Directions • From the visitors center in the Needles District, drive west following the signs toward Big Spring Canyon Overlook. The trailhead to the Slickrock Trail is well-marked about a mile before the Overlook.

This is a great trail if you only have time for a short hike in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The Slickrock Trail has three designated viewpoints plus scenery as you go. The loop starts at 0.56 miles. If you hike counterclockwise, you'll encounter Viewpoint 2 just before the 1-mile mark. It's the best of the viewpoints with scenery of redrock and the Utah desert. Use all the viewpoints to watch for bighorn sheep. The trail is well marked by cairns.

Nate Carlisle Slickrock Trail Loop

Hiking time • 2 hours

Round-trip miles • 2.8 miles

Elevation gain • 103 feet

Difficulty • Easy

Trailhead restrooms • No

Dogs allowed • No

Bikes allowed • No

Fees • Park entrance fee is $10 per vehicle

Read more about this hike and trail news on the Hiking Utah blog. sltrib.com/blogs/hiking