Canyonlands National Park Needles District Campground

Overview The Needles is a remote district located within the southern portion of Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. The Needles District is 1.25 hours driving time from Monticello, Utah, and 1.5 hours from Moab, Utah, and sits at an elevation of approximately 4,900 feet (1494 m). 

The Needles Campground offers limited services and is best suited to tents and small, self-contained campers and RVs. If you are looking for group campsites, visit the Needles District Group Campground page.

You may book individual campsites in Loop B up to six months in advance mid-March through mid-November.  Loop A is available first come, first served only. 

Please, also read “Facilities” below and the “Need to Know” tab for important information. 

Recreation The Needles District's extensive trail system provides many opportunities for long day hikes and overnight backpacking trips. Foot trails and four-wheel-drive roads lead to such features as Confluence Overlook, Druid Arch, the Joint Trail and Chesler Park. Facilities The Needles is a remote district with limited services and no cell coverage. The Needles Campground and group sites are best suited to tents and small, self-contained campers and RVs. A seasonal campground host (spring and fall) is located in Loop A of the campground.  

Individual Campsites: Drinking water and flush toilets are available in the campground. Picnic tables and fire rings are provided at each site. There are no RV hook-ups. The campground does not have electricity, showers or a dump station. Maximum combined vehicle and trailer length is 28 feet (8.5 m) . If you are looking for group campsites , visit the Needles District Group Campground page.

Natural Features The campground contains stands of Utah juniper and pinyon pine. Flowering prickly pear cacti, yucca and other desert wildflowers dot the landscape in the spring, adding to the vivid colors of the surrounding red rock desert. The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands National Park and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area. The park is within an arid, high desert environment with hot summers and cold winters.

Nearby Attractions Southeastern Utah offers breathtaking scenery, hiking, road and mountain biking opportunities, rafting and scenic driving routes. Arches and Mesa Verde National Parks, the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments and Dead Horse Point and Edge of the Cedars State Parks are all within three hours drive of the Needles Campground. Moab, Utah, (1.5 hours away) offers numerous restaurants, shops and museums. Charges & Cancellations

On US Highway 191, drive 40 miles (60 km) south of Moab or 14 miles (22 km) north of Monticello, then take Utah Highway 211 roughly 35 miles (56 km) west. Highway 211 ends in the Needles, and is the only paved road leading in and out of the district. 

Needles District Campground

From the entrance station follow the main park road until you see signs for the campground. Turn left into the campground and follow the signs into Loop B.  

For reservations and directions to group campsites (groups of 11 or more), please visit the Canyonlands National Park Needles District Group Campsites page.

Important!!

There are no lights on park roads or campsites. If you are unfamiliar with the Needles, the park recommends arriving before dark. Bring these driving directions with you.