The good news is that none of the hikes are that strenuous. I bet you would do fine in the Firey Furnace.

Don't miss the hike to Delicate Arch. It is somewhat tough on the way up, but then the return is all downhill. Take a snack and eat while sitting around the arch. There is some etiguette that should be practiced if it is busy. In other words don't stand under the arch taking pictures for 20 minutes as everyone needs a turn. I prefer it in the morning as no very many people are there. Most people would argue with me on that as everyone goes at sunset and the place can have a crowd.

You might want to try the entire Devils Garden. It is longer. The last couple of miles(depending on which way you hike the loop) is boring and in sand, so it is slow.

Double Arch(not to be confused with double O), The Windows, and Balanced Rock are very easy hikes of about 10 minutes. Turet Arch is another good one.

You would probably want to allow 2 days for arches and then another couple of days for Canyonlands, Deadhorse Point. Maybe do an airplane tour with slickrock air or a boat tour, or a hummer tour(pretty scary).

I would suggest driving to Goblin Valley, which is just under 2 hours away. It is very unique place. There is also a great slot canyon there called Little Wildhorse(not wildhorse-you want little wildhorse).

I would avoid the Jeep Weekend event(which I think is at Easter).

Main thing is to take plenty of water and/or gatorade on the hikes-which I am sure you know if you hike as you say you do.

etiquette (darn spell check)

I should have also said that on Devils Garden there is plenty of arches and giant fins to see along the way. It is slightly like Fiery Furnace. Pay close attention to the rock cairns.

There are also several nice, short easy hikes in the Island-in-the-Sky unit of Canyonlands (just above Moab), and some longer great hikes in the Needles unit (south of Moab). Lot of fairly level hikes, meaning no strenuous elevation changes. April is a great month visit this region, except for the Jeep Jamboree week.

I'd plan at least two days in Arches but I away recommend about 5 days to really see the Moab area. Two days for Arches, one day for Canyonlands, Island in the Sky District and Dead Horse State Park, a day driving scenic Hwy 128 to Fisher Towers, Hwy 279 (The Potash Road) & Kane Creek Road looking for petroglyphs and enjoying the scenery, and a day to drive down to the Needles District of Canyonlands. Add extra days if you want to do any 4 wheel roads! Since Arches is so close to town, you can pop in on days when you find spare time to do little hikes like Sand dune or just watch the sunset in a different location.

My favorite hikes in Arches are Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch and there are other arches nearby in the Devil's Garden as Spirolbuldog has mentioned. I don't think I'd recommend going all the way to Dark Angel because you have to walk on top of the sandstone fins. Park Avenue starting at Courthouse Towers so you are walking up hill to begin with and then down hill at the end. If you start at the Park Avenue overlook you go down first and up on the way back. The Windows (walking the primitive path behind both) There is one point where you do have to scramble up one rock but I'm a senior too.

IF you decide to do the Fiery Furnace make your reservations well in advance! We were just there in early October and we were spent 9 days, but they didn't have any openings till the 11 days! We haven't done this hike yet, so don't know how hard or easy it is.

Utahtea

If you've decided that Fiery Furnace is not for you I'd think twice about the full Devil's Garden.

I'm also a senior and I know that as we get older things start to hurt.

I'd definitely recommend the Delicate Arch hike. It's not difficult at all but is strenuous going as it's mostly uphill. I'd go about an two hours before sunset so that you have an hour os so there before sunset.

The Windows section isn't really hikes but short walks in a circle around the parking area. Very scenic and not to be missed.

The hike to Landscape Arch is also very nice.

The Park Avenue hike is also quite scenic.

Other than Fiery Furnace I don't believe there are any ranger hikes.

I would spend a day going to Canyonlands (Island in the Sky) and Dead Horse Point.

The very short Mesa Arch hike in Canyonlands is very interesting as it's the only arch that is approached at the top.

I would also consider driving east on Rte 128 and doing the Fisher Towers hike. This is easy but very scenic. It's a meca for rock climbers so there's a good chance you'll see them. I when I was there I saw some climbing the Corkscrew way up. We exchanged email addresses and I sent them my photos of them taken from way below.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

The 5 miles hikes up and down hills should be fine. Fortunately our knees are doing ok. Our limitation is lack of good grip strength and balance. It looked like you needed both for Fiery Furnace - although the NP pics may overstate the difficulty.

Thanks for the warning about the last part of the Dark Angel hike. I'm guessing that "walking on the top of the fins" means it drops off on both sides - or there is a very narrow trail with sharp drop offs?

Bookmarking. . . We hope to next October! This is great information.

I went on the Fiery Furnace hike a couple of years ago. Since I don't do "hard" I was a bit concerned.

