Needle Mountain

Needle Mountain is a 6,620 ft elevation summit located in Capitol Reef National Park, in Wayne County of Utah, United States. This remote erosional remnant is situated 16 mi north-northwest of the park's visitor center, and 0.6 mi east of Cathedral Mountain, in the Middle Desert of the park's North (Cathedral Valley) District. Cathedral Valley was so named in 1945 by Charles Kelly, first superintendent of Capitol Reef National Monument, because the valley's sandstone monoliths reminded early explorers of ornate, Gothic cathedrals, with fluted walls, alcoves, and pinnacles. The free-standing Needle Mountain towers 240 ft above its surrounding terrain, which is within the Fremont River drainage basin. John C. Frémont's 1853 expedition passed through Cathedral Valley.

Geology
Needle Mountain is composed of unfractured Entrada Sandstone which was originally deposited as sandy mud on a tidal flat and is believed to have formed about 160 million years ago during the Jurassic period as a giant sand sea, the largest in Earth's history. Stratum in Cathedral Valley have a gentle inclination of three to five degrees to the east, and appear nearly horizontal. Long after these sedimentary rocks were deposited, the Colorado Plateau was uplifted relatively evenly, keeping the layers roughly horizontal, but Capitol Reef is an exception because of the Waterpocket Fold, a classic monocline, which formed between 50 and 70 million years ago during the Laramide Orogeny.

Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Needle Mountain. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F, and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 in of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.