Canyonlands National Park in Utah is a very large park that is divided into 3 separate sections, none of which is accessible from the other two. The sections we visited (on two different days) were Needles & Island in the Sky. The third section is called The Maze & is pretty rough & inaccessible, requires several days to visit & is only recommended for the very experienced. I've heard that hikers have gotten lost there & died, so we passed on it. Maybe another time, with a guide. We arrived in Needles & headed for the park headquarters. We were looking for a moderate half day hike & the ranger on duty recommended Elephant Hill Trail, which is about 6 miles round trip. We headed out at 10 a.m. with plenty of water, but no lunch, planning to be back by mid-afternoon. The landscapes we traversed were amazing - fantastic red & white striated formations of all shapes & sizes. Part way through the hike, we met a friendly group of five hikers (two men & three women) who had come from various parts of the country to meet here & hike together. One of them told us that we really should add what is known as the Joint Trail to our hike & that it would be a shame to miss it. It would add 4 miles to our trip & we told them we really had planned only a half day hike & only had light snacks with us, but they insisted & offered to share their food. We gave in & ended up hiking with them. So we did a grand total of a little over 10 miles that day & hiked from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It was the best hike I've ever been on. Spectacular scenery everywhere you looked, varied terrain including wide open desert, very narrow slot canyons & scrambling over rocks - great fun. We were exhausted but also very exhilarated at the end of the day. Several more photos from this hike to follow... Please zoom