Upper Davis Canyon Trail

Upper Davis Canyon is a 4.3-mile out-and-back from a trailhead at the Needles boundary, following a sandy wash past alcoves, arches and archaeological sites. This is an informal backcountry hike, not a maintained, signed tread: the route fades into a web of social paths, and soft sand makes the miles slow. Allow about four hours, bring all your water, and choose it only if you're comfortable finding your way through a broad wash.

A faint path leads from the trail register to the main wash. The early granaries and cliff dwellings sit in alcoves across the wash and along the canyon walls. The shaded Five Faces panel is described on a ledge; accounts mention slickrock and a narrow ledge on the close approach. Stay on existing social tracks, keep back from the masonry, and never touch the images or move anything. Back in the wash, look along both walls for small arches. A longer branch leads toward Log Ruin, a timber-built dwelling.

The 4.3-mile figure is a total round trip and is the shorter outing recorded here. Longer directions continue farther up the wash toward Log Ruin and give about 6 miles round trip. These descriptions follow faint tracks through branches rather than a single signed route, so the turnaround is not a fixed marker. The mapped line follows the named footpath into the connected main wash and draws the corridor once; it ends at an approximate point and doesn't include every ruin detour or the longer Log Ruin extension. Don't treat its endpoint as a trail sign.

The canyon cuts through Cedar Mesa sandstone and divides into smaller side canyons. Alcoves in the walls hold granaries, cliff dwellings and rock art; small natural arches appear farther along the wash. The timber-built Log Ruin is a distinctive feature of the longer walk. The attraction is the sequence of close canyon details and archaeological sites, not one summit or overlook.

Davis Canyon Road runs about 9 miles from Highway 211 to the park boundary, where the road ends by the trailhead. A high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is required for this backcountry road; check conditions with the Needles Visitor Center before setting out. No drinking-water source or food service is established along the hike, so carry what you need. Pets are prohibited on hiking trails and four-wheel-drive roads. An overnight stay inside the park requires a backcountry permit.