Arches has got to be my favorite park in the system. Probably because it was the first one I went to where I really “got it” about why we are protecting these places. The first great thing about Arches is Moab, Utah which is such a great little town. Lots of cafes to sit oudoors at and recharge. And there are a good number of hotels here too (I’ve not camped at Arches yet). One time we got to one which had literally just opened, and everything was new and fresh and it was my birthday and I had the pool to myself for the whole mid-day break from the park. Good Times! Once you come here, you’ll never look at a landscape in quite the same way. It’s so amazing to see these formations, and realize that they have been here for thousands of years before you came, and they’ll be here for thousands more. (Yes, these arches do fall down eventually – Wall Arch fell in August of 2008)
My favorite things to do here
- Drive the scenic trail with the windows open and stop at every pulloff to explore
- Hike the Park Avenue trail at sunset (watch out for snakes!)
- The hike to Delicate Arch from Wolfe Ranch is an ABSOLUTE MUST. It is several miles round trip, but you just do not get the same feeling from the viewpoint which is a mile away
- The Devil’s Garden trail is very cool, but you need to make a reservation to go on this hike – so do it first thing when you get to the visitors center
Things I want to come back to do
- Camp
- See Sand Dune Arch
- Explore Klondike Bluffs
- Buy a little cottage in Moab
Fun Facts
- Over 2,000 arches here
- Park receives only 10 inches of rain on average per year
- The beginning of the Third “Indiana Jones” movie was shot here, and you can recognize many of the landmarks
- President Nixon changed this from a Monument to a Park in 1971
- Book “Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey is famous for chronicling his time as a ranger in the park
National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/arch/
National Park Service Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=arch
This is my wife’s favorite National Park, and I can see why! Stunning views. Unusual formations. Colors that seem impossible. Modern campgrounds. A nice lodge with restaurant. A bus system to get you around the canyon. This place has everything.
Our stay at the campground here was very pleasant, except that our site was on a hill and none of it was flat. So our tent was pitched on an angle, causing us to roll around all over the place inside when sleeping.
Had a great meal at the lodge here. If you have kids (and we did not at the time) you will love the idea of riding down into the canyon on sure footed mules. We saw many happy families taking these tours. Ourselves, we preferred walking, and the trails inside the canyon are like none other that can be found on earth (with perhaps the exception of the nearby Cedar Breaks park). Here “hoodoos” in every shade of orange imaginable adorn the landscape, and as you hike in, you become surrounded and one with them. It’s just so quiet here (once you descend into the canyon – most tourists stay at the rim trails, which have stunning views but are not the full experience). If you go, you must hike into the canyon, even if you have limited time. Seeing it from the overlooks just doesn’t cut it, like it does at Grand Canyon. Of course, Bryce Canyon is much smaller and more managable.
My favorite things to do here
- Navajo loop trail
- Queens Garden trail
- Sunrise/sunset ranger programs at the rim
Things I want to come back to do
- Ride a mule
- Complete the entire loop trail
Fun Facts
- A hell of a place to lose a cow
National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/brca/
NPS Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=brca
Now here is a place that I’ve barely explored. It’s just that immense. And hot in the summer. And dry. And dusty. Did I mention hot? My big memory here is of the campground at willow flat – camped next to some giant rocks for shade, when the sun went down, still very hot. But then a breeze came up and I assured Sheila it would cool things down. Turns out- it was a hot breeze at midnight. I guess the rocks retain their heat and dissipate it to the wind overnight. Kind of like being in a blast furnace. But still, an adventure, a fun one at that. We couldn’t get any radio to listed to either in this remote location, but my new at the time XM satellite radio did the trick.
This park is divided up into several sections. Islands in the sky, Horseshoe Canyon, The Maze and the Needles. You can’t really drive between them since the roads don’t go that way (probably because of the namesake canyons).
My favorite things to do here
- The overlooks at “Islands in the Sky” section
Things I want to come back to do
- The needles section
- Some of the longer hiking trails
- Drive a 4×4 through the desert
- A canoe or kayak trip on the Colarado
- Mountain Bike
Fun Facts
- Most people find it impractical to visit more than one or two districts on a single trip
National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/cany/
NPS Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=cany
This is simply the most beautiful park that you’ve never heard off. In the shadow of the more famous Bryce, Arches, and Zion parks – this one surprisingly has a whole lot to offer, and is only missing one big thing: crowds. Also right by the entrance (in Torrey), a few nice low cost chain hotels and some really interesting local restaurants. We stayed at one of the chains (country inn and suites?) and in the back they had a bunch of hay bales set up so people can sit and listen to nature talks. We moved the next 2 nights to the campground in the park though, it’s really nice there and like all NPS campgrounds, affordable. Here we had one of our more memorable park experiences. While sitting and relaxing at our campsite and viewing the surrounding hills at the end of the day, we suddenly heard a “beep beep beep” as a huge RV pulled backwards right into our field of vision, and then right into our view. At the time, not so relaxing, but now whenever we sit down somewhere to admire a view, one of us inevitably will go “beep beep beep” and it’s good for a hearty laugh.
My favorite things to do here
- The fruita campground
- Hiking the capitol gorge
- Swimming at the Freemont river waterfall (ask a local how to find it)
Things I want to come back to do
- Come in fruit picking season to sample free fruit from the orchard
Fun Facts
- Mountain biking is prohibited in the park
National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/care/
NPS Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=care
I have not visited this site yet. But please feel free to add a comment!
I have not visited this site yet. But please feel free to add a comment!
I have not visited this site yet. But please feel free to add a comment!
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