Hiking Through Utah Part 1: Arches

In May, my fiance and I travelled to southern Utah to explore the National Parks. This area has been on my travel list for the last couple of years and I’m so excited we were able to go on this trip. Here is a park by park recap to help you plan your trip to Utah!

We flew into Salt Lake City. While we explored Arches and Canyonlands, we stayed in Moab (about 3.5 hours south of SLC). After we picked up the rental car and made our way south, it was about 3pm when we reached the park. We had 2 options: enter Arches via the main entrance near Moab or take a BLM road at the north end of the park. Both were going to take about the same time to get to the trailhead. We went with the BLM road and it did not disappoint! We were in a jeep (thankful for an suv) and driving on rocky dirt roads. There were no cars around us nor signs once we turned onto this road. The views were unreal! We could see the Colorado mountains to our left and the gorgeous sandstone plateaus all around us. We had so much fun on this drive taking tight turns with dust all around us. We saw one antelope in the distance, but don’t worry- we saw more wildlife on our trip. The hike we had planned for our first day was called Devils Garden. It took about 30 minutes to get there once we turned on the BLM road.

Devil’s Garden is located in the northern part of the park. There are 7 arches to see on this trail and it just under 8 miles to see everything. The trailhead begins right at the parking lot, where there are bathrooms, water fountains, and a trail map. The first arch on our hike was the Landscape Arch (we bypassed the first 2 arches- Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch- and saved them for the end of our hike). This arch is less than a mile from the trailhead. The ground is covered in sand and was very relaxing to hike on after flying all morning. The Landscape Arch is the longest arch in Arches! It spans about 290 feet! We were amazed by how thin the rock looked. There use to be a trail that allowed hikers to hike right up to the arch, but because of erosion large slabs of the arch have fallen and they closed the extension. To continue on to the next set of arches, you will have to scramble up some rocks. If you are not comfortable with this, I would suggest turning around. There are the 2 arches at the beginning of the trail to hike to (about .5 mile from the landscape trail).

The next 2 arches on our hike were the Navajo Arch and the Partition Arch. To get to these arches we had to climb over some pretty big rocks! Be careful when climbing up this path. There are some pretty steep drop offs, but the rock you will be walking on is big and you will have room to move. We really enjoyed climbing up these rocks and exploring some of the surrounding rocks. The views of the park are gorgeous from this area.

 

Once we scrambled up the big rocks, we were back on the sandy path. We hiked up a short hill to get to the Navajo and Partition area. The Navajo Arch was my favorite! It was tucked away and enclosed this corner of the park. It looked like the perfect area to set up camp (if you were allowed). It was nice and shady. There was very relaxing and peaceful vibes going on and I could have sat there for hours! Alas, we had to continue to the next arch! The Partition Arch was a little further along the path and it opened up to views of the park! There a nice rock surface we sat on and took in the beautiful views of the red rocks in the distance. We could’ve spent twice as much time on this hike with all of the beauty that surrounded us.

 

Next up: Double O Arch. Thankfully there were some people hiking around us while we made our way to the Double O. We almost got lost, lol. As we continued further along the Devil’s Garden trail, we continued on the sand trail and hopped up onto some sandstone rock to walk along. When we reached the end of the rock, we found some signs to keep us on trail! Before we turned up to the Double O, we found Black Cave Arch. This arch is different, because instead of looking through the arch, it is a dark cave! About a half mile from the Black Cave is the Double O Arch! It is two arches stacked on top of each other. Another amazement of Arches! From here you have a few options: 1. Continue to the Dark Angel. 2. Head back to the trailhead the way you came. 3. Head back to the trailhead via the Primitive Trail. We opted to head out to the Dark Angel.

The hike to the Dark Angel is flat and along a sandy/rocky path. The Dark Angel is not an arch. It is a stand alone rock that you will be able to see from the Double O. There are some great vantage points from the Dark Angel. We found a couple of boulders to climb and enjoy the view of the rest of the park! From the Dark Angel, we headed back to the Double O to begin our way back via the Primitive Trail.

The Primitive Trail is a little different from the first half. We were hiking slightly downhill along some flat rock. The sun was setting against our backs and behind some of the rock. It was nice to be in the shade for a little bit. We were headed for the last Arch on the trail- the Private Arch. It was about a quarter mile inward. We crawled along some rock to this small arch that was hidden within the rock. It really felt like a private part of the park back there!

When we returned to the Primitive Trail, we continued to climb up and down the flat sandstone. We had read prior to the hike that it is easy to get lost on this part of the trail. We were walking on sand that can kind of hide the beaten path. We were constantly on the look out for cairns and other hikers.  Thankfully, we did not get lost! Which was surprising because we were constantly admiring our surroundings. Like I have said before, this place was nothing like I had seen before. I loved the Primitive Trail. We started this hike later in the day, so we only saw a few people on our return trail. I love when we go on hikes and we have the trail to ourselves. I loved this shady, rocky trail with beautiful views of the park. When we returned to the main trail, we continued to the 2 arches at the beginning of the trail to finish up our hike.

This hike was just what we needed after a long morning of traveling. It set the bar for our vacation in the most perfect way. We watched the sunset in the park as we drove to Moab for the evening.

 

Delicate Arch

After a day of traveling, we were too tired to go to the popular Delicate Arch. After our  hike in Canyonlands the next day, we stopped back in Arches to hike the 3 miles roundtrip to the Delicate Arch.

The hike to the Delicate Arch is a nice 1.5 mile hike uphill along the rock.  After hiking 8 miles in the heat and then driving 2 hours back to Arches, we were out of water. We arrived at the Delicate Arch trailhead in the early evening. It was nice temperature compared to what we were hiking in during the day.There is no water at the parking lot (There are restrooms though). We were both hydrated and are use to running for over an hour with no water, so we decided to do the hike with no water. I would not recommend this if your body is not use to exercising for long periods of time without water and it is hot out.

One thing I like about this hike is that you cannot see the Arch until you get to the top and go around the bend. It is a nice surprise after about a 30 minute uphill hike! The majority of this hike is on rock, a sandy surface toward the end. When you get very close to the top, there are some narrow walkways to walk along right before you get to the lookout. There is plenty of space, but be cautious of the other hikers. *This is the most popular hike in Arches, so there will be a crowd*

When we reached the top of the amphitheater, the Delicate Arch sits on the opposite side with the beautiful blue sky behind it (and probably other hikers taking advantage of the beautiful photo ops). The views of the park are stunning from this vantage point. There are many places to sit and enjoy the views. This would be a beautiful spot to watch the sunset (We were about 45 minutes early).

We chilled up here for about 10 minutes and enjoyed the views and people watching. The way back to the trailhead is all downhill, which was nice since we didn’t have water. I love not turning around on an out and back trail. It makes for a nice surprise on your way back. Sometimes the view is relatively the same, but sometimes it is completely different. On the way to the arch, we had this beautiful red rock to admire. On the way back, we had plateaus in the distance. I fell in love with the shade of green grass that was on these hills. The colors of Utah are gorgeous. I love the beauty of the national parks!

 

 

May 2018
Clear Skies and Mid 80s