Must See's in Arches and Canyonlands
Aug 23rd, 2011, 06:27 PM
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Must See's in Arches and Canyonlands
My husband and I are heading out to Colorado in September for a wedding. However, we are going to go out a week early to enjoy some hiking and the fall aspens with plans to do a brief side trip to Moab, UT.
So, my question is: if we have one day to spend in Arches and one day to spend in Canyonlands (northern part of the park only, I'm assuming), what MUST we see and what hikes should we not miss out on??
A few other notes to consider:
- We are both in our early 30's and generally in good shape
- My husband is an amateur photographer, so great photo-ops are a plus. I've spent multiple vacations waiting on him to get the perfect dawn and/or dusk shots at other locations such as the Teton's, Yellowstone, Monument Valley, and the list goes on.
Thanks, Fodorites!
So, my question is: if we have one day to spend in Arches and one day to spend in Canyonlands (northern part of the park only, I'm assuming), what MUST we see and what hikes should we not miss out on??
A few other notes to consider:
- We are both in our early 30's and generally in good shape
- My husband is an amateur photographer, so great photo-ops are a plus. I've spent multiple vacations waiting on him to get the perfect dawn and/or dusk shots at other locations such as the Teton's, Yellowstone, Monument Valley, and the list goes on.
Thanks, Fodorites!
Aug 23rd, 2011, 06:51 PM
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If I only had one day in Arches, I'd stop at Park Avenue for a view and then stop at Courthouse Towers to do the Park Avenue hike. I'd rather be hiking up hill to start and down hill to finish! Stop at Balance Rock, the Windows and walk out to Double Arch and the Windows. Drive to the end and do the 1 mile hike to Landscape Arch and then in the evening do the Delicate Arch hike for sunset. Other great sunset places are Balance Rock and the Windows but you can't be in all places at once. What's great about Arches is that it is just 4 miles from Moab, so you could easily catch a second sunset picture op on the day you do Canyonlands.
My favorite one day in Canyonlands starts with a 4 x 4 drive past the paved part of the Potash Road Highway 279 (look for petroglyphs on the paved section), side trip to Musselman Arch on the White Rim Trail and then the 4 x 4 drive up the Shafer Trail to Canyonlands, the Green River Overlook, Grandview and the 2 mile hike, and the best for last would be the 3/4 mile hike to Mesa Arch before returning to Moab by stopping at Dead Horse State Park and taking the Long Canyon 4 x 4 trail to Moab. They rent 4x4 Jeeps in Moab that are for off road use.
http://www.canyonlandsjeep.com/trails.html
Utahtea
My favorite one day in Canyonlands starts with a 4 x 4 drive past the paved part of the Potash Road Highway 279 (look for petroglyphs on the paved section), side trip to Musselman Arch on the White Rim Trail and then the 4 x 4 drive up the Shafer Trail to Canyonlands, the Green River Overlook, Grandview and the 2 mile hike, and the best for last would be the 3/4 mile hike to Mesa Arch before returning to Moab by stopping at Dead Horse State Park and taking the Long Canyon 4 x 4 trail to Moab. They rent 4x4 Jeeps in Moab that are for off road use.
http://www.canyonlandsjeep.com/trails.html
Utahtea
Aug 23rd, 2011, 07:01 PM
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lindagj - The wedding is in Steamboat Springs on Sept 17th - this is actually the final leg of our trip; we'll be spending time in Vail from the 10th - 13th; the 14th - 15th, we'll be heading to Moab for a few days.
Aug 24th, 2011, 02:57 AM
#6
utahtea pretty much nailed Arches.
The only thing I might do differently since I wasn't a big fan of Canyonlands would be to almost limit Canyonlands to the very short Mesa Arch hike/walk.
With all of the arches in Arches NP, Mesa Arch is the only one that you approach from the top. Also, the view of the Washerwoman thru Mesa Arch is quite unique.
I might spend the extra time either stopping in Dead Horse Point State Park or trying to add the ragner-led Fiery Furnace hike in Arches NP.
The only thing I might do differently since I wasn't a big fan of Canyonlands would be to almost limit Canyonlands to the very short Mesa Arch hike/walk.
With all of the arches in Arches NP, Mesa Arch is the only one that you approach from the top. Also, the view of the Washerwoman thru Mesa Arch is quite unique.
