Moab and Arches Part 1

Map of this blog's locations click this link to open the map

Our stop in Helper Utah gives us about 130 miles to drive into Moab. It’s a very pretty drive. The landscape starts to look like what we remember southern Utah looking like when we were in the general area back in the spring of 2017. Back then, we were further west and explored Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks. Many people refer to those three plus Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Moab as the “Mighty Five”. We had opted to not squeeze all five of them into the several weeks we had that first time. We knew we would eventually make it back to the area and get a chance to explore the area more thoroughly. We had booked 12 nights in a private campground just south of Moab proper. And would follow that up with 7 nights in a state park closer to Canyonlands NP. This will give us nearly 3 weeks to check this beautiful area of the country. When we originally reserved a spot at OK RV Park back in May, they were rather full. We were going to need to stay in three different sites during our 12 nights. Fortunately in the intervening months, they had some cancellations and were able to get us in a single full hookup site for the complete stay.

On our first full day, we headed into Arches National Park. With just the one entrance into the park at the southern end, it was a long wait to get in even with two entrance booths open. A stop at the visitor center allows us to get a good overview of the park and what there is to see and do. Chris had already done a fair amount of research and knew to check into getting tickets for one of the more popular hikes in the park. Yes, you heard that right. The Fiery Furnace Trail is only accessible with a permit and they only have so many spots available each day. Chris wanted to ask about the physical demands of the hike since she knew there were some technical aspects to this hike. The ranger showed her some pictures of the obstacles along the hike and assured her there were no real high ledges to contend with. Once her height fears were allayed, we signed up for an afternoon hike two days out at a price of $16 per person.

From the parking lot of the visitor center, you can see the road snake up the side of the  side of the mountain. In the first two miles, we gain about 550 feet. The rock formations are rather impressive and it’s hard to pay attention to the road. Fortunately there are plenty of pullouts along the way to stop and get out and just look things over.

Rock Walls Heading into Arches

We stop at the Park Avenue Viewpoint since there is a trail to hike here. There is room for about 20 cars and from what we saw, it seems to be busy most of the time especially when a tour bus stops with a load full of visitors. Most people will walk up to the observation point 300 feet from the parking lot and take their obligatory selfie and turn back to their car. We wanted to get a bit of exercise so we head down the stairs to the actual trail. It’s about one mile long to the far end where the trail meets up with the road again.

Odd Shaped Balanced Rock

Heading Down Park Avenue Trail

It is a very beautiful walk and not a very challenging one even though the park lists this hike as moderate. It basically follows a canyon with three to five hundred foot red rocks towering over you. While not a slot canyon, it is still quite impressive and definitely well worth the stop and proceeding beyond the viewpoint.

Approaching Three Gossips

Water Worn Sandstone

Heading several miles further into the park, we come upon Balanced Rock. It’s quite visible for a couple miles before getting there and we saw there was room in the parking lot to stop to check it out. Balanced Rock is rather impressive. The whole thing stands 128 feet tall with the boulder balanced on top is 55 feet tall. There is a short trail that circles the thing. From different directions, the rock doesn’t look like it should be sitting atop the base. There had been a small balanced rock just off to the side of this one. Called “Chip-Off-the-Old-Block”, it toppled over during the winter of 1975-76.

Balanced Rock

Views Near Balanced Rock

Still Looks Like It Should Fall

Immediately past Balanced Rock is the road back to the Windows Section of the park. This area has some of the more popular and accessible arches found in the park. Of course that also means it’s a very crowded area but we found a parking spot and headed towards the windows. A one mile loop trail will circle around to the three arches found here. The North and South Windows are part of the same fin although you need to be far enough away in order to see them simultaneously. We head over to the less crowded Turret Arch to the west of the other two. Called Turret Arch because there is a large hole to the side of the main arch. While less crowded, there are still many people so getting a photo without people posing in the middle of the arch is next to impossible.

The North Window

Turret Arch

We climb up and thru the arch to see the view from the opposite side. If you get at just the right position, it is possible to see the South Window thru Turret Arch. From this area, it is easy to see both the other arches across the way.

Backside of Turret Arch

Turret Arch with South Window Just Visible

North and South Windows from Distance

We follow the path over to the South Window to get a good view of it. We found this arch to not get the same crowd of people as the one to the north. Possibly since it is a bit further and not the prominent arch you see when you first walk up.

South Window

Below South Window

We decide to follow the less popular primitive trail that goes behind the North and South Windows. This path gives a much different perspective of the two arches plus gives us other views beyond them. It’s not a very challenging trail and isn’t that much longer.

Backside of North Window

View from Primitive Trail Behind North & South Windows

Continuing Along Primitive Trail by Windows

Once back to the parking lot, we head over to the other arch at this stop actually it’s the Double Arch. What makes this set of arches unique is they aren’t in the same plane but closer to ninety degrees from one another. The path here is a bit more of a climb although it depends how far up to the base of the arches you go. I made it up close to the base of the second arch. But after watching others struggling with footing, I opted to play it a bit more safe.