It was really very easy. The ranger stops quite often to explain things.

The hardest part was how narrow some of the places were. I almost had to walk with my feet on both sides and not touching the bottom. But this was only a few times.

Since there's no trail in that part of the park it's up to the ranger to decide what to see.

But with balance issues I'm really not sure what to do and not do. Does that mean one person falls?

OK- balance issue. A few years ago my husband broke his neck - and scrunched his spinal cord. He's escaped the wheelchair and walker, but he does have some permanent damage.

His feet don't tell his head where he is in space. If he starts to stumble he can just pitch in whatever direction. He doesn't have the normal ability to recover once he's off balance. He's ok hiking trails - he just uses a walking stick as an insurance policy in case he gets off balance. The narrow slot canyons should be fine. But he wouldn't be safe on anything that resembled a balance beam - unless falling off wasn't dangerous. He also doesn't have the grip strength to safely hold on to something and pull himself up a wall.

We did hike through a number of cliff dwellings last winter, and he did fine with trails that were a few feet wide for short distances at the edges of cliffs and climbed various ladders up to the cliff dwellings. But those ledges were not "balance beams" - and didn't go on and on.

If the main challenge in the Fiery Furnace walks is squeezing through the slot canyons, he should be fine. If there are extended areas of narrow trails along narrow ledges with big drop offs, we should skip it. And if the ranger is going to toss us off the tour when he sees that walking stick (REI cane...), we might as well leave the spot open for someone else.

Any clarification about whether the Fiery Furnace hikes include narrow ledges with "oops you're dead" drop offs - or walls that have to be scaled using hand holds - would be appreciated.

I wouldn't do the Devil Garden trail fin section then. It isn't that bad. But, 2 or 3 steps in the wrong direction could be very bad. I would still do the Delicate Arch, but the last 300 feet or so and around the arch itself does have dropoffs, you might need to hold his hand for some steadiness.

Definately do Little Wildhorse Slot Canyon if you go to Goblin Valley.

As far as the fiery furnace goes, I'm going to go with what others have to say. I have done a lot more of it than they offer on the ranger-led tour, but it was with ropes and a guide and very involved. So, I don't really know what the ranger tour is like really.

A lot of times the park service uses words like strenuous or difficult, when really they aren't. Other times, I think what on earth, this was much harder than I anticipated. They don't want people to get in over their heads, so they use those words for a good reason.

Yes, the fins have drop offs on both sides.

DH and I have been using hiking sticks for years on the trails because it really helps with balance. You will see some people with two and I guess that really helps the knees. Your DH will not look out of place with a walking stick in the Southwest!

Do you plan to go to Canyonlands?

Utahtea

No worry about being self-conscious about the walking stick - It works!

Thanks to all for the warning about the fins! We're listening - we have no secret wishes to revisit the trauma ICU.

Yes we do plan to visit Canyonlands. And Chaco Culture NHP - and various other places in the area. Any suggestions - or warnings?

Where are you flying into or driving from?

Undecided - we're watching for a good airfare. In the meantime I'm trying to figure out how many days at each stop so that when a good fare pops up we can nab it - and not wonder later why we didn't book an extra week.

At Canyonlands I like to do Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook and I like doing the Grand View hike if the stairs at the beginning don't put you off.

I love Chaco! Lots of walking around the ruins that's really easy!

Between Moab and Chaco you have lots of things to see and do on different routes. How much time do you have between the two locations? Were you planning on Monument Valley or Mesa Verde National Park?

Utahtea

Depending on whether it's Denver, Salt Lake, Vegas, Grand Junction, or even Moab itself will determine what other places to see along the way. You say you have done slot canyons before---did this mean in Utah?

Back to Delicate Arch.

I'd like you to explain the "piching" thing. If he just falls over then even wide trails with a dropoff would be an issue.

The last bit of the Delicate Arch hike does have a dropoff on the left side. However, the trail is quite wide. If I remember correctly it's a good 4-5 feet wide. There's nothing to stop you from walking on his left side going just to make sure. Once you're there you can just pick a spot and sit down and watch the color change as the sun starts to drop.

You don't have to wait until it gets dark to go back. Once the shadow comes close to the bottom of the arch leave so so can get back before it gets dark.

The Windows section, Park Avenue and Landscape Arch (I think) don't have dropoffs.

Fiery Furnace creates a dilema as each ranger makes it into a different hike. On ours there were a few spots that were reasonably close to a ledge (I don't remember closing my eyes). Also, in a spot we walked down rock stairs.

I do remember the photos in the station scared me a bit but the hike didn't.

