Oct. 2008 Trip Report: Beginner’s Guide to Arches, Canyonlands, and Moab

MR, I'm glad your back and am waiting to read your report. It has been cold here and my garden has succumbed to the killer frost.

MRand,

Oh, were you there last weekend? A friend at work said it got super windy and cold, but didn't snow or rain. They mountain biked anyway.

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

I'm not MRand but I was in Arches Thursday when the wind came up mid-day (when I was doing the Double O arch walk). It was windy at least thru Saturday when I left but hadn't rained or snowed in the Moab area (it probably did up at La Sal). Kayenta overnight on Saturday got below freezing.

I had a question that I know Dayle can answer...I didn't do the Delicate Arch hike because of the wind..some one returning back on Tursday recommended against it. How does the ledge at the end compare to the ledges on the Double O hike? Scarier? More or less exposure? I think Double O was my limit.

MRand, I am anxiously awaiting your TR. Leaving for that area this Sunday.

How was the lodging? What activities did you end up doing? Restaurant recs?

Thanks!

I guess no one cares to read my trip report but I'll recommend for lodging AND dining in Moab the Red Cliffs Lodge. I didn't care for Zax.

If you want to see any of the other details or have questions I'll be happy to answer them.

I went to Grand Staircase Escalante, Capitol Reef, Arches, the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands, and did a number of sidetrips.

m,

unitl Rand gets back here to continue....yes I read your report and you really covered some miles! Glad you had a good time, but too bad about the wind. It does get windy sometimes when fronts are going through!

No, don't worry about hiking Delicate Arch. It's not as difficult and Double O. The "ledge" is a very short distance and only drops off on one side. Little kids do it every day. You are not walking on the fins like on Double O.

Thanks, Dayle. I look forward to coming back again, I knew there was a storm on the way and it wasn't all that bad, I just wasn't comfortable being exposed in the wind.

m,

Don't worry about wind, just lightening!

MRand, where are you? We want to hear about your trip!

Sorry for the delay folks -- just making up workwise for the days we took off and I haven't gotten back to this board as quickly as I hoped.

BayouGal - here's the short and sweet version: The Desert Hills B&B turned out to be a great accommodation - I highly recommend it. In addition to excellent breakfasts at the B&B, we very much enjoyed Desert Bistro (dinner), Moab Brewery (dinner), Moab Diner (breakfast), and Miguel's Baja Cafe (2 dinners). We eventually were able to do all of our planned activities listed above, including canyoneering with Desert Highlights (absolutely fantastic), except Chesler Park and Slickrockair flight. Details to follow . . .

Thurs., Oct. 2 (Salt Lake to Moab, Delicate Arch)

We landed at Salt Lake City airport at about 12:30 p.m., picked up our Thrifty rental car — a Dodge Durango, and were on the road to Moab by 1:15. The otherwise friendly clerk at the Thrifty counter offered us an “upgrade” to the Durango for an extra $12 a day, but when we declined, she immediately told us she would give us the Durango at the lower rate for a smaller car we’d previously reserved through Expedia anyway, because it was not available. Odd that she didn't let us know our car was unavailable right off the bat.

Since spending at lot of time in Salt Lake City on business in the late 1980s, I’ve had a special appreciation for the city. However, we expected deep blue skies and were disappointed to be greeted on arrival by a high hazy overcast. With our ambitious four-day itinerary, I really wanted to do at least one thing on our list, maybe Dead Horse Point or Delicate Arch, if we could make it to Moab before sundown. So we didn’t linger in the city, but headed east a few miles on I-215 to its junction with I-15 South for the first leg of our journey to Moab.

The trip from Salt Lake to Moab is about 240 miles, according to Google Maps. The drive conveniently breaks down into four segments:

1. freeway on I-15 from Salt Lake through Orem and Provo to Spanish Fork (with spectacular views to the east of the Wasatch range including Mount Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain, and Provo Peak);
2. U.S. 6 from Spanish Fork, past Wastach Wind’s giant wind turbines at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, into and through the mountain passes (where the leaves were already changing) to Price, Utah;
3. U.S. 6 / 191 alongside the Book Cliffs from Price to Green River;
4. a final stretch on I-70 and then U.S. 191 along the Moab fault past Arches National Park into Moab itself.

We’re always interested in finding good, characteristic local eateries on our travels. My plans to make Moab before dark, unfortunately, disqualified us from any lengthy meal stops along the way and forced us to settle for a drive-thru fast food burger and Coke in Spanish Fork. Nevertheless, we had received in this forum helpful recommendations from Fodorites for food stops along the way that I pass along for future reference to others who may take this trip:

Price, UT:

- Farlaino’s (American road food)
- Greek Streak (Greek)
- El Salto (Mexican)
- Los Dos Amigos (Mexican)

Green River, UT:

- Ray’s Tavern (excellent hamburgers)
- Ben’s Café (Mexican/green chili)
- Vitteri’s (melon stand)

The most spectacular portion of the drive for us was the Price/Green River/U.S. 191 cutoff off of I-70 stretch. After we emerged from the mountain passes, the austere Book Cliffs escarpment shot up dramatically from the plain to dominate the eastern horizon. The range, visually capped by pyramid-shaped Mt. Elliott closer to Green River, is apparently one of the prime locations in the world for the study of “sequence stratiagraphy,” which Wikipedia defines as “a relatively new branch of geology that attempts to link relative sea-level changes to sedimentary deposits”:

http://strata.geol.sc.edu/BoocliffsIlustExercise/ClasticlithofaciesBC.html

If we’d had more time, I was also interested in stopping by the cold-water Crystal Geyser on the Green River near Green River:

www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~glennon/crystalgeyser

The geyser’s eruptions appear to be sporadic enough that witnessing an eruption would simply be fortuitous, but I’d like to hear from our Fodorite Utahan friends whether this stop would ever be worthwhile on a more leisurely schedule.

