Cathy and I are spending a few days in Moab, Utah to see the arches and canyons in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Here it is a truism that a picture says a thousand words, so here are lots of pictures and not a lot of narrative. You can check out other parts of our 6 week trip at Coast to Coast USA
Arches National Park
Delicate Arch
The hike to Delicate Arch is about 1 1/2 miles and all up-hill. We took a picnic lunch and took our time taking in the great mesa and canyon views. The arch itself is usually picture-postcard until I crashed the scene. That’s me under the arch. You may have seen the picture of Delicate Arch on the Utah license plate.
Landscape Arch
It’s an easy 1 mile hike to see our new favorite arch. Landscape Arch spans over 300 feet and as recently as 1991 a large part broke off. Go past Landscape to see some other great arches.
Other Arches
Awesome vistas and other curiosities
Canyonlands National Park
Cathy and I made a last minute decision to drive over to Canyonlands, and we were well rewarded. We drove across the mesa and had breath-taking views into the enormous canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers.
Dead Horse Point State Park and the Colorado River
Check out Dead Horse Point State Park for a look at the 2000 feet deep canyon and the Colorado River. The Park is a few miles north of Moab.
Some observations and recommendations
The Spoke on Center has great build-your-own burgers – beef, chicken, veggie, salmon – and other excellent menu items in an upscale setting, and was our go-to place for dinner in Moab.
The line-up to enter Arches at 9:30 a.m. is about a half hour wait, and the parking lots at the trail heads are jammed. At 8:45 a.m. it is a 5 minute wait, and lots of parking. So believe the hype to arrive early.
We brought our e-bikes and find that the trails in the park and in Moab prohibit their use. So the bikes will get dusted off at our next stop in St. George, Utah.