Our First Utah Parks- Arches and Canyonlands

We left Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.P. and turned west heading for Utah. Our next park was Arches N.P. outside of Moab, UT. Jane was driving and Capt. Larry was studying the map.

Canyon wall along the Colorado

We had decided on our course, but at the last minute, Capt. Larry noticed that there was an alternate route that would take us to Moab.

Beautiful formations carved by the Colorado

This route was off the beaten path, followed the Colorado River banks, and just might prove to be a little more interesting.

Colorado River in foreground

We exited the interstate and changed drivers, because it was immediately obvious that this was not going to be a road that Jane drove on, and off we went.

Unique rock formations

About 10 miles into the route, we were astounded with the canyons that we were passing through. So much beauty. This area turned out to be a large recreational area as there were lots of kayakers and rubber rafters going down the Colorado from various points, and lots of campers along the route.

Let's climb to the top!

It was a fascinating route, and we were so glad we came this way. We finally got to Moab, found a motel, checked in, and settled down for a relaxing evening.

The next morning we went into Arches N.P. 

We start the Utah parks with Arches

This is one of the park system’s more popular parks, and we read about parking lots completely filling up at the more popular stops.

Jane and the Balanced Rocki

We arrived at the park very early because we couldn’t figure out the right time zone changes.

Some rock fins in Arches

But to avoid the rush we decided to drive to the popular sites first, then hit the less popular overlooks and pullouts on the way out of the park.

Wonderful formations!

We first stopped at Balanced Rock, a major attraction of the park. Of all the features in the park, Jane was most impressed with this attraction.

Really unique rocks

Next we went to the park’s premier feature, the Delicate Arch near the Wolfe Ranch, and decided to hike the 1.2 mile loop to view it.

The famous Delicate Arch

It was a fairly strenuous uphill hike, and at the altitude we were at we quickly became winded from the effort.

Balanced Rock again

After leaving Delicate Arch, we wound our way through the park eventually ending up at Devil’s Garden.

The Firey Furnace

The hike to this feature was even longer, so we opted to skip it and make our way back to the visitor’s center.

Sand Dune Arch

Along the way back to the visitor’s center we viewed several of the park’s outstanding features including Sand Dune Arch, the Fiery Furnace, Salt Valley Overlook, Panorama Viewpoint, the Petrified Dues, the Organ at Courthouse Towers Viewpoint, and the Three Gossips.

After we left Arches N.P, we headed out to view nearby Canyonlands N.P. which was located only 25 miles away.

Add caption

However, it seemed like it would take forever to get there as the park entrance was 19 miles from the main turnoff and the driving was once again over a winding road that made for slow going.

Getting the stamp

After collecting the stamp at the visitor’s center, we drove to some overlooks to get views of the canyon highlights.

The canyon at Canyonlands

Our park map showed a few features that we thought we would like see, but after driving to them we were disappointed to find that we would have to hike a long distance to view them, so we opted to find a picnic area to have lunch.

A canyon overlook

These canyons were carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers, and we were told that the confluence of the two streams produced some of the best whitewater rafting along the entire length of the Colorado.

The "Maze' and the Green River

After we finished our lunch we headed out for Green River, UT where we would spend the night before heading to our next park the next morning, Capitol Reef N.P. As we drove to Green River we were so happy that we took our alternate route to Moab.

Another view of the canyons

We had been treated to much more inspiring scenery that we would have missed had we not altered our route.

Interesting formations by erosion

We arrived in Green River, checked into a motel, and caught up on writing some postcards before heading out to a nearby park for a dinner of grilled chicken shish kabobs. Life is good!