As we got closer to Moab, it became clear that we were in a close race with the sun if we planned to see anything on this afternoon. The overcast sky had given way to sunshine for the Price to Green River drive, but a solid front of clouds far to the west threatened both to block the sunset and, even more dismaying, some completely unanticipated bad weather for our weekend. We opted at the last minute, therefore, for a quick late afternoon/early evening hike to catch the fading sunlight on Delicate Arch, rather than gambling on a grayed-out view from Dead Horse Point.

This actually turned out to be a good decision. When we stopped at the Arches visitor center, we checked -- as suggested in this forum -- with the park rangers on reservations for the highly-recommended Fiery Furnace hike. We were in luck, as the next day (Friday morning) hike was booked, but two spots remained for the afternoon hike. This worked well, because we very much wanted to hike the Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop the following morning and save the Fiery Furnace hike, both in Arches, for the afternoon. This would keep us on schedule to see Canyonlands/Island in the sky on Saturday, hike the Chesler Park Loop in Canyonlands/Needles on Sunday, and save Monday for either a canyoneering trip with Desert Highlights or a scenic flight with Slickrockair. Alas, the best laid plans . . .

MRand,

You got me on the crystal geyser! I've never even heard of it. Even those of us who live here, have a LONG list of places left to visit. Mine includes the Grand Gallery, more slot canyons around Escalante, and Nine Mile Canyon. Now I'll have to stop sometime to see about this crystal geyser!

Thanks, MRand!

We leave in the morning! I'm getting so excited. With the beauty of the area, I know we cannot make any mistakes. Whatever we are able to do will be great!

Thanks again for short and sweet!

Great report so far, MRand.

Bookmarking for our next Utah trip. . .

What's this about "ledges" on the Delicate Arch hike???

According to the trail description there is a 200-yard "rock ledge" before you enter the Delicate Arch bowl. The person in the Visitor Center said most of it is wide enough for two people, but there is a section only one person wide. The one-person section is cut against into a wall (so you can lean against the wall). I think I put up pbase's photo on my trip report. So far a few posters have said it isn't so bad but I'm interested in feedback from slight acrophobes who have done Double O. Anxiously awaiting MRand's report!

Let me stress. I only do easy.

There was nothing difficult or scary about the Delicate Arch hike.

The piece near the end is not as narrow even as those photos appear.

It's all uphill going and in elevation you want to make sure you drink water, walk at your own pace and stop as often as you need to.

There is no place where you will be blocking others if you stop to rest.

Don't miss it.

Thurs., Oct. 2 (Arches National Park & Delicate Arch hike, cont'd)

Arches National Park, for those who have never been, is about 1/5 the size of nearby Canyonlands National Park. ( www.nps.gov/arch ) The main entrance to Arches is only about 5 miles northeast of Moab. Despite its (comparatively) compact size, as we were about to learn, Arches has an amazing number of geologic wonders — and not just hundreds of arches — packed into the park. There are five major sections of the park which can be seen or easily accessed from the single, paved, two-lane road that winds north from the park entrance. These sections are, from south heading to north:

1. the COURTHOUSE TOWERS / PETRIFIED DUNES / GREAT WALL section (including Balanced Rock)is the first 9 miles of the drive into the park, which to me resembles a miniature Monument Valley

2. a short side road (heading 2½ miles to the east) to the WINDOWS section that includes views of or short hikes to Turret Arch, the North and South Windows (large arches), Double Arch, Cove Arch, and others

3. the WOLFE RANCH / DELICATE ARCH area, 2½ miles further north along the main park road and accessed by a short road running east off the main road

4. the FIERY FURNACE area of giant fantastical rock fins and spires, which is about another 2½ miles north along the main road

5. the DEVIL’S GARDEN area of equally amazing arches (including Landscape, now-collapsed Wall, and Double O Arches) and massive rock fins. This is where the main park road ends about 3 miles north of the Fiery Furnace.

Arches is compact enough that elderly or physically impaired visitors could observe much of its beauty from the paved main or side roads, or on short walks from those roads. But as with any of the national parks, to gain a deep appreciation of what it has to offer, you must if at all possible park your car and get out on the trails.

While at the visitor center reserving the last two places on the ranger-guided Fiery Furnace hike the next afternoon, we thought there was just enough sunlight left, if we hurried, to drive and make the hike to the “symbol” of Utah — Delicate Arch. However, we didn’t realize that the speed limit on the main park road is only about 25 or 30 mph and passing is prohibited. Fortunately, traffic was light and we pressed the outer boundaries of the speed limit, so to speak. The drive from the visitor center to the Delicate Arch trail parking area, nevertheless, took about 30 minutes. As we parked and exited the car in the cool Utah air, the sun was about to dive behind that cloud front that had been so ominously approaching from the west.

We walked past the restored Wolfe Ranch cabins, which would better be described as two one-room mud and log hovels. The “ranch,” in a scenario much like the movie Dances with Wolves, was established in the late 1800s by an disaffected Ohio Civil War veteran named John Wesley Wolfe. He lived what must have been an incredibly hard, lonely life here for several decades. What could you do here all day, other than simply try to survive? How many visitors would your ever see? My wife’s appropriate comment: “Can . . . you . . . imagine?” Apparently, one of his children’s families came west to join him, but were so shocked by the primitive conditions that after several years they forced him to return to Ohio.

