I had the opportunity to take a little more than a week off between my travel physical therapy jobs. After visiting some good friends in California and running a half marathon, I flew into Salt Lake City and met my Dad who had flown from Michigan. We drove to Moab, which would be our base for adventures in the coming days.
We awoke early the next morning and entered Arches National Park before sunrise. We drove the road to Petrified Dunes/Great Wall area for great views at sunrise.
We returned to the car and continued down the road, stopping at several impressive views.
We decided to explore some of the many sites near the road.
Balanced Rock was near the road. There is a short trail around it.
There was a view all the way to the Windows area with the La Salle Mountains covered in snow in the distance.
Across the road from the main parking lot we found a great view of Balanced Rock with the mountains behind.
Back in the car, we turned right at a road junction and were soon at the impressive Windows and Turrett Arch section. We hiked over and through Turret Arch.
North Window as seen through Turret Arch
Turrett Arch
We continued around to the back side of the Windows.
We hiked up through the North Window for a view of Turret Arch again.
Off in the distance we could see for miles.
Continuing down the main road we decided to check out Delicate Arch. We decided to go to the overlook from a distance, which was actually quite far.
Near the end of the road, we decided to hike a short distance to Sand Dune and Broken Arches. Sand Dune Arch was located in an impressive group of fins.
Sand Dune Arch
A short distance away was Broken Arch. Look closely to see the crack in the middle of it.
We decided to go exploring outside of Arches and went for an impressive day-hike to Fisher Towers located off of Route 128. These sandstone towers are a classic photography and climbing location. The hike was 4.4 miles round trip.
The Titan is the tallest at 900 feet.
The Titan
In some places the trail was directly beside the vertical walls of the towers.
From the end the trail, the view down to the Colorado River valley was spectacular.
In the other direction, we saw the Onion Creek Valley.
We stayed up at the overlook and enjoyed the many views. We met another hiker who was out on a photography trip to many national parks over a period of several months.
We began our hike back as the evening light began to hit the towers.
The moon looked quite small next to the towers.
Then the towers became really bright!
We awoke early the next morning and headed back to the Windows area to see if we could get a great sunrise view.
Turret Arch
We hiked through the North Window and saw several photographers positioned up on a ledge on the other side. The view from the ledge is a classic, looking between two arches.
After returning to Moab and eating breakfast at our hotel, we moved out and found a campsite at the Sand Flats BLM campground. Then we headed back into Arches to explore the Fiery Furnace, one of the must-do hikes in Arches. We had acquired our permit the day before.
It's easy to get lost in the Fiery Furnace and permits are required for day-hikes. Most people do the ranger-led tour, but we opted to explore a similar route on our own. We used the waypoints from here with success.
In some places it still took some time to find the right route.
Walk-Through Arch
Skull Arch
Kissing Turtle Arch
Surprise Arch
As we exited the Fiery Furnace we could see the mountains in the distance.
View of the Fiery Furnace from a distance
We drove back to the Windows area to do the short hike to Double Arch.
Double Arch
Looking out from underneath Double Arch
In the evening we went to one of the most famous landmark's in the park, Delicate Arch. It was a short but somewhat strenuous climb on the trail.
The view with the mountains in the distance certainly a classic. Delicate Arch is on many Utah license plates.
There were many people around the amphitheater area enjoying the view. At times it was hard to take pictures as many people had their pictures taken underneath the arch.
The hike back down to the trailhead was enjoyable in the late evening.
Our campsite in Sand Flats was certainly cheaper than having to stay in town. It was near the Slickrock mountain bike trail.
Campsite at Sand Flats Campground
Early the next morning we enjoyed views from the Park Avenue Viewpoint.
We drove to the end of the road to the Devil's Garden Trailhead and began the 7.2 mile Devil's Garden Loop Trail, probably the best in the park. We came to the first of eight arches along the trail, Tunnel Arch.
Tunnel Arch
Nearby was Pine Tree Arch.
Next was Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the world at nearly 300 feet. In recents years portions of the thinnest part of the arch have fallen. Previously there was a trail that went up to the arch but now it is off limits.
We continued on the loop with a great view back to the mountains.
We took a side trail to Navajo Arch.
Navajo Arch
Next was Partition Arch with an expansive view from the edge of a cliff.
I decided to climb up in the surrounding area for a better view.
I was surprised to find the backside of Landscape Arch.
Looking out many miles with Partition Arch below.
I climbed a little higher, almost to the top for an interesting perspective of Landscape Arch.
Back on the trail we enjoyed panoramic views.
The next arch was Double O Arch, with one arch on top of another.
Double O Arch
I went through the lower arch and climbed up the back. Soon I was completely on top with the arch right in front of me. I didn't venture onto the arch itself but enjoyed the view.
The backside of Double O Arch.
Dark Angel
I went off-trail and found some interesting pictographs that the park doesn't officially talk about.
The trail became more primitive as we continued the loop. The final arch was Private Arch.
We came to one spot where there was a large pool of water in the trail. I scouted out for a route down a path with towering fins on each side. Eventually it came to a dead end with a shear vertical wall. After returning, we ended scramblingup the side to avoid the water.
The trail became sandy and the temperature was increasing. We passed Landscape Arch again and made our way back to the trailhead.
After completing the loop, we left Arches and drove over to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park.
Green River Overlook
Next we did a short hike on an unofficial trail to a historic ruin known as the False Kiva. The trail was a steep descent.
Then we climbed up and made it to the False Kiva.
The view is classic Canyonlands.
Another hiker arrived and out of breath, stated that he had lost the trail. We decided to leave as we wanted to find a great sunset view.
We found a great view near the visitor center.
Then we decided to check out Dead Horse Point State Park, certainly one of the best views in this area.
The next morning we again awoke early for sunrise. This time we returned to Canyonlands and went to Mesa Arch.
There were many other photographers trying to get the classic sunrise photo of Mesa Arch.
Mesa Arch
Mesa Arch from a distance
Buck Canyon Overlook
We drove down Shafer Road and hiked a short distance to the Gooseneck Overlook. Technically the road is 4WD but we managed without much difficulty.
We drove a little more down the White Rim Road to Musselman Arch.
Musselman Arch
As we drove back up we saw a big horn sheep.
We took a short hike to the interesting Upheaval Dome, an interesting crater.
Then we headed back to Dead Horse Point for a relaxing evening.
The next and final day we went to Canyonlands Needles District. On the way we came to Newspaper Rock with many interesting pictographs.
The Needles
Big Spring Canyon Overlook
We decided to hike a short day-hike on the Slick Rock Loop Trail.
There were great views of the Needles in the distance.
The trail appeared to end, but continued to the a great view of the canyon.
We continued on the loop back toward the needles.
We drove over to Cave Spring. On the way we passed Wooden Shoe Arch.
The short hike near Cave Spring was interesting with historic artifacts.
Overall, this was a great week. One with many exciting memories. Utah has so much to offer and I look forward to returning. There are nearly unlimited opportunities for extended backpacking and hiking adventures.
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