Utah Vacation–Arches NP Day 1

Today I got up early with hopes of seeing the sun rise and the mountain to the northwest get illuminated. I asked Andrew if he wanted to join me, and he did. We walked out of our cul-de-sac and headed north. The sunrise time came and went, yet we saw no sun. Far far away to the west, we could see glowing mountains, yet we were still in the dark. Finally, the tops of our mountain started to light up. The light slowly walked down the mountain. Looking back to the east, the sun finally peaked over the distant mountain.

Back at the house, I wanted to eat as much as possible, since we had a long day planned. Today we were planning to go to Arches National Park. We made reservations months in advance and our reservation for today was for park entry between 12:00 and 1:00 PM. We ate and were on the road before 9:00.

Our first stop was the Moab Information Center. Here we found tons of information about the surrounding parks and activities. With information in hand, we left and walked around town. Surprisingly, we found a marshy area with a trail following a small creek.

Our reservation time was quickly approaching, and we knew there was nothing to eat inside the park, so we looked for something quick and reasonably priced. Our first stop was the Moab Diner. It was very cool but was packed and had a wait. We decided we’d eat here some other time but needed something quicker now. We found Milt’s Stop & Eat.

Milt’s was like going back in time. It was like something you’d see in an old-time 50’s movie. Despite the impression, they were accommodating to Susan’s needs. We ordered and enjoyed lunch under their enormous Sycamore tree.

As our 12:00 reservation time for Arches approached, our excitement ramped up. We drove back through Moab to the park entrance and joined the double line of cars waiting to enter. Slowly we moved forward until we were finally at the booth. I showed the attendant my reservation, ID, and National Park pass and she handed me a brochure with a purple sticker on it. I pulled forward to the roundabout and showed the ranger my purple sticker and we were in. Finally, it was time to start exploring one of my most anticipated national parks.

David outside Arches National Park

View from the Visitor Center

After a quick stop at the Visitor Center to fill our water bottles, we started our exploration. Immediately after leaving the Visitor Center, we started the climb out of the valley and up to the next level. The awe factor of the initial climb was overwhelming. At each switchback in the road, a new scene was revealed. This continued again and again as we wound our way up the mountain.

Arches entry, Visitor Center, and winding road

The main road in the park runs 18 miles from the Visitor Center to the end, at Devil’s Garden. Along the way, there are many pull-outs and several side roads leading to additional attractions. We drove the entire distance and stopped at nearly all of the attractions along the way. Some of the attractions included: Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, the Windows, Double Arch, Delicate Arch, Garden of Eden, Fiery Furnace, and Devil’s Garden. Some of the names were perfectly obvious, like Double Arch, but many formations remain unnamed. We had fun giving our own names to formations as we drove along. Some of my favorites include: High Five, Turtles, Mammoth, and Flower Pots.

David and Susan with The Organ and "High Five"

Several of the stops included short hikes whereas others included longer hikes. Since we are planning multiple days in the park, we chose only short hikes for this visit. Our short hikes included: Double Arch and Delicate Arch Lower Viewpoint.

Double Arch

Delicate Arch, as viewed from the lower viewpoint

Eventually, it was time to go, so we left the park and decided to explore the Colorado River valley to the east. As you probably know, the Colorado River is responsible for the Grand Canyon. This is obviously an amazing feature and I highly recommend seeing it in person. However, the Colorado River is responsible for many more canyons. The canyon to the east of Moab is also pretty amazing. We followed the road about 10 miles before we turned around at Sandy Beach.

It was now getting late, so we started heading back to Green River. As we started the climb out of the Moab Valley, we commented on the railroad high on the west bank and noted that the collection of railcars was no longer there. As we continued north, we paralleled the tracks. Just south of I-70, we caught up to the train. After a little research, we discovered that Moab once had a Uranium mill. Over time, it shut down, but the area still has radioactive material. The material is being removed in small containers by rail. So from now on, we will call that train the Radiation Train.

Before returning to the house, we made a few more stops. First, we stopped for gas and were slightly shocked how much it cost to fill the tiny tank of the Rogue. The we stopped at the Melon Vine grocery store to buy a Styrofoam cooler and some ice packs. With the price of things these days, we need to save money wherever we can.

Click the image below to see all pictures from the trip.