wendy236

We're planning an April Southwest hiking trip. This is our first time at Arches. We'll plan to do a bunch of easy and moderate hikes. Hopefully we'll join some ranger hikes - they usually have lots of interesting info to share. "We" is 2 adults - both seniors. We've done plenty of hiking, slot canyons etc, but one of us has some balance problems, so Fiery Furnace hike will not be on our list. We do tend to be slow hikers - our walking speed is fine but we get distracted by all the things to see!

How many days should we allow for Arches?

Thanks!

spirobulldog

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.

spirobulldog

etiquette (darn spell check)

spirobulldog

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.

Bill_H

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.

utahtea

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

Myer