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Chesler Park Trail Crack

Needles District - Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Chesler Park Trail

The Chesler Park Trail descends into this crack between Cedar Mesa Sandstone slabs in a little over 2 1/2 miles.  From this point the trial drops approximately 250 feet in a little over one tenth of a mile to a typically dry streambed.  View is south headed toward Chessler Park.

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Chesler Park Trail

View is north looking back to the entry point of the Chesler Park Trail crack.   This is not the Split Trail but a hint of similar geology.  The crack is 24 inches wide plus or minus and 10 to 15 feet deep.

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Chesler Park Trail

View is south after passing through the very narrow crack to softer rock that has eroded into an almost cave or tunnel like formation.

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Chesler Park Trail

Continuing south and downward along this very colorful Cedar Mesa Sandstone.  Both the reddish and lighter caprock stone are Cedar Mesa Sandstone.   It took 100 million years to lay down the deposits that formed this rock.

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Chesler Park Trail

Looking back north toward the entrance into the crack from this fantastical tunnel.

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Chesler Park Trail

An intermittant waterfall has formed from the outflow of rainwater off the top of the lighter more dense caprock above.  View is east.

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Chesler Park Trail

Looking north at the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that forms the end of the crack/tunnel portion

of the trail.   The trail drops very steeply at this point down to the dry creekbed.

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