Holiday Cycling Adventures - Panoramic Picture - 2005 - The Needles (Canyonlands National Park)

Canyonlands National Park, located near Moab, Utah and the Arches National Park, was designated as a National Park on September 12, 1964. The park covers 527.5 mi² (1,366 km²).

Canyons carved into the Colorado Plateau by the Colorado River and Green River partition the area into three major districts: Island in the Sky to the north, The Needles to the south-east and The Maze to the west.

The Needles district is named after the red and white banded rock pinnacles which dominate it but various other forms of naturally sculptured rock like canyons, grabens, potholes, and a number of arches similar to the ones of the nearby Arches National Park can be found as well.