# Weekend trip: Beef Basin - Needles - Canyonlands NP. loop



## jan_nikolajsen (Oct 28, 2011)

With my family. Started and ended at the Cottonwood Canyon/Elk Ridge turn off in Indian Creek. Rode the good dirt road up towards the high country and Cathedral Butte, then took a seldom used path to Beef Basin. Camped and explored here before heading out through the Grabens/Bobby's Hole and eventually over Elephant Hill to the pavement in the Needles front country. Connected back to the car via 15 miles of highway 211.

All told some 85 miles with a good mix of scenic dirt roads and super techy jeep tracks.

Finding water in Beef Basin was the crux. Had there been none we would have suffered a bit. Summer here has been dry, and no early fall precip yet, so we were a bit concerned, but it worked out as shown in one of the pics.


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## SingleTrackLovr (Apr 25, 2007)

Great Trip Report. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. Beautiful country looks like you guys had a blast.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Dang, the whole crew? That`s awesome!
By mutual agreement, my wife only goes camping when we have the trunk of her car to tote everything!


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## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

Great photos and story. Thanks for sharing.

Andrew


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## MRisme (Mar 22, 2010)

Looks like a great time was had by all!

Thanks for sharing!


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

Sweetness! Going on my next bikepacking excursion this weekend. Next one, I'm hoping to bring my 12 year old son who is very into road bike these days. This gave me inspiration!


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## beagledadi (Jul 18, 2004)

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. It's funny how happy one gets from drinking out of a cow trough :thumbsup:

Matt


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## jddjirikian (Aug 25, 2006)

Nice pics. Canyonlands is awesome.


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## 28/29 WIT (May 7, 2011)

Jan,

Thank you far sharing. I am doing my first bikepacking trip the end of this month and your pictures just got me more excited! The bag on the top tube of the Tallboy, who makes that and are you happy with it? That is what I need.


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## hunter006 (Jan 20, 2012)

I love the photos, but I can't help but think, "What if they hadn't found water?" Was there a contingency plan if you couldn't find water?


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## Bearbait (Jan 14, 2004)

Fantastic trip, thanks for posting. We were just out in Needles, such an amazing place.


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## greenwater (Jul 13, 2010)

jan_nikolajsen, 

Great photos! Looks like a fantastic trip. I love that loop. However, I'm not familiar with the "seldom used path" that you mentioned. Do you mind sharing some details on that. Also, you wouldn't happen to have UTM's on that cow trough would you? 
Thanks,
Andrew


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## jan_nikolajsen (Oct 28, 2011)

28/29 WIT said:


> Jan,
> 
> Thank you far sharing. I am doing my first bikepacking trip the end of this month and your pictures just got me more excited! The bag on the top tube of the Tallboy, who makes that and are you happy with it? That is what I need.


I made it myself..wasn't too hard but still took half a day and it doesn't hold much more than a 70 oz bladder or a few small tidbits



hunter006 said:


> I love the photos, but I can't help but think, "What if they hadn't found water?" Was there a contingency plan if you couldn't find water?


My wife is a true desert rat who has roamed on foot in our general area here for many years, and she claims there's always some moisture to be found.



greenwater said:


> jan_nikolajsen,
> 
> Great photos! Looks like a fantastic trip. I love that loop. However, I'm not familiar with the "seldom used path" that you mentioned. Do you mind sharing some details on that. Also, you wouldn't happen to have UTM's on that cow trough would you?
> Thanks,
> Andrew


We actually went around and checked 4 of the 6 springs we saw on our map of Beef Basin and they all provided a trickle of water. The one on the pic is Stanley Spring, the first water source one gets to as you drop down from Elk Ridge. The "seldom used path" is a prominently marked jeep road on the Latitude 40 map that's actually barely existing. It's the one supposedly accessing the also obscure Bright Angel Trail down to Salt Creek. Hope this helps.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

Great job on the outing and thanks for the cool photos, jan. Good family fun :thumbsup:


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## veloborealis (Oct 25, 2009)

Enjoyed the pics and report. Loved that you did this as a family trip.


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