Delicate Arch can be viewed one of two ways — from “above” by an easy hike via the Delicate Arch Trail (~ 45 minutes, 1.5 miles one way, with an elevation gain of 500 feet, almost entirely up the (gradual) side of a rock dome or shelf), or from “below” by driving another mile past the Delicate Arch Trail parking area to the Arch’s viewing area, which requires only a walk of a few hundred feet from the parking area. The Trail hike allows you to view the arch up close, while the drive to the Viewing Area provides a panorama of the arch on the rock shelf above you from a distance between ½ to a mile away.

Some posters here have wondered about vertical exposure on the Delicate Arch Trail. NO ONE should deprive themselves of this hike due to fear of heights. There is only one place along the trial that involves exposure, and I’d be more concerned about falling off a wide city street sidewalk into oncoming traffic (which I’ve never done) than any risk here. This final part of the hike opens into a huge natural rock amphitheater where the arch is magnificently perched on a high rock “stage,” with the La Sal Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop to the whole scene. Disappointingly, we were 15 minutes too late to catch the setting sunlight on the arch, as the sun was now completely hidden behind the approaching cloud bank. The entire view, stunning nonetheless, was cast in a deep shadow.

Now a small human drama played out in the amphitheater. Several descriptions I’ve read of Delicate Arch have alluded to an unspoken rule that if you want your picture taken by or under the arch, then get it snapped and move on out of the way. When we arrived, perhaps 50 or so people were respectfully arrayed around the edge of the natural bowl — a group of photographers with their tripods set up here, some European couples there, a group of Aspen schoolchildren and their chaperones across the bowl, all eager to take their own pictures of the arch. A young woman sat at the left base of the arch on a large rock pedestal while her husband/boyfriend snapped pictures. After about 5 or 10 minutes, as if they were the only ones around, the young woman and her companion had not changed position. Others began whistling or yelling for them to move. The couple seemed completely oblivious to the crowd, and people began to grow restless and even angry for them to move. Finally, a man from another foreign couple sitting near us got up, marched down into the bowl, and engaged the couple in what appeared to be a polite, but direct and animated conversation. While I was initially surprised and irritated at the incomprehension (or perhaps outright rudeness) of the couple on the arch, the whole scene turned a little ugly as many of the spectators quickly acquired a mob mentality, of sorts. After they were confronted, the couple retreated, in increments, to loud catcalls and applause from the “audience" each time they moved further away. This was the first of three similar incidents we witnessed on the trip.

We lingered for another 15 minutes hiking around the periphery of the rock amphitheater as the crowd began to dissipate in the fading light. Soon, we and the group of schoolchildren and their chaperones were almost the only ones remaining. A large black raven perched itself on Delicate Arch, and almost as if trained, began “performing” for the children. It cawed and then swooped over the children’s heads to their delight, always alighting again on a rock outcropping on the arch. I remarked to my wife that it would be perfect if the raven flew through the arch. Almost on cue, it took off, soared high, and then flew precisely through the center of the space under the arch. If there had been enough sunlight, we could have gotten a spectacular picture.

We left reluctantly, but hoping there was enough light to make it to our car by dark. We were surprised that the young student group stayed behind, as they had no gear, there is no place to camp near the arch, and they obviously were going to have to hike back down in the dark. My wife had wisely packed a small flashlight that we had to use for the last fifteen minutes of our hike. As we reached our car, almost two hours to the minute after we had started, we looked up along the rock shelf behind us. Like forty or fifty fireflies, an exquisite line of small bobbing lights in groups of threes and fours wound its way down the trail towards the parking area. Their school bus awaited.

By the time we drove back out of the park to Moab, it was pitch dark. We were famished, so we stopped at the first restaurant we noticed as we drove into Moab — Desert Bistro. Since there was no wind, we chose to sit at a table outside the old two story brick house where the restaurant is located. After a long day of travel, the food and ambience was excellent, but the meal was pricey for Moab — over $100 (tip, tax, one drink, two glasses of wine, a shared appetizer, two entrees, and a shared dessert between the two of us).

We drove through Moab, not getting much of a feel for it at night, and then on three or four miles south of town to our accommodations at the Desert Hills B&B, where we were greeted by the welcoming proprietor Anna. She runs the bed and breakfast with her husband Vic:

www.deserthillsbnb.com

Because we had made our last minute reservations during the Moab high season, we reserved their Friends & Family suite — which with two bedrooms and a living room was much more space than we needed — for three nights, but then had to move to the much smaller (but still adequate) Valley View room for two nights. We were pleased with the quality and cleanliness of the accommodations, especially since our options had been so limited.

Thanks very much for that detailed description of the Delicate Arch trail. I feel reassured (and jealous).

Mrand,

Excellent description of the Delicate Arch hike.

I took with a flashlight that I didn't need but came close.

On the day we got there we were psyched to get going. Before checking in to the motel we entered the park and did the hike. It was cloudy, we had been up since 4AM and were not acclimatized to the elevation but went anyway.

It didn't take me long to up the priority of a return hike. I returned under a cloudless sky two days later.

I got some fantastic photos. The sun going down making the Arch a fiery orange. The moon coming up. The snow capped mountains behind the Arch. etc, etc.

By the way. The Fiery Furnace also doesn't have anything that would stop you.

My only suggestions are to wear appropriate footwear so as to not slide and if you have a good camera, take with a padded form-fitting bag.

I don't normally hike with my camera bag but I did on the Fiery furnae. I'm glad I did as some of the place are very narrow and having your camera hanging from you neck and bouncing off the side walls isn't a good idea.

MRand. Great trip and report!!!

Now, how do we see your photos?

Great report. I loved Arches Canyonlands, and Moab. It was one of my fave trips.

