formations.
Location: San Juan County
GPS coordinates: 38.16851,-109.75993
Latest update: March 3, 2025 15:04
Rock pillars and spires shaped by erosion stand as natural monuments across various locations worldwide. These geological structures, known as hoodoos, display different colors and shapes based on their mineral composition and environmental conditions. From the red rocks of Utah to the limestone formations of Turkey, these sites present geological formations created over millions of years through wind and water erosion. These formations develop through differential erosion, where softer rock layers erode faster than harder layers, leaving slender columns often capped with protective harder rock. Visitors find such structures in desert landscapes, canyons, and plateaus where conditions favor their formation and preservation. The color palette ranges from white to orange, red, and gray, depending on the minerals present such as iron oxide, limestone, or clay.
Utah monolith
21.1 km
Mesa Arch
26.1 km
Druid Arch
11 km
Sixshooter Peaks
8.7 km
Angel Arch
13 km
Airport Tower
25.4 km
Monster Tower
25.5 km
Candlestick Tower
28 km
Junction Butte
16.4 km
Kirk's Cabin Complex
20.4 km
Cave Springs Cowboy Camp
1.4 km
Stillwater Canyon
11.3 km
Elaterite Butte
24.9 km
Muffin Butte
25.3 km
Lost Canyon Cowboy Camp
3.5 km
Paul Bunyans Potty
5.8 km
The Needles Visitor Center
63 m
Joint Trail
10.4 km
The Needles Overlook
14.3 km
North Sixshooter Peak
8.7 km
Chesler Park
10.6 km
Chocolate Drops
21.6 km
The Needles Campground
4.3 km
Grand View Point Overlook
18.8 km
Beehive Arch
16.2 km
Turks Head
25.8 km
The Needles
11.4 km
Keyhole Ruins
6.4 kmReviews
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