Moab has been in the back of my mind for a while now. In ’08 my dad and I contemplated going to Arches on our way back from our Mini Trip to the Southwest, but decided against it- 5 months later, Grand Arch fell. So, I had been itching to get out here before I missed anything else.!
We pulled in and made our way up the huge red-rock hill and drove past Park Avenue, The Tower of Bable, The Three Gossips and other huge rock formations. I knew I was going to be in love with this park. The reds, pinks and oranges blend together to create this other-worldly landscape that you can’t help wanting to explore.
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This is a smaller park with minimal opportunities for backcountry hiking, but there are plenty of hikes ranging from less than .5 miles and more than 5 miles. We started our sightseeing at the precariously perched Balanced Rock that looks like a gust of wind would cause it to topple over. While at Balanced Rock you can catch a climpse of Double Arch and Turret Arch.
We started out towards the arches and saw 4 iconic arches in one area. Hiking to the North and South Windows and to Turret Arch is one of the busier hikes because it is a short, paved trail to see 3 arches. You can walk right under North Window with ease and look out over more of the park. South Window was very beautiful but not easy to get up under. Turret Arch was another that you could hike right up to, and from the opposite side you can see North Window in the background.
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Our next hike was also short and easy- therefore, again, more crowded. Double Arch was one of my favorites because of the way they seemed to loop around each other. I climbed to the base of one of these arches, and got another great view of the park.
There are a couple of other arches on the opposite end of the park call Sand Dune Arch and Skyline Arch that you can basically drive up to, but these were not my favorites.
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Stay tuned for Part 2 on the two longer hikes we did to Delicate Arch and a portion of the Devil’s Garden.
6 Comments
Little Fingers
November 1, 2012 at 12:18 pmI think I missed this post of yours , beautiful pictures. It is indeed one beautiful park 🙂
ashleypaige4
November 2, 2012 at 9:44 amThanks for reading and for the compliment on my pictures! That’s one of my favorite parks now. 🙂
philandre
December 23, 2013 at 11:45 amWow: I’m glad I’ve come across your blog (which I’m enjoying immensely). Since we’re visiting Utah next year (2014), I’ll be back. I will also be examining some of your posts for other parts of the globe (because our paths seem to cross quite often!).
Glad you like “In search of unusual destinations”. Have a great Christmas, Phil.
PaigeBrown
December 23, 2013 at 2:08 pmI’m so glad you stumbled across me! Utah is one of my all-time-favorites! What parts are you going to? (Moab is unreal!)
Warm wishes and Merry Christmas!
David A Olson
March 1, 2014 at 12:22 amThe Moab area is easily my favorite place in the US if not the world. I have been there about 6 times and will be going back when I move back to the US from India. Thank you for sharing.
PaigeBrown
March 1, 2014 at 9:32 amThanks for reading! Moab is one of my favorite places as well! I’ve only been a few times, but I look forward to revisiting over and over and over! Thanks for reading! I hope your move goes smoothly!