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Post by dillydally on May 1, 2015 19:39:26 GMT
I am headed to Utah for my niece's wedding next week and decided at the last minute to stay a couple extra days and go to Arches and/or Canyonlands with my parents. We will have all day on Friday and most of Saturday before I head to the airport for a red-eye home.
I have not been to either park before. I am going to go start googling/tripadvisor-ing, so at this point I don't have any specific questions, but if you think there is anything I should know or look out for, I'd love to hear it. |
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Post by casswithsass on May 1, 2015 19:57:22 GMT
I just flew over southern Utah and it was spectacular. We went several years ago and it was so fun. There are places to stay outside of each park. Not fancy, but adequate.
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Post by misadventurous on May 1, 2015 23:01:56 GMT
Canyonlands is large and most of it is quite remote. I went backpacking there with my DH a number of years ago. With a limited timeframe I would actually suggest Arches one day and then take a little side trip on your way back to the airport down rt 24 off rt 70 to Goblin Valley State Park. It's small, but the sandstone formations there are really, really cool. Have fun with whatever you decide to do! That part of the country is beautiful.
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Post by sillyrabbit on May 1, 2015 23:33:14 GMT
Arches is definitely doable in that length of time. Canyonlands is huge, and I would recommend saving that for another trip. The highlight of our Arches adventure was watching the sunset at Delicate Arch. It is a heck of a hike but so worth it. The park is stunning so you will enjoy it even if you skip the Delicate Arch hike.
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Post by tallgirl on May 1, 2015 23:50:11 GMT
I agree, Delicate Arch at sunset! The hike there is over a slickrock trail and has some exposure toward the end. Bring a flashlight or headlamp for the return trip.
We also did a ranger-led hike through the Fiery Furnace. You need to book into this guided trip or else pull a special permit to be allowed inside. This hike is cool because it's not just hiking; you do a lot of scrambling and bouldering and "chimneying" along the way, too.
Both hikes are great ways to get off the main park roads and into the wonderful rock formations.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643 
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on May 2, 2015 0:58:13 GMT
I just got back from a trip to Moab, but don't have my trip report posted yet (but if you are on FB let me know - you can see my pics there). Unfortunately, you are likely out of luck for a ranger led hike in Fiery Furnace. The tickets sell out months in advance and they do reserve some for walk up, but those go quickly too (and are bookable ten days out, so tough to get at last minute). But there is plenty else to see that is awesome.  You could conceivably spend a day in Island in the Sky district in Canyonlands (combined with a stop at Dead Horse State Park), but with limited time, I would probably stick closer to Moab. Get to Arches early to avoid long lines at the entrance booth and to get parking. Take a lunch with you to avoid having to leave the park and come back in. If you are interested in sunrise, the Windows is a nice spot for it. From there I would head to the end of the park to go to Devil's Garden. if you don't do sunrise, go straight here in the morning, but first stop at the La Sal Mountains overlook to get a nice view with good morning light on the Courthouse Towers area. At Devil's Garden you can choose a hike of your length. You can easily get to Landscape Arch, Pine Tree, and Tunnel Arches. Beyond that you can see Partition and Navajo. About four miles round trip or so is Double O, which I think is worth going to. You will walk on some neat fins to get there. In the afternoon stop at some of the other places like Balanced Rock, the Windows and Double Arch and if you have time, take a stroll through Park Avenue. If you are up for it, go to Delicate Arch for sunset. Take a headlamp or flashlight, although you might not need it. If you don't want to hike to Delicate Arch, you can at least see it from a distance at the viewpoint. Alternatively for sunset you can go to Balanced Rock. It's positioned well for the late afternoon light and glows red at sunset with the mountains in the distance. Very beautiful! Definitely a full day - but you'll get to see most everything there and it's well worth it! On the day you leave, you can take the scenic drive on 128. You can hike to either Fisher Towers or Negro Bill Canyon. Or you can hike to Corona Arch (easy 3 miles RT) in the other direction off of Potash Road. Enjoy!! |
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Post by brookeq on May 2, 2015 1:02:27 GMT
We did most of Arches in a day. We got there early.
We had a half day in Canyonlands and we rented a jeep and explored the canyon.