I know what it's like being a senior. I've always kept myself in good shape and I excersize several times a week. When I was younger I thought that when I start to get older I'll just start to lose my stamina. So I figured I wouldn't do anything difficult (I never did), I'd go slow and rest more often.

I never thought that suddenly things would happen that could end my travel career. Or at least greatly affect it.

Only you know your capabilities and what might happen suddenly.

I think 2 days at Arches is plenty, maybe only 1.5 days. For the whole trip, 2 weeks? You can definitely find enough to fill out that much time.

I don't think you should do the entire Devils Garden hike. Hike to Landscape, then continue along that trail for as long as you both feel comfortable. Delicate Arch is great - the last section has that dropoff but the path is relatively wide. I'd be more concerned about the fact that this hike has some uphill/downhill sections on bare rock and if he loses his balance and falls it wouldn't be good. I'm thinking of the first real uphill section after getting off the dirt trail - it's somewhat steep and if he fell on the way back down it could be really bad.

But there are plenty of flat/easy hikes in Arches and all over that area for sure. Take as much time as you can for the trip, you could spend a month if you had the time.

Thanks for the suggestions for Canyonlands! RE stops between Arches and Chaco, we do plan to go to Mesa Verde, and may make shorter stops at a couple of other sites.

Myer - thanks for the description of the drop offs at Delicate Arch. If the trail is 4-5 feet wide we should be fine. He can use his walking stick and someone can lend a hand if he gets off balance. We hiked similar stretches last year. If it doesn't look safe we'll turn around.

wendy,

At the risk of sounding "smart", you won't turn around when you reach the dropoff. I don't think it's more than a very short walk and it's at the very end of the hike. When you turn the corner the Arch is sitting in front of you.

At worst you get on your hands and knees, look funny and crawl. That's what I did at Horseshoe Bend in Page. I was afraid to walk to the edge. But there were only a couple of people there.

WhereWeAre mentions a rocky area. That might concern me a bit more than the dropoff. It's a large rock and a bit steep (not a lot). I saw some people stop to rest there. Maybe if somebody remembers if you can go around it. I don't remember.

The rocks at the beginning of the Delicate Arch hike. Does anyone have a link to a picture of this area? We can always slide down on the seat of our pants?

Thanks for the warning. It is at the beginning of the hike - if it looks impossible we can just go on to something else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heyJFFdH4Wk

I always watch youtube. You can find many more hikes in Arches NP on youtube. This one seems to be a very good one of the hike itself. Not my video, I don't know who's it is.

Just take your time. This hike is fairly easy, IMOP. As Myer says, you can always crawl for that last little bit if you have to. My daughter has been afraid on a couple of the hikes we have done and she has scooted across on her rearend and crawled on a couple of occasions(on hikes much scarier than this). You might want to do the same at Deadhorse Point, that's a doozy of a dropoff, but very pretty--similar to viewing the Grand Canyon.

Probably allow 2 hrs to get there and 1 hr for the return. I think it took me about 1.5 hrs to get there and 40 minutes for the return. I have hiked it twice. One of my favorite hikes. There is no shade at all, btw.

spiro,
What dropoff at Dead Horse Point? I don't remember one.

The link that spiro posted doesn't show the big rock (massive rock) but shows the dropoff between 2.5 and 4.5 minutes into the video.

I'll check my old photo to see if I have any of the rock.

And this shows the dropoff.

http://youtu.be/ngvhXmokzpM

Thanks! The path looks pretty wide - if you lost your balance you could either just plop down or lean on the wall.

We may have to be obnoxious and hug the wall both ways.

Well, if you don't consider a dropoff to be at Deadhorse Point, I just don't know how to describe it. Isn't about 2000 feet. I thought the dropoffs on both sides while driving in was pretty cool too. All of the overlooks and edges definately gets me a little shaky in the knees. Kinda like the GC does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66plifIBgcU&feature=related
looks like a drop to me.

Yep - that's a drop off! The trick is keeping the SCI hiker a few feet back from the edge - even if he wants a better picture!

spiro,
That's not a dropoff. There's no reason to be sitting on the edge like that in order to get a view of the 180 degree bend in the river.

Actually there are a couple of places with slightly different views.

I consider it a dropoff when you have to walk it to get where you're going.

There's another one of those right behind the office.

wndy,
You won't be the first to be hugging the wall.

I have some friends who had trouble with Navajo Loop / Queens Garden in Bryce. I saw photos they took of each other and it was quite funny. This stuff normally freaks me out.

I'm the one who believes the yellow median on Rte 12 in Utah is to straddle.

I'm not looking forward to driving in Glacier.

