There are many wonders of the world and I consider Arches National Park one of them..and it’s just a days drive from our home in Colorado. Moab, Utah is a special place regardless of their back yard, but having Arches so close at hand is really a treasure.
Gregg and I decided Arches was a must-see for Noah so we planned a few days there over Noah’s spring break. We decided to camp right in the park as opposed to in the town of Moab. So, for a few bucks more and and a last minute cancellation by other campers, we were in! FYI- If you want to camp in the park, plan ahead! This is something we’re not always great at as we tend to fly by the seats of our pants.
We backed our pop up into our campsite and Noah immediately began testing the rock formations for stability, which means I immediately freaked out, sure that he was going to collapse an Arch and we’d be on the evening news as the “Family Who Destroyed Arches.” But thanks to a visit by our camp hosts, we were informed the boulders around camp were completely free game for climbing. Well, ok, let’s get climbing!
So, Gregg & I set up camp, Noah climbed to the top of every rock he could find and we settled in for the night.
The next morning, at the crack of 11am, we headed off to hike Devil’s Garden,
just a 2 minute drive from the campsite. There are a few different hiking opportunities at this site, from just a quick sight-seeing ‘up-and-back’ from the famous Landscape Arch, or the round trip journey, where you get to see all the arches, which is what we opted for. FYI, with a few breaks, this is about a 5-hour 8-mile hike, which is a-Mazing I must say, so if you’re up for it, take lots of water, sunscreen and snacks. Side note: if you are not good with directions, consider sticking with other hikers or hire a guide. Otherwise, follow the “Cairns.” Cairns are stacks of rocks that identify the correct paths to take. If you can’t figure out your next move, look for these heaps of rocks to guide you.
We would have loved to spend more time in Arches as there are endless hikes and site to explore but our sites were set on Lake Powell, so after a long day of hiking, we got a good nights rest & headed for Page, Arizona.
These little trips of ours are just the tips of the iceberg. We are determined to show Noah as much of this world as we can and I have no doubt we will find ourselves back in this place again soon.