I might spend the extra time either stopping in Dead Horse Point State Park or trying to add the ragner-led Fiery Furnace hike in Arches NP.
Aug 24th, 2011, 06:21 AM
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Unless you do that great 4x4 day that utahtea suggested at Canyonlands I don't think I would take the whole day there. Half a day would allow you to see the Mesa Arch trail, Shafer trail overlook, grandview overlook and Green River Overlook, then head over to Dead Horse Point.
BTW the money shot photographers always head to Mesa arch for sunrise, but I've heard it can get a bit crowded trying to get that perfect shot.
The other half day I'd take the hike to Corona Arch or Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory arch. Or take a half day river trip, or a hummer tour, or ride your bikes on a beginner trail.
BTW the money shot photographers always head to Mesa arch for sunrise, but I've heard it can get a bit crowded trying to get that perfect shot.
The other half day I'd take the hike to Corona Arch or Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory arch. Or take a half day river trip, or a hummer tour, or ride your bikes on a beginner trail.
Aug 24th, 2011, 06:34 AM
#8
Last November I took some pictures of dinosaur tracks on Copper Ridge a few miles north of Moab. We also went out the dirt road to Chrystal Geyser SE of the town of Green River on the bank of the river. This is the first cold water geyser I have seen.
We liked Arches more than the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands.
We liked Arches more than the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands.
Aug 24th, 2011, 09:50 AM
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Here would be my list for must sees------
Hike to Delicate Arch-I prefer morning as soon as the sun rises. Most people will tell you to go at sunset. It is cooler in the morning and you are likely to have only a few if any people at the arch when you get there. Expect at least a couple of hundred people at sunset. Both sunrise and sunset make impressive photos. I owned a one hour photo store for several years, btw.
I think the full hike of Devils Garden is a super good hike and it includes several arches including Landscape.
Park Avenue, Double Arch, the Windows, Turret Arch, and Balanced Rock are all great and require very little effort.
I have not seen Mesa Arch in my two trips to Moab and I am still shooting myself.
The Great Gallery(part of canyonlands), Little Wildhorse Canyon, and Goblin Valley. These are all in the same area and would require a full day. They are an hour+ away, but are superb.
We enjoyed a flyover of Canyonlands with Slickrock Air. small 4 seat plane. The guy that flew it was retired chief ranger of canyonlands.
Finally, my very favorite thing to do in Moab is canyoneering with www.deserthighlights.com
An amazing experience, not really requiring any skill. But you need to be a little adventurous to do this. It is very safe, imop.
Hike to Delicate Arch-I prefer morning as soon as the sun rises. Most people will tell you to go at sunset. It is cooler in the morning and you are likely to have only a few if any people at the arch when you get there. Expect at least a couple of hundred people at sunset. Both sunrise and sunset make impressive photos. I owned a one hour photo store for several years, btw.
I think the full hike of Devils Garden is a super good hike and it includes several arches including Landscape.
Park Avenue, Double Arch, the Windows, Turret Arch, and Balanced Rock are all great and require very little effort.
I have not seen Mesa Arch in my two trips to Moab and I am still shooting myself.
The Great Gallery(part of canyonlands), Little Wildhorse Canyon, and Goblin Valley. These are all in the same area and would require a full day. They are an hour+ away, but are superb.
We enjoyed a flyover of Canyonlands with Slickrock Air. small 4 seat plane. The guy that flew it was retired chief ranger of canyonlands.
Finally, my very favorite thing to do in Moab is canyoneering with www.deserthighlights.com
An amazing experience, not really requiring any skill. But you need to be a little adventurous to do this. It is very safe, imop.
Aug 24th, 2011, 11:40 AM
#10
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Thank you so much, everyone! Your suggestions are exactly what I was looking for. I'm am so psyched to get my itinerary in order. If I decide to do a vacation blog this year, I will certainly add the link to this post!
Aug 24th, 2011, 12:48 PM
#12
Corona Arch was my only defeat.
The chains weren't an issue and the ladder wouldn't have been either.
What freaked me was a slight side-slope that was about 10 yards from one side to the other just before the ladder. Slip and rolled about 20 feet and over a cliff.
The chains weren't an issue and the ladder wouldn't have been either.