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Post by dillydally on May 2, 2015 2:31:09 GMT
Pudgy - great info! I saw some of your posts over on TripAdvisor as I was looking for a place to eat dinner in Moab. I was hoping that Drive Ins, Diners & Dives would have gone to a place or 2, but no luck!
It turns out we are going to have less time on Friday than I thought - I finally looked at a map and we'll be driving down from Ogden, so about a 4 hr drive.
I've been checking out the national park websites and on the one for Arches echoes that thought. I don't really want to get up at 4am, so I think we will just head to Moab at our leisure, and if we feel like going to Canyonlands or hit Arches at sunset, great, and if not, we don't. Then we will be able to hit Arches on Saturday when we can get up super early and go. Great tip on taking lunch. I'm going to head out around 5pm to get back to the airport. My parents are staying for 6 days, and now that I've started looking into the parks, I am jealous; wish I could stay that long.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on May 2, 2015 2:40:53 GMT
Canyonlands is at least an hour drive from Moab. After driving from Ogden, you will probably be done with driving. Arches is close to town - probably a better bet. Since you have to leave the next day - seeing sunset in the park might be nice. Enjoy your visit!
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Post by dillydally on May 2, 2015 2:44:07 GMT
Yes, good point. It is easy to sit here on the computer and think "eh, it's just an hour". But since M&D are staying longer, we'll be in 2 cars, which adds to the fun. So Arches at sunset or wine in Moab, we shall play it by ear |
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justbeingme
Shy Member
Posts: 25
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Post by justbeingme on May 2, 2015 2:52:37 GMT
This is my first post to this board but I had to say that if you have time, go to Green River Overlook in Canyonlands. To me, it's more breathtaking than the Grand Canyon. And take some time to do Sand Dune Arch. It's only a 5 minute walk but the sand there is amazing. We buried my boys in the sand and they were amazed that they could get yo and not have any stuck to them because it's so dry.
Also, there's a road near Arches that has amazing petroglyphs on it. Take binoculars if you can so you can see the detail. And a little bit further down there's dinosaur tracks in the rocks!!! I just thought that was the coolest thing!! Just ask a local or a ranger at the parks.
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Post by dillydally on May 2, 2015 2:55:47 GMT
Thanks for taking the time to post that - I will definitely look into the petroglyphs and you just reminded me to add binoculars to my packing list!
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,742
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Post by purplebee on May 2, 2015 3:01:12 GMT
Moab is great, lots to see and do, good places to stay, beautiful sights to see. Dh is from Utah, we spent 10 years living in the Provo area in the 70's/early 80's.
Dh's uncle was mayor of Moab for years in the 50's, his Dad was born there though moved to Utah Co. as a kid. We used to go there to camp on the river and fish, it was a wonderful place to spend time. Lots more people there now, and access and camping on the Corado River is very limited. But the tourist/mountain biking/hiking boom has certainly kept the the town alive during economic downtimes.
Lots of good advice for seeing Arches Park in this thread, and I would second a trip to Dead Horse Point, it's like a small Grand Canyon. I love the red rock country!
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Post by workingclassdog on May 2, 2015 4:14:42 GMT
Do you have a place to stay? My dd and boyfriend are planning a last minute trip there and working on getting a hotel. They fill up fast because there are so many 'big' groups that go there (like Jeep people, Harley people... so there are literally hundreds if not thousands that can be there almost any given weekend)
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,643
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on May 5, 2015 20:56:09 GMT
dillydally, I have my pictures and trip notes posted here if they are any help: Moab 2015Have a great time!
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Post by dillydally on May 21, 2015 19:22:27 GMT
pudgy - awesome photos; looks like a great trip!
I had a great time with my parents. I am so glad that I went ahead and extended my trip. We ended up going straight to Canyonlands on Friday and then hit Arches on Saturday. My parents are in their 70s so we didn't do any really tough hikes, but instead hit the highlights with the shorter treks. We did get to Delicate Arch, sort of on a fluke; when we read about the hike, it sounded like maybe my parents should skip it. But when we got to the parking lot, the road to the overlook was closed, so we decided to give the hike to the arch a shot. M&D were totally fine and we were so glad that we went; it was amazing!
I definitely need to get back out there when I have more time and some companions who are up to some of the more strenuous hikes. Such a beautiful part of the country and so very different from the very green, leafy trees of NC!
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