Distance View of Double Arch Area

Approaching Double Arch

Double Arch Up Close

View from Below Double Arch

As we headed out from the Windows Section, we stopped a mile or so up the road at the small pullout for the Garden of Eden. It’s an easy place to overlook. There aren’t any arches in this area but it was still worth the stop to see the various rock formations located here. We barely explored half of the park and didn’t do any serious hiking but it was getting close to dinner time so we headed back to camp. We did a quick stop at Lions Park right at the southern shore of the Colorado River. A pedestrian bridge heads over the river and permits a great view of the impressive shear rock walls on the northern side of the river rising 300 feet over the water.

Part of Garden of Eden

Colorado River

Shear Walls Along Colorado River

Even with more to explore in Arches, we headed out to do a popular hike not within the National Park. The Grandstaff Trail is a highly rated canyon hike. The trailhead is just 3 miles east of the main road in Moab along the Colorado River. The trail follows a small stream in the base of a canyon. So even though we were here in the heat of the afternoon, there was a large amount of shade from all the trees growing along the stream and it was a comfortable temperature. The views of the towering canyon walls make for some dramatic views. One family hiking in front of us opted to turn the hike into a water walk and simply headed up the stream rather than following the trail as it would alternate from one side of the stream to the other. The stream is neither deep nor wide so the crossings aren’t very challenging.

Grandstaff Trailhead

Starting Along Trail

Looking Up Canyon

Grandstaff Trail Continues

Walking Along Stream

There are a few geocaches along the way which gets us sidetracked every now and then. One of the caches was only a tenth of a mile off the trail but much higher up so it took some effort to get there. What didn’t help was a very brief but strong shower with high winds coming by as we were on our way up. I eventually found the cache hidden behind a 15 foot tall boulder. As I was signing the logbook, a wind gust blew the container into a crevice beneath the rock. It took me an additional 10 minutes to fish the container out from underneath the rock. In the meantime, Chris realized she had dropped her phone somewhere along the trail or while searching for the cache. We retraced her steps and got lucky to spot the phone lying on the ground undamaged.

More Rocks Walls Along Canyon

As the hike continues up the canyon, the storm quickly passed and was nice again. The views seem to be different in each direction and around each turn of the trail. At the end of the nearly 4 mile hike, the canyon ends at the Morning Glory Arch. From a distance, it’s hard to see that we are approaching an arch. I suppose if we hadn’t know about it, we might have overlooked it. It helped that there were half a dozen other people checking out the arch and the spring water pouring from a crack in the rock below the arch. On the way back, we took a side canyon back to search for one more geocache. This eight mile hike turns out to be our favorite during our stay in Moab and would rate as one of the better hikes we have done in our travels. Sad to think that the majority of visitors to the area will likely never even realize what they are missing.

At Morning Glory Arch (hard to see at this angle)

Below Morning Glory Arch

Small Pool of Water by Arch

Rounded Rocks

The following day was our guided hike along the Fiery Furnace Trail in Arches but it wasn’t until mid afternoon so we had time in the morning to check out the Scott Matheson Wetlands Preserve. On the west side of town along the Colorado River and the Mill Creek is this nice little oasis of greenery in the generally desert landscape of Moab. We followed several trails thru the preserve and found a way down to the river. It was a nice diversion for the morning.

Mountain Views at Preserve

Field of Flowers

After lunch, we head back into Arches to make sure we get to the Fiery Furnace trailhead in plenty of time. It’s hard to know how long the wait to get into the park will be but we’re finding out it is often longer than expected. We got to the parking area and found our ranger waiting for the group to assemble. Our group ended up being about 15 people. He was careful to make sure we all had on sturdy boots and plenty of water. The total hike will be 2 to 3 miles but will take two and a half hours to complete. Before we start out, the ranger has us all introduce ourselves and explain why we like national parks.

Our Group Near the Start of Fiery Furnace Hike

Small Arch Along Hike

Follow the Ranger

The pace of the hike is fairly slow as may be expected for something like this. We stop frequently as the ranger explains something about the park or the geology or the plant life we are seeing. The hike is predominantly down in between the fins or hoodoos that make up the terrain. It is quite pretty although getting pictures is a challenge with so many other people in the group.

Another Double Arch

Fingers Pointing Towards the Sky

Narrow Section of Trail

There are about six places along the hike where we have an obstacle that we need to overcome. In each case, the ranger explains how we should approach it and then perform the maneuver himself before having the rest of us follow his lead. A few spots simply require a butt slide down a slick rock into a gully before climbing out the other side. It seems to take an inordinate amount of time to get the group thru even the simplest obstacle.