Fri., Oct. 3 (Corona Arch Hike, Arches N.P. – Fiery Furnace)

Corona and Bowtie Arches Hike

Expecting blue skies and mild temperatures during the days, the Friday weather forecast of wind, rain, and the first winter storm warning of the season came as a shock to us. We also needed to report to the Fiery Furnace in Arches for the ranger-guided hike by 1:45 p.m. and were unsure we could complete the Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop hike before then, so we changed our plans to take the short (3 miles roundtrip) but highly scenic hike that morning to spectacular Corona and Bowtie Arches:

www.utahredrocks.com/hike_corona.htm

http://climb-utah.com/Moab/corona.htm

The trailhead parking area and the trail itself are on Bureau of Land Management land along a beautiful stretch of the Colorado River, about 10 miles northwest of Moab off of state highway 279. The rain held off and the skies were high overcast for the exhilarating walk up Bootlegger's Canyon to the arches. We only encountered about six or eight other people during the entire two hour .

Arches – Fiery Furnace Guided Hike

We didn’t have time for lunch, driving straight from the Corona Arch parking area deep into Arches National Park to the Fiery Furnace parking area, so we snacked on Cliff bars washed down by bottles of Ozarka water (we bought a 24 bottle case for $4 at the City Market grocery in Moab that lasted us the entire trip). The rain looked like it was going to hold off, so we had enough time to divert off the main Arches road to the Windows side road to see the North and South Windows and Double Arches and still meet our deadline for the Fiery Furnace hike.

The groups for the Fiery Furnace hike are limited to about 25 and the hike takes about two and a half hours. (The only other way to hike the Furnace is to obtain a special permit from the Park Service at the park visitor center.) The hike is easy, involves a little and winds among the huge, astonishing maze of redrock fins and towers for about two hours. Our guide was an older ranger, who we learned had started working for the Park Service in a second career only 3 years earlier. His talks at the six stops during the hike were a little corny (I guess he does have to speak to a broad audience), but still interesting and informative and a good way to get an introduction to a unique, fascinating area within Arches.

Moab

The weather was begin to deteriorate as we headed back into Moab. The town was established by Mormons in the mid-1800s at a frequently used ford across the Colorado on the Old Spanish Trail. The word Moab, of course, has Biblical origins as the name of the ancient mountainous region on the southeastern quarter of the Dead Sea. It is a neat, clean little town of about 5000, which is about 3 or 4 times longer than it is wide — an oasis situated in a striking redrock canyon that runs for miles in a northwesterly--southeasterly direction. It has an appealing Main Street and, for its size, an amazing number and variety of dining locations. On this evening, we decided to dine at the Moab Brewery:

www.themoabbrewery.com

The brewery’s Dead Horse Ale was a delicious, my wife had a soup and salad combination, and I had a small steak — all a satisfying reward to a highly enjoyable day.

Hey MRand,

Where are you? We were enjoying your report. Will you continue?

Yeah,
I have been waiting to hear about your canyoneering experience. Which canyon did you end up doing? Did you go with Herb or Matt?

Hey Dayle and spirobulldog - still working on the report; just in a work crunch right now. Hope to catch up in a few days. Spiro, we did Lomatium and Krill Canyons.

Cool, you did two of them. We did Krill. I hope to go back soon and do Medieval and Pleisiades. I am plan on doing Canyoning in Oregon with Matt the end of July this next year. It definately ranks as one of the best things I have done.

You still out there MRand? I want to hear about the canyoneering. I am thinking of doing Medieval soon.

Sat., Oct. 4 (Arches N. P. – Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop)

The rain was not going to hold off any longer. Saturday dawned cold, gray, and wet. The first winter storm warning of the season was predicted that evening for the La Sal Mountains that tower immediately to the east of Moab. We could scarcely believe we’d come all the way to southeastern Utah in early October to this kind of weather, after seeing weeks’ worth of Moab weather reports of sunny blue skies and mild temperatures.

Our original plan had been to do Fiery Furnace and Devil’s Garden Loop and essentially take care of everything we wanted to do in Arches on Friday, spend Saturday up on the high mesa of the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park on Saturday, hike Chesler Park Loop in the Needles section of Canyonlands all day Sunday, and save either a canyoneering trip or scenic flight for our final day on Monday. But now the weather was forcing us to completely change the program. We decided to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast at our Desert Hills B&B, and then strike out for a late morning hike of Devil’s Garden Loop in the rain as long as the weather didn’t seem too severe.

Desert Hills B&B

When we first planned the trip, we’d checked on other highly recommended B&Bs in the area: Dream Keeper recommended by Dayle here, Cali Cochitta, Sunflower Hill — all in Moab, but since early October is considered a high season in Moab all were booked and we had to look further out from town. Desert Hills B&B is located further down in the valley, in a neighborhood near the golf course about 3 miles south of Moab proper. It is run by a young couple Vic and Anna, who are in the process of buying the property from its Belgian owners. Vic is Italian and Anna is a native Utahan; they met in the hotel service industry. Vic makes a mean breakfast: on four of the mornings we had, respectively, huevos rancheros, blueberry pancakes, huge omelettes, and French toast. They have four or five clean, nicely furnished rooms. We had the spacious two bedroom suite for the first three nights, and then the smallest room for the last two nights. Almost all of the guests while we were there were European, perhaps because of the previous Belgian connection.

Arches N. P. – Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop hike

After breakfast, the wind and rain persisted, so we drove into Moab, bought the last two plastic emergency panchos at the local Dollar Store, and headed back to Arches anyway. At least the weather kept down the crowds. When we parked a the trailhead, the skies to the west looked even more ominous, so we donned the panchos and struck out on the trail. I’m sure this popular trail can get quite crowded, but people were sparse on this raw morning. We largely had Tunnel, Pine Tree, and spectacular Landscape Arch (the longest in the world) to ourselves.

