It’s Wednesday, you’re half way through the week that means you deserve to procrastinate by looking at pretty pictures of Moab, Utah. I’ve only visited Moab once, but I have not stopped thinking about it since. People are shocked by my profound love of Utah, but if you’ve never been, you need to stop yappin’ and start packing. After all, a few of the most scenic national parks are located there.
The following photos were taken at Arches National Park. Standing in the midst of such vibrant colossal rock formations was surely grounding. Upon entering the park, I read the history of Arches then spent the next several days trying to imagine the landscape as it changed throughout the ages. I believe connecting with the landscape and witnessing earth’s transformation is a powerful conservation tool for current and future generations. Getting to know and appreciate the natural beauty in the world will surely encourage you and others to be an active participant in securing these spaces for future generations. If you haven’t visited Arches yet, call a few buddies or load the family into the car and experience history, geology and immense beauty this year.
Arches NP can be extremely crowded during the summer. Because I visited in July, I decided to wait until about 4:30pm to start off on the Devil’s Garden Trail 7.2 mile hike. I debated leaving so late knowing that I would have to hustle to make it back before dark, but decided it was best because I preferred a more appreciate hike with cooler temperatures. I chose to hike out on the harder primitive trail and then make my way back on the easier main trail. That way I would expend more energy initially and the hike back would be easier. I also wanted to create a loop so I wasn’t seeing the same views twice, although you can’t really tire of these scenes. I took 2L of water with me (and ended up sharing some with my hiking partner), but I would recommend more if you’re hiking the same route. I was feeling anxious about it during the last two miles. I got back to the parking lot around 8:30pm, so about four hours total, but there was a fair amount of photo taking and general playing around during that time.
The next morning I decided to tackle the most popular hike, Delicate Arch. While the Delicate Arch is beautiful, the crowds were obnoxious. I would highly suggest hiking here in the off season or extremely early in the morning or way late in the day. Standing in line to get your photo taken next to a natural landmark? Not ideal. I made my friend stand in line and walk very slowly towards the arch so I could capture a photo of it with no people in it. Being in the midst of such natural beauty made the hike worth it, but hearing others grumbling the entire way up and back was a bit of a bummer.
Desert Day Hike Necessities :
- Map + compass
- Sunscreen
- Chapstick
- Hat + sunglasses
- Water + more water
- Snacks
- Headlamp
- Space blanket
- First aid
- Lighter
- Knife
- If you decide to go it alone, remember to tell a friend where you’re adventuring each day. So important.
When I share travel posts, I try not to overwhelm and instead focus only on the activities I actually participated in, which is why this post only details two hikes. Besides hiking though, even driving around is equally amazing. Winding through high elevation rock formations is certainly hypnotizing. The vibrant red rocks are seared into my memory. There are also opportunities for biking, canyoneering, rock climbing, horseback riding and ranger-led activities.
Lodging, camping, grocers and restaurants are abundant in Moab as well. I highly recommend picking up groceries at Moonflower Community Cooperative. If you need a delicious meal, try Twisted Sistas. I stayed at the gorgeous Big Bend Campground. It is primitive in that there’s no running water at all, but holy flippin’ sh!t. This campsite was breathtaking and we were one of three cars there. Big Bend is situated right on the banks of the Colorado river. While the campground didn’t have showers, the river was calm enough that I took a dip to wash off all the sweat from the day’s hike. Situated in the wilderness, you have to be really careful about storing food at Big Bend. We kept everything in the car and were very careful not to drip and spill any food at our campsite. The bugs were INSANE. It was actually hysterical. We didn’t dare use our flashlights unless absolutely necessary and with that we had a stunning view of the stars. I spent the night laying on my back watching shooting star after shooting star. Something I will never forget even though I don’t have a single photograph from the campsite.
There you have it. A simple yet unforgettable jaunt through Arches National Park and Moab, Utah.