Gnarly Tree

Head Towards the Crack

The more interesting obstacles were ones with a narrow slot between two steep walls of rock. At ground level, they were too narrow to walk thru even sideways but they were wider a few feet above the ground. We used three different techniques in these spots. In one case, your two feet were on one side wall while you leaned into the opposite wall with your hands and slowly worked your way thru. The second condition was similar but with the feet forward and leaning backwards. The other case was more of a spider crawl, with left foot and hand on the left wall and the other foot and hand on the right wall. This was a bit more awkward so the group slowed down quite a bit before we all got thru. It was interesting to see how a group of complete strangers at the start of the hike ended up being so supportive and helpful with one another during the course of the walk.

Option One - Lean Forward

Option Two - Lean Backwards

Option Three - Spider Crawl

Occasionally, we would stop and have a break at some beautiful spot and the ranger would ask us some deep question - almost like a therapy session! At one such stop, he passed out slips of paper and pencils and asked us to write down our deepest regret in life. Then he collected the papers and read them out loud.  Not our typical hiking activity. In all we enjoyed the hike and meeting some other people from all over the country. Lots of them were inquisitive of our lifestyle after learning how we are now traveling nomads.

Another Arch in Fiery Furnace

Heading Down

We had brought along dinner so we could stay here after the hike to enjoy the colors of the sunset on this fascinating landscape.

Sunset Approaching

Our plan for the next day was to head back to Arches and drive the Jeep out Salt Valley Road to a several remote arches. It sounded like the 8 mile drive would be rough but manageable. From there, we would have a three or four mile hike to see what we wanted to see. The plans changed as we were heading into the park. We could see rain storms heading our way, and we figured driving in the high desert along a wash when a storm is in the area might not be a wise decision. But we are adaptable and had other things to see. Our first stop was at Skyline Arch. A short quarter mile hike brings us back to the base of the arch that is high up on the wall. An interesting aside about this arch - in 1940 a huge boulder fell out of the wall and doubled the size of the arch opening. It is possible to walk beneath the arch and climb over the fallen pieces of boulder.

Rainstorm on Horizon

Skyline Arch

Below Skyline Arch

Next we drove a bit south to the Sand Dune Arch parking area. Most of he people stopping here will simply walk out to see this arch. We picked the longer hike out to a couple of other arches. There were still a few rain clouds in the area but we hoped we could get the hike in and avoid getting wet. It’s a pretty hike and it didn’t take too long to make it out to Broken Arch. We explored this spot before proceeding on along the loop.

At Start of Broken Arch Loop with Threatening Skies

Broken Arch and Tree

Backside of Broken Arch

About a half mile further we can see another arch off to the right. We eventually turn onto the spur trail that leads back to Tapestry Arch. This one is interesting because it is flanked by two alcoves (arches in progress). We manage to get up the incline 100 feet in front of the arch and can see them up close and personal. There are also great distant views from this vantage point.

Tapestry Arch in Center

Below Tapestry Arch

Nice Views

Up at Tapestry Arch Base

Tree Protected by Rock

The trail eventually heads into the Devils Garden Campground. Most of the sites here are not nearly big enough for our motorhome but the campground setting is quite nice with many of the sites situated in between some of the many rock features. We head back to the restrooms and find a very unique amphitheater setting. The benches face a large rock wall where the projection screen is located. Just a few hundred feet behind it is another arch. As we headed over to check it out, I realized this was just the opposite side of Skyline Arch we had viewed several hours earlier.

Backside of Skyline Arch

Amphitheater at Devil's Garden Campground

Campground SItes Nestled in Rocks

After finding the continuation of the trail on the other side of the campground, we discovered the trail follows along a series of the fins. It is fun to explore this area, looking for interesting views.

Trail Between Fins

Tree Grows Between Fins

Our loop eventually gets us back to where we started near Sand Dune Arch. Even though we were a little tired, we trudged through the deep sand to get back to this arch. It isn’t very large but was worth the short extra walk.

Heading Back Towards Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch

We stopped again at the Windows Section to check out the North Window a little closer. We had skipped this the other day by taking the primitive trail back to the parking area. Since nearly every visitor stops here when they come to Arches, we figure we should climb up to the arch and do the same thing.

Heading Up to North Window

We were in need of a slow day after the multiple hiking days in a row. There is a BLM campground in a recreation area south of town know as Ken’s Lake. We knew there were a few caches hidden in the area so we figured it would be a short stop to check out the campground and do a walk for some of the caches. Turns out the brief rain we got yesterday had been enough to make the wash we needed to walk up a little muddy. We went far enough for a couple caches but decided it wasn’t the most fun walk. We did discover one of the caches was placed near a makeshift monument for someone named Lyzz. The campground itself was alright with many of the sites large enough for us. It’s just a boondocking spot and they cost $15 per night but it is close to Moab and Arches.

View of La Sal Mountains in Background

Unexpected Grave