As we stopped for a lunchtime snack and water break at Landscape, the wind and rain set down on us in earnest. We decided to press on, and were we ever glad we did. The hike becomes much more interesting soon after Landscape Arch, as you begin to ascend the spine of gigantic rock fins past the remains of Wall Arch (which suddenly collapsed in August 2008) with side trails to interesting Navajo and Partition Arches. Only a few other hardy souls were venturing out in this weather, so we had the hike largely to ourselves. We began to realize there were other compensations for the weather too. The colors of the rock both changed and intensified in the rain.

We reached the top of the highest fin, which revealed a sweeping view of Fin Canyon. Well below us the canyon wound northeast through a maze of huge parallel redrock fins and narrow valleys. Intense gusts of wind kept us moving along and off the fin along the last stretch of trial winding down to Double O Arch — a larger arch on top of a smaller arch.

At that point we could return the way we had come, about two miles, to the car, or hike down into Fin Canyon on the primitive trail to continue the loop. Since we had the place to ourselves and the fins looked like they would provide better shelter against the wind, we continued on around the loop.

It was simply a great hike, despite the conditions. As we entered the last third of the hike, the wind and rain abated and dark clouds lifted a little. This provided a vast panorama of high desert and mesas miles and miles to the east. The rain had washed the countryside clean, and now desert plants of all shapes and descriptions revealed their colors — deep greens, reds, and purples. We returned to our car, cold and soggy, about four hours and seven miles after we had begun, but our persistence had paid off — we had most of the hike to ourselves and had seen it under amazing conditions that few others do. The Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop definitely qualifies as one of our favorite day hikes.

Great descriptive writing style - makes me want to visit SW even more!
Thanks for taking the time to share!

MRand,

I'm so glad to read this last installment! Good for you to continue on in "bad" weather. Some of the greatest sights you can ever see are when Mother Nature is doing her thing!

I bet the pics are gorgeous. Love the red rock with the grey clouds.....

Sun., Oct. 5 (Canyonlands N.P. – Island in the Sky, Long Canyon Road)

Sunday, too, dawned gray and rainy. The forecast wasn’t much more promising than the day before. But by the time we’d finished breakfast, the overcast was lightening and beginning to break up. It seemed like a good day to take a chance on Island in the Sky, the section of Canyonlands formed by a triangular plateau high above the Green and Colorado Rivers as they slowly wind towards their junction in the center of the park. To get on top of the plateau, you must retrace U.S. 191 northwest past the entrance to Arches, then take state highway 313 back to the southwest as it elevates you, both literally and figuratively, through amazing high desert scenery. After passing the cutoff to Dead Horse Point State Park, you reach the Island in the Sky entrance and Visitor Center, a 30+ mile drive from Moab.

We sped past the Visitor Center, which was under renovation, and pulled over at the first of many overlooks. This one looked down on the famous Shafer Trail, a dirt road that dizzyingly snakes back and forth up the canyon wall. The view here is similar to, but no less spectacular than, Dead Horse Point. We spotted bikers and a couple of four wheel-drive vehicles slowly winding their way up Shafer, and were tempted go down it in our Durango. Resisting temptation, we drove over the narrow plateau neck that formed a natural corral on the mesa top for ranchers in the early 1900s and onto the Island in the Sky plateau proper.

Next stop — Mesa Arch overlook. A short hike led to this arch that magnificently frames the top of a spectacular canyon. The recommended time to see it is at dawn. We were just four or five hours too late for that, but were not disappointed with astonishing view. From our vantage, rust colored cliffs dropped one or two thousand feet and then flattend out onto another plateau — the White Rim, so named because it appears as salt or even snow from this distance. The White Rim edge then drops again over and down into other canyons formed by the Colorado River, which curves and meanders in and out of sight even farther below. A narrow jeep trail — the White Rim Trail — etches along the intermediate plateau for over 100 miles. We spotted a tiny white SUV and ant-sized motorcyclists following the trail.

After Shafter Trail, each viewpoint topped the previous one — Mesa Arch, Buck Canyon, and White Rim Overlooks. A little after 1 p.m. we made it to Grand View, the southernmost extent of the mesa. The sky had lifted and was now brilliantly dappled with hundreds, maybe thousands of clouds in a deep, deep background of blue. We walked the easy mile trail to Grandview Point. A French family with young children was taking pictures, but otherwise we had the place to ourselves. We climbed 20 or 30 feet up to the top of the rocks at the tip of the point. On the left, the Colorado cut a winding path through the White Rim. Further in the distance, shafts of sunlight illuminated the La Sal Mountains above Moab. Directly to the south lay the pinnacles of The Needles section of Canyonlands. The Green River canyons flanked us to the right. In the distance to the right lay the Maze section of Canyonlands, and the purple shapes of Elaterite Butte, Pete’s Mesa, and Ekker Butte broke the horizon. Far to the west were the snow-covered Henry Mountains, the last range in the lower 48 states to be mapped. Massive Junction Butte arose in the immediate foreground, blocking our view of the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers. To the northwest, Candlestick Tower rose above the plateau. The variety of this panorama gave it a much more real feel than the vistas of the Grand Canyon, which seem more like a painting. We’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively and see many beautiful sites, but this was simply the one of the most sweeping, spectacular 360 views — maybe the most spectacular — that we’ve ever seen.

