360 Moab Adventures is excited that spring weather has arrived in beautiful Moab,Utah. The long cold winter has finally passed us by so this means heading out into the desert for some amazing trail runs. This year some of our guides are going to go explore Canyonlands National Park. There are many trails to be run in Island in the Sky. One of my favorites is Upheaval Dome starting in the parking lot and running down Syncline Trail clockwise. This trail is full on Moab technical style running! There’s lots of steep rocky ledges that cut through Wingate sandstone while it drops you down in Upheaval Canyon. I like to add about four extra miles to a already 12mi loop by running out to the Green River and put my foot briefly onto the White Rim Trail, then run back to finish out the Syncline loop which makes approximately 16mi. Currently 360 Moab Adventures does not posses a Canyonlands National Parks permit, 360 Moab Adventures can not guide trail runners in the park but we will be happy to give you our top trail running trails.

The southern part of Canyonlands National Park is abundant in trails to be run by us backcountry trail runners. This section is known as the Needles District. The trails very in distances: 6.5mi to 11mi but can be linked up to make an ultra runner feel at home in the Needles District. The Needles is situated down in “Canyonlands” If you picked Island in the Sky for your first adventure and you stood at Grand View Point Overlook. Needles is the vast area laying south of the Colorado River 2,000ft below! The Needles has Arches, sandstone spires, desert meadows, bighorn sheep, sandstone cracks that can swallow jeeps, sand dunes making this an adventure trail run. Running in the Needles can be a place of solitude during the off season or heavily used by hikes during the busy season, in either case its still one of the most beautiful runs in the world! The most famous trail is Chesler Park Loop/ Joint Trail. This loop will take you through deep, narrow fractures in the rock which makes for trail running like a bighorn. The loop is approximately 11mi so bring plenty of water and food for your adventure. Runners will need to bring at least 100 oz. of water and a map of the area to have a fun and safe trail running adventure. Remember when you go into these areas you are responsible for your own safety, Canyonlands is not a theme park! If you decide to run here tell someone where you are going to run. If you get lost or injured this helps search & rescue narrow the search to one location.

At 360 Moab Adventures we like to say “…you can’t get lost on an adventure…” but we also like to be safe and prepared for this adventure. If you are in Moab this spring for a trail run give us a call for a guided trip or answers to your questions about the area. Happy trail running!