I guess I'm crazy then, but I can't think of to many things that have that much of a drop. lol

Myer nailed my question. It's not how close we can sit to the BIG drop - DH would get closer to that edge than I would. It's whether we have enough room to maneuver safely to get to the next point - with an allowance for some wobbling. If we can't do that safely, it doesn't matter if the drop is 50 feet or 1000. (we KNOW a 20 foot drop to granite can do a lot of damage...)

There are a lot of great sights in Arches that take very little effort.

Balanced Rock is right beside a parking lot.
The Windows Section - North & South Window, Turret Arch and Double Arch are all a short walk from a central parking area. You could easily spend several hours walking around there.

Wendy,

One thing I'll mention about Dead Horse Point - you can really see and enjoy views in all directions from the safety of behind the railings/viewing walls. There are places where you can walk right to the "edge" and look straight down, but no need to do this if you don't want to.

Devil's Garden loop in Arches would be a no go, as others have said.

I have hiked the Firey Furnace twice and both times there was one section where we walked on a rock with a drop off, then had to hop across a small gap, but a gap with a long fall below....I don't think I would recommend it for you.

Just for reference - heights don't bother me at all, but I would be concerned for your husband on these two hikes.

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands is a very nice, short hike. My parents last did it in their late 70's and loved it, and Mom is not in good shape in several ways.

Have fun!

I don't have pictures of the slickrock section but found a website that has some good shots of that part. Take a look, my concern is based mainly on the consequences of your husband losing his balance and falling going downhill. That section is somewhat steep so not sure if he would just fall and stop or possibly roll a ways.

http://www.willhiteweb.com/arches_national_park/delicate_arch/trail_157.htm

If you think you can do it then go for it, it is really a great hike.

Thanks for the pics of the steep section of slickrock. It reminds me of a steep section of Mt Washington that scared me as a kid - but really wasn't dangerous as you wouldn't actually slip very far on the granite if you lost your footing. This may be different - we'll take a good look as we get started.

And a big thanks to Dayle. Unfortunately hopping gaps with big drops below is probably something we should skip. It looks like there are plenty of other wonderful hikes - we're looking forward to spending a few days there.

wendy,
Go to my web site:

www.travelwalks.com

Select the Utah 2008 trip. There are a lot of photos from Arches. Some from Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point.

#14-18 is in the easy Windows section.
38-39 is Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. no problem.
42-44 is Dead Horse Point. Getting to any of these is no problem as you park right beside and walk as close as you want to the edge.
54-62 is Fiery Furnace. You can see the areas people have mentioned. Narrow, walk across gap, any edges.

Only you can decide.

Thanks! The pictures definitely help.

My DH and I hiked fiery furnace in mid-October, neither of us are particularly fit, bad backs and knees. I was very apprehensive but decided to go anyway. Many of the other people on the hike helped to drag me up and over large boulders. The hiking itself isn't difficult , I didn't have enough upper body strength and I don't trust my knees.
My concern for your husband is there are about 6 places where you have to jump over gaps ranging from 2-4 feet wide and some with deep drops. If you do it don't take a heavy back pack, keep your water on your belt I found my back pack messed up my balance with the weight of water in it.
However it was a great hike and I would do it again!

When looking at your timing you may want to consider the following...

There is a major 4x4 off-road event happening in Moab from March 31 - April 8, 2012. I was just looking at hotels for this time period for my trip and everything is about 40% higher than their usual rates. Not to mention, there will be a bazillion people in the area.


Easter Jeep Safari
http://www.rr4w.com/events/easterjeep

Just thought you may want to consider it in your plans as well.

Myer-your pictures are amazing! what month of the year was this?
If you could go to only one would it be Arches or Canyonlands?

ARCHES!!!

Here is our Utah trip in Memorial Day weekend 2011. The firshttp://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWRpt photos are of Arches, then Goblin Valley, and Bryce

Here is a link to 5 days in Arches/Canyonlands/Moab with my daughter in 2007 This was Memorial Day weekend too. Even with the holiday, it didn't seem overly busy to us.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IatW7FqybsWR4

Spiro and Wendy,

Holiday weekends in Moab are NOTHING compared to Jeep Week. Not even a blip on the radar screen....

Jeep Week has over 40,000 people and 4x4s of ALL types and sizes, plus add the RVs for those who camp vs. hotels. Nevermind, you wouldn't be able to get a hotel anyway...and forget about trying eat in any of the restaurants.

It's just plain ugly.

bwg,
Thanks.

We were in Arches in mid-May.

Arches by far over Canyonlands.

Dayle,
I wasn't trying to compare it, just saying it wasn't busy over Memorial Day weekend (in our opinion). We had Delicate Arch pretty much to ourselves.