We ate a snack lunch while drinking in the whole spectacular vastness and variety of the place. We could have stayed there in our open-jawed astonishment for hours, but the sun began to slant to the west, and there was more we wanted to see — Orange Cliffs, Candlestick Tower, and Green River Overlooks — each providing its own unique perspective. We eventually made our way to fascinating Upheaval Dome in the northwestern-most section of Canyonlands. A short hike led to the rim of this mysterious geologic feature. Is it a volcanic crater, the site of a meteor impact, or the implosion of a giant underground salt dome? Apparently no one knows for sure, but this too is a site not to be missed.

We had spent a good five or six hours exploring Island in the Sky. It was not a hurried pace, but we could have spent ever more time there taking the various trails. Now the afternoon was getting late, so instead of taking the highway, we decided to return to Moab on the dirt road “shortcut” that winds down through Long Canyon. This turned out to be high adventure of a different sort. The arrow straight road to the canyon mouth is paved, but as you near the canyon, the road becomes a wide hard-packed dirt trail. It narrowed substantially as we dropped into the canyon, ‘til at a place appropriately named Pucker Pass the sides were just wide enough to allow our car through. Now the road became a steep incline, to where a giant boulder had peeled away from the cliff above onto the road, leaving a natural tunnel for us to go through. Then the road entered a series of wide switchbacks with Long Canyon’s walls rising high above and the cliffs on the roadside plunging away hundreds of feet below, first on the right, then on the left. We went very slow the whole way, taking about 45 minutes to traverse the full 7 miles of this “shortcut” until we finally emerged on Highway 279 by Jug Handle Arch, a short distance from the Corona Arch trailhead we had visited the day before.

In the dying sunlight, an early evening thunderstorm broke ahead of us, in the direction of Moab. We craned our necks out the car windows to see a vast rainbow stretching across the eastern sky in the setting sun. Soon we were in a driving rain for the last few miles of the drive back into Moab. When the rain finally relented and as darkness closed in, we went to the Desert Highlight headquarters on Center Street to discuss options for a guided rappelling and canyoneering trip the next day.

There the owner, Matt Moore, and Zach, one of his guides, were very helpful in explaining our options. Early the next morning, two guides were going to lead a larger party of seven or eight to Granary Canyon northwest of Moab. Herb, another guide, was taking a couple on a combination trip of both Lomatium and Krill Canyons embedded deep within the Fiery Furnace in Arches. Although we’d already spent time in the Fiery Furnace on the ranger-guided hike, the prospect of exploring it in more detail by rock climbing and rappelling was appealing, especially since we would be paired only with one guide and another couple. We opted for the Krill/Lomatium combo trip, and then retired to Miguel’s Baja Café to scarf green chili enchiladas and toss down some margaritas to fortify ourselves for the canyoneering adventure. But what a magnificent day it had been.

Your killin me, I keep waiting for the canyoneering. LOL. Sounds like you enjoyed Canyonlands. I want to go back and see more of it.

Glad you're continuing MRand. I like reading your impressions!

I keep thinking we need to organize a UT red rock lovers GTG in Moab. Something like name the dates, everyone make their own arrangements, but have some group activities and meeting places planned. Interested?

At the Great Gallery. LOL

That would be GGGTG.

Interested! Since I need to go back now that my nerve is up for Delicate Arch.

Dayle - the GTG sounds like an interesting idea. How do they work?
Spirobulldog - sorry to keep you waiting, but now I get to the canyoneering:

Mon. Oct. 6 (Fiery Furnace: Lomatium & Krill Canyons Rappelling – Arches N.P.)

Okay, we didn’t realize until we got back home that when we signed up with Desert Highlights for the Lomatium/Krill Canyon combination, their website lists this as one of their most difficult trips -- for those who are in “great shape” and don’t mind a bit of hurt: www.deserthighlights.com/trips/cynring/oneday.htm

So I’ll say that while we’re in pretty decent shape and knew that we were in for a full day — they told us we’d meet at the Desert Highlights office at 8 a.m. and be back by 6 p.m. — we really didn’t fully appreciate what we were in for.

First, a big tip of the hat to spirobulldog — the Fodorite who gave us the Desert Highlights recommendation. We had never rappelled before, and the thought of dangling off 100+ foot cliffs on a rope was both thrilling and, shall we say, concerning. But we were reassured to learn that Matt Moore, the founder and owner of the company, and the first person whom I’d spoken to about canyoneering in Moab, is a pilot and a technical rock rescue specialist with Moab search & rescue. He also is a swifwater rescue technician and a wilderness first responder. All very comforting. His guides, including our guide Herb, are similarly qualified and, as you would expect, are experienced rock climbers.

We were up before dawn and fortified ourselves with a great All American breakfast (bacon, eggs. pancakes, coffee, you know -- the works . . .) at the Moab Diner, which we highly recommend. Then we met Herb and the California couple with whom we were canyoneering at the Desert Highlights office at the appointed time. We were given large rucksack type backpacks and helmets, harnesses, ropes, other rappelling gear, snacks, and water bottles, and then hit the road to Arches.

The National Park Service allows Desert Highlights and others to climb and rappel in the Fiery Furnace only by permit, and the permit requires that all participants must view a 15 minute video on respecting the canyon environment at the park visitor center. Our pulses were now quickening, and after watching the video, we were eager to hit the rocks. Instead, a few miles into the park we hit a major traffic jam on the two lane park road. Apparently park maintenance crews had chosen Monday morning at 9 a.m. as a good time to resurface the road, and held up all traffic in both directions until they’d completed this stretch. This immediately put us about 45 minutes behind schedule, but we didn’t mind too much, because it was a gloriously blue, cloudless day — the kind I thought we’d have for the entire trip. The nearby La Sal Mountains were crowned with a brilliant white snowcap from the first snowfall of the season.