What freaked me was a slight side-slope that was about 10 yards from one side to the other just before the ladder. Slip and rolled about 20 feet and over a cliff.
Aug 24th, 2011, 05:14 PM
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Myers said: Corona Arch was my only defeat.
The chains weren't an issue and the ladder wouldn't have been either.
What freaked me was a slight side-slope that was about 10 yards from one side to the other just before the ladder. Slip and rolled about 20 feet and over a cliff.
And this crazy lady did it at the age of 58!
Utahtea
The chains weren't an issue and the ladder wouldn't have been either.
What freaked me was a slight side-slope that was about 10 yards from one side to the other just before the ladder. Slip and rolled about 20 feet and over a cliff.
And this crazy lady did it at the age of 58!
Utahtea
Aug 24th, 2011, 06:10 PM
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Wow, that is on the way to Corona Arch? My only memory is of a ladder or two and the great arches. And hubby with the bum knee didn't complain at all.
Myer are you saying you actually went over? Or were afraid of doing so?
Wow, that is on the way to Corona Arch? My only memory is of a ladder or two and the great arches. And hubby with the bum knee didn't complain at all.
Myer are you saying you actually went over? Or were afraid of doing so?
Aug 25th, 2011, 03:19 PM
#15
utahtea,
And I'm close to 10 years older than you and I've had a hip replacement since that trip. But been on six trips since including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Bryce, Zion.
InSandy,
NO, NO, NO!!! I didn't go over. I here writing about it.
It wasn't that bad. I just looked to the right. The slope wasn't very steep at all. But I just though that if my boots slipped at all and I rolled to the right (downhill) the result might not be very good.
It's funny because we climbed up some chaines and to the side with some chains and that wasn't much of an issue.
And I'm close to 10 years older than you and I've had a hip replacement since that trip. But been on six trips since including Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Yosemite, Bryce, Zion.
InSandy,
NO, NO, NO!!! I didn't go over. I here writing about it.
It wasn't that bad. I just looked to the right. The slope wasn't very steep at all. But I just though that if my boots slipped at all and I rolled to the right (downhill) the result might not be very good.
It's funny because we climbed up some chaines and to the side with some chains and that wasn't much of an issue.
Aug 26th, 2011, 02:42 AM
#20
spiro, utahtea, InSandy,
The hip just started to hurt about 5 months after a trip to Utah with a friend. Actually, I tweeked a knee hiking on that trip and it wasn't healing. The knee had been scoped five years earlier.
I went to the ortho who took an MRI of the knee and told me nothing was wrong. So I asked him about the pulled groin that limited me to five minutes of painful walking.
He told me he knew nothing about hips. Hips???!!!!!!! I told him I had a pulled groin. He said it was my hip.
Six weeks later I had a new hip and two months after that we spent eight hours walking at DisneyWorld with a grandaughter for her birthday.
As I've mentioned many times. I'm pretty much non-stop but I only do easy. I don't think you'll see me dangling from ropes.
Utahtea,
You may be onto something. Maybe we should plan a gathering in Southern Utah and spend a week or so doing a tour of the parks.
The day spiro hangs from the chains would be a down day for some of us. Or maybe we would "hike" to Balanced Rock in Arches, "to" the Rim in Bryce or to the "start" of the Riverside Walk in Zion.
The hip just started to hurt about 5 months after a trip to Utah with a friend. Actually, I tweeked a knee hiking on that trip and it wasn't healing. The knee had been scoped five years earlier.
I went to the ortho who took an MRI of the knee and told me nothing was wrong. So I asked him about the pulled groin that limited me to five minutes of painful walking.
He told me he knew nothing about hips. Hips???!!!!!!! I told him I had a pulled groin. He said it was my hip.
Six weeks later I had a new hip and two months after that we spent eight hours walking at DisneyWorld with a grandaughter for her birthday.
As I've mentioned many times. I'm pretty much non-stop but I only do easy. I don't think you'll see me dangling from ropes.
Utahtea,
You may be onto something. Maybe we should plan a gathering in Southern Utah and spend a week or so doing a tour of the parks.
The day spiro hangs from the chains would be a down day for some of us. Or maybe we would "hike" to Balanced Rock in Arches, "to" the Rim in Bryce or to the "start" of the Riverside Walk in Zion.
