We stayed at the Aarchway Inn, which is just a few minutes from Arches National Park. We drove in Friday night, checked into the hotel, and went to bed early so we could start exploring at dawn the next morning.
Luckily, we visited during the off season. Believe it or not, we barely saw anyone during our entire first morning in the park. Until about 10 a.m. we had most viewpoints completely to ourselves. It was really nice to enjoy such a vast and beautiful place without crowds or people competing for photos.
We started at the front of the park and worked our way toward the back.
Our first stop was Park Avenue Viewpoint. There is actually a trail there, but we decided to skip it because we were excited to get closer to some arches.
The views were incredible and it was a great place for panoramic photos.
As we continued driving through the park, we stopped at almost every pull off along the road. Each viewpoint had something unique to see.
Our next stop was Balanced Rock. The first thing we noticed walking around this area was how soft the sand felt. It almost felt like walking on a beach, which was surprising in the middle of the desert. There were also some fascinating plants growing around the area.
Finally we made it to our first arch of the day, actually two arches. This is Double Arch. Shane deserves a shout out here for patiently watching me jump a hundred times while trying to get the perfect photo.
Standing beneath Double Arch was incredible. It is an easy walk from the parking lot and a great place to start a day of exploring.
Just across from Double Arch is Turret Arch. You can walk right up to it and even pass through the opening.
Nearby we found Sand Dune Arch, which quickly became one of our favorites. The path leading to it winds between tall rock walls and feels like something out of a science fiction movie. Inside the arch the sand is soft and the light filters down through the rocks in a really beautiful way.
It was a little disappointing to see that part of the area had been roped off due to vandalism. It is hard to understand why anyone would want to damage such a beautiful place.
After Sand Dune Arch we crossed a high desert plain and made our way to Broken Arch. The trail actually continues through the arch, but we decided to stop there and enjoy the view.
By around noon we had reached the far end of the park and started the hike to Landscape Arch. Since it was January there were still patches of ice on the trail, so we carefully walked along the edges of the path.
Landscape Arch was definitely worth the hike. It is incredibly long and thin, stretching gracefully across the sky.
At this point we considered hiking deeper into Devils Garden, but realized the trail would involve some rock scrambling. Since I tend to be a little clumsy, we decided to relax for a bit and then head back.
On the way out we stopped at the visitor center and then headed into town to find some food. We ended up at The Blu Pig, where we enjoyed some delicious BBQ after a morning full of hiking.
Before the trip I had set a goal for our Moab adventure:
Arches, Petroglyphs, and Dinosaurs.
Next up was searching for petroglyphs and dinosaur footprints along Potash Road. Unfortunately this part of the day was a little disappointing. There were many petroglyphs along the rock walls, but several had been surrounded by graffiti.
The dinosaur footprints at Poison Spider were also farther away than we expected. A chunk of rock had broken away and exposed them high up on a cliff. You can see them from a distance, but they are difficult to get close to.
To end our first day we took a scenic drive along the Colorado River and stopped at Lions Park so we could walk across the Moab Canyon Pathway Bridge.
We watched the sunset over the river, which was the perfect way to end the day.
Since winter sunsets happen early, we still had some time before bed. Instead of nightlife we decided to visit the small local movie theater in town. It is located just behind Burger King on Main Street and shows a few movies each night.
Day Two
Bright and early the next morning we headed back into Arches National Park to hike to Delicate Arch for sunrise.
We left so early that I accidentally wore my boot slippers instead of proper hiking shoes. They surprisingly worked fine, but I would definitely not recommend that strategy for anyone else.
The hike is a bit of a trek, but seeing Delicate Arch at sunrise made it completely worth it.
We spent some time sitting on the rocks, watching the sun come up and enjoying the view before starting the hike back down.
On the return trail we stopped to view some Ute rock art. These petroglyphs are protected behind barriers, which helps prevent damage.
After that we said goodbye to Arches and began heading out of Moab.
But we still had one last stop to complete my trip goal.
This trail is not very well publicized, so it took a little effort to find. We saved directions beforehand because there is no cell service once you leave the main highway. The road to the trailhead is dirt, but my little Chevy Cruze managed it just fine.
The trail is self guided, with signs explaining the fossils and bones found in the area. We had fun trying to spot the dinosaur remains along the path. It would be a great place to bring kids.
After exploring the trail and spotting some sauropod bone fragments, it was finally time to head home.
Sadly we had to say goodbye to Moab for now.
But something tells me we will be back again soon.