We finally reached the Fiery Furnace parking area where we smugly surveyed the “tourists” who were merely going on the ranger-guided hike of the Furnace. With an air of superiority that is reserved only for first timers who have no idea what they’re doing, we began packing our helmets and all our gear into our backpacks, marched across the parking area, and followed Herb and the Californians into the maw that is the Fiery Furnace.

We retraced some of the same trail we’d taken on our own ranger-guided hike a few days earlier, but soon we hiked right and left, north, south, north again, east, south, and who knows what other direction, seemingly lost in a maze of giant redrock fins.

Now we began scrambling on all fours up steeper rocks and crevices. At one point, for safety, Herb had us rope up. We didn't need the rope for the scrambling, but it was a good precaution on this vertical stretch if anyone accidentally slipped. (We didn't.) As the Desert Highlights web site describes: “in a divine case of topographic harmony, the beginning of Krill Canyon is temptingly situated below the last rappel in Lomatium Canyon." So our goal was to reach the top of one of the highest fins in the Furnace to begin our first rappel — a breathtaking (for us) 120 footer, right down into Lomatium Canyon.

Topping for karens.

<<I keep thinking we need to organize a UT red rock lovers GTG in Moab. Something like name the dates, everyone make their own arrangements, but have some group activities and meeting places planned.

That would be so much fun. I'd love to see the Great Gallery.

Nice trip report, MRand. We were in Moab in July several years ago and it was so blazing HOT. We couldn't do all the hiking we wanted to do.

I'm game. I'll even bring my mountain bike.

What is a good month for hiking, etc?

Well red rockers,

My favorites time to visit Moab are early May and early October.

Timing it right for the Grand Gallery I would choose early fall. Hopefully avoiding the July and August summer thunderstorms. Early June would be OK too, but a much hotter hike. Also, to do the Grand Gallery in Horseshoe Canyon means we would need to stay in Torrey, or camp more nearby.

If enough of you are seriously interested, I'd take on the organizing. How does a trip something like 3-4 days in Moab and 1 or 2 nights in Torrey sound? Or in Boulder?

I think we could get some group deals on some things that require guides and I've been wanted to learn to rappel for years!!!

Late spring? Early fall?

Hey Dayle,

Sounds pretty fun. I love this hike.

It could be done as an all-day from Greenriver with dinner at Ray's Tavern afterwards.

I love the Grand Gallery Idea. I stayed at "the cowboy Motel 6" aka The Rim Rock Inn in Torrey, at at the Captiol Reef Inn Cafe and really both were okay and not badly priced.

I've got a slight nervousness about heights so I'm not so sure about the rappeling. I'd probably be fine after I was clipped into the harness. It's the getting there that might be an issue!

Bad typing this morning! More Coffee...ATE at the Capitol Reef Inn Cafe.

October was nice.

October sounds good to me, although I don't know yet if I can get away from work then.

I looked up Grand Gallery in my Utah hiking book and it sounds great. I would also like to get in some other hikes in Arches and Canyonlands, after reading about them here in MRand's excellent report.

My gosh, this sounds like so much fun.

Please post any arrangemens in the Lounge, too, so I can be even more jealous about probably not being able to join you all.

Sounds great....this is a year away, right? Karens- you might be able to make it....who knows, it's a year away!

MRand,

Is there still more to come or did that first rappel do you in?

ncounty, true, that.

And a Utah trip would be easier to justify compared to what I've been trying to do. I had my husband talked into staying home with the kids while I go to Vienna and Prague.

I was going to do that in Sept. '07, but my younger son was entering MS and my older one was to enter HS, so I felt I should be a responsible mother and be home for those transitions.

This Sept, my husband basically said: You already went to Europe this year.

Dayle, keep us up to date on your plans.

(P.S. And if you camp, perhaps I can find a hotel nearby? just kidding).

vienna and prague.....that has the makings of a memorable GTG as well. I'm game!

ncounty - you might have just solved a problem for me and I might now get to go to Vienna/Prague -- I can arrange to have a GTG there with you.

My husband does not want me to go to Europe alone. I went 2x to Europe by myself a few years ago - but with tours with women I knew from my Art Goes to School group. I've had enough of group tours - and truly, I don't need a tour to visit those two cities.

None of my friends either want to go or who have husbands who "will let them go".

ncounty - I just told my husband I can go meet you in Vienna next year.

He asked me (for the 500th time) if I have seen our 501k statements lately.

I guess my discretionary spending is on hold for a while.

501K?

Mon. Oct. 6 (Fiery Furnace: Lomatium & Krill Canyons Rappelling – Arches N.P. cont'd)

Herb carefully instructed us on how to rope up and secure ourselves on the descent. After I realized that I would be secured by two ropes on the way down — one of them a safety rope controlled by Herb that could immediately arrest any fall, my anxiety was assuaged. It was quickly restored as soon as I crested the lip of the cliff which, after a few hops, quickly fell away leaving me dangling high above the canyon floor. It was WAY DOWN to the bottom, like maybe hanging from an eight or ten story building. As soon as I perceived how easily I could control my descent, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride down.

We had another shorter rappel in Lomatium Canyon, then stopped for lunch. Herb had packed a great light meal for us — tortillas for wraps with lunch meats or hummus or both. He told us Lomatium Canyon is named for the lomatium plant, which exist only in the environs of Arches National Park and which he and the park rangers go to great lengths to preserve from the ravages of hikers and canyoneers.

