National Parks in Utah do not disappoint and Arches National Park is no exception. Located just outside Moab, Utah, the park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.
Utah is home to five National Parks and many more state parks. It’s hard to choose which one to visit, but I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. We visited Moab and Arches mid-way through our road trip from Park City, Utah to Houston, Texas. Along the way, we hit up other amazing destinations like Zion National Park, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon.
Devil’s Garden Hike
We arrived in Moab late at night and woke up early to beat the crowds and the heat for our hike in Arches. We headed straight to the back of the park to do the Devil’s Garden Hike. The hike was about 8 miles long and passed through some of the parks more incredible arches including Landscape Arch, Double O Arch, Private Arch, and more!
The trail itself varied from pavement to sand to minor bouldering over rocks. The Devil’s Garden Hike makes a giant loop through rock formations and mid-way through we had to be particularly careful about following the cairns marking the trail. We never got lost, but it certainly wasn’t for anyone lacking an adventurous spirit. Thank goodness for the cairns.
The orange sand and red rocks were absolutely stunning! On the hike, we clambered over all types of fractured rock layers eroded into giant sandstone fins sticking out of the ground. Over millions of years, rain and sand eroded at the fins to create arches and spires. If you feel like nerding out, this video does a great job of explaining it.
On the drive back we saw some of the other well-known rock formations like Balancing Rock.
GET THE LOOK
Moab
I definitely believe that I could spend more time in Moab. It’s a total destination for adventure tourism and a hotspot for some seriously good food trucks. On our way up to Utah, we stopped for lunch at Moab Kitchen which served vegan sandwiches and wraps and had no prices. You just pay whatever you felt was right. After our hike, we treated ourselves to Quesadilla Mobilla in the food truck park. I had the vegan quesadilla with their spicy salsa and lime crema sauce. IT WAS HEAVENLY. Literally anyone who goes through Moab HAS to stop here. It’s out of control and amazing in every way. Kyle got a spicy carne. We’re both still thinking about that meal. It tasted especially good after a 8 mile hike.
On the drive in, we stopped at Moab Kitchen, which is a vegan food truck on the edge of town. The menu doesn’t have prices, you just pay what you think is fair.
COVID Considerations in Arches National Park
Since we went to Utah to hike, it was pretty easy to socially distance when Moab. We wore our masks any time we entered an establishment (hotel, ordering food etc.) and brought them on our hikes.
- On the trails, we would wear our masks or pull up our sweatshirts over our faces as a courtesy when passing people closely. About half the hikers would do this as well. Encountering people typically happened on the first few miles of the trail. People usually thinned out as we got deeper into the trail.
- We rarely asked anyone to take our picture. I balanced my phone on rocks and took many self-timer photos. I brought hand sanitizer with me everywhere in my fanny pack and would wipe down my phone afterwards if I did hand it to someone.
- We packed a cooler wherever we went so we had cold water and snacks on after hikes, so there was no need to go into gas stations unnecessarily.
- The visitor center was pretty packed, so wouldn’t recommend going inside unless you really had to.
Always check the latest recommendations from the local and state government before you visit to understand how best to prepare for your trip to Moab and Arches National Park.
Ready to visit Arches National Park?