Next up was Krill Canyon, which we accessed by an intense scramble up a narrow gully of huge rocks and boulders. Near the top of the climb we had to squeeze and shimmy through some claustrophobically-close boulders. Then we had to “chimney” (bracing hands and feet against opposing rock faces and then slowly leveraging our way up) about 12 feet to the top of Krill — the most challenging obstacle (other than the rappels) that we encountered.

We then each had to rope up, wedge sideways through two facing walls, and suddenly drop down on an 80 foot rappel into the cavernous chamber that looks like a whale’s stomach and gives the canyon its name. This led to two more shorter rappels, and then a hike out of the canyon and back through the maze of the Fiery Furnace to the parking area, tired to the bone.

The snow-covered La Sals shone spectacularly in the late afternoon sun. A 45 minute drive back to Moab and the Desert highlights headquarters allowed us to shed our gear and tip Herb generously for his fantastic work as our canyoneering leader. The following day we would wake up early and in the cold pre-dawn air depart Moab for out return to Salt Lake and flight home. But for now, with margaritas and green chile enchiladas, we reprised our dinner of the evening before at Miguel’s Baja Grill and reflected on our time in Moab — what a time it turned out to be.

Thanks for the update MRand. I've enjoyed your report.

Thanks for the trip report, MRand. I can't wait to get there myself. I am bookmarking your trip details for future reference.

Karens- most of my trips to Europe have been solo. I stumbled upon Fodors last summer in last minute researching for a trip to Milan and Lake Como solo. I was mistaken for a hooker in Milan. Perhaps having you with me will help avert that problem.....although, I don't know, those short skirts you like may get me in even more trouble.

Glad you did the canyoneering. Once you get past the first 5 ft of rappelling, it is so great.

>501k?

I have 501c3 on my mind - I'm the Director of a tiny non-profit and we just got our 501c3 status and are trying to take advantage of that.

[But boy, I say a lot of stupid stuff on this site]

ncounty - I have to meet you in Europe (or in the states), I'm sure we would have a blast.

I'll start saving (and hoping for an improving economy!)

MRand,
What a great trip report! Now we are really ready to get back to Moab. Our '07 trip was focused on seeing some of the less visited spots between Bryce and Capitol Reef along Hwy 12 and seeing the Great Gallery (after several failed attempts on past trips due to weather). For those of you considering a Utah gathering to do Horsehoe Canyon, here are a few pics to get you a little more fired up!

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/88495958

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/88496621

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/utah_tr&page=11

It was an amazing place in a very remote location. My husband and I look forward to getting back to the Great Gallery again.

Thanks again, MRand, for your terrific trip report.

karens,

You dream of good trips.

We were in Prague, Budapest, Brugges & Amsterdam two years ago.

The focus was P & B and stopped in B & A on the way back.

Brugges has got to be the most beautiful small city anywhere. Try to fit it in somehow.

I went to Utah (my wife had no interest so stayed home) in each of the past two years.

You can see photos of these trips at:

www.travelwalks.com

I'd like to post some pictures from this trip for readers to see. What's the best/easiest way to do this?

I'm a fan of Picasa:

picasaweb.google.com

Here's a link to our England/Wales pictures, so you can see how it works.

http://tinyurl.com/25xs9t

worldisround.com is also good.

I use photoworks. I like their photobooks. Flicker is another one I see a lot along with travelwalks and picasaweb. then you just post your link

MRand,

Wow! What a great adventure you had with the canyoneering in Arches. Thanks for the detailed description. I think I need to work out harder before trying the chimneying. I've seen it done, but it looks hard!

The chimneying isn't that bad. The Krill route is supposed to be a tougher one and they did another one on top of it in the same day.

The overall experience is less demanding than say hiking Delicate Arch. It is similar to the Devils Garden hike, except with some rappels, a little rock scrambling, and chimneying.

Another good thing about the tours is that it is unlikely you will see anyone else during the day.

Thanks to all for the positive feedback. Here's my first attempt to post pictures, so hope the link is good:

www.worldisround.com/articles/349337/index.html

MRand,

Great trip report and thanks for sharing the photos.

More photos please!!!!

Many bring back my trip this past May. Except of course for the rapelling. Maybe 20 years ago but not now.

Following up these trips is quite difficult.

MRand - look at you rappelling! That looks scary, but fun, too. I would love to see the Subway in Zion, and I think you need to do some rapelling to see that, so hopefully, someday.

Myer - GREAT pictures. Looked like a great trip. But it's really hard to go wrong in Utah/AZ.

We've done 3 trips so far:

Zion/Bryce/Page/Grand Canyon (mule ride) (w/o kids)

Havasu/Sedona (w/o kids)

Zion, Bryce, Kanab, Valley of Fire, Page and Sedona (w/kids)

We've also briefly visited Moab on an extension of a Colorado trip, but it was so hot when we went we didn't get to see all that much. (We only did 2 short hikes in Arches and drove to Dead Horse Point). There's a lot more in that area I'd like to see.

Thanks Myer, dutch, Dayle, spirobulldog, ncounty, karens, sharondi and others -- many of you and others who've not only said nice things about the report, but whose ideas helped us put together such a great trip at the last minute (and I would rate this trip as one of the best "long weekend" trips we've ever taken).

spiro - thanks again for the great Desert Highlights tip; they did a great job. I do have to say that the two hour Delicate Arch hike we took was not very demanding, and certainly not in the league with the effort required for Lomatium & Krill canyoneering.

And I should add that the Desert Highlights folks said they'd be comfortable taking teenagers, even younger ones, on most canyoneering trips. Canyoneering with Desert Highlights would be a FANTASTIC family experience, and we'll definitely be doing it again in the future with our kids, who would absolutely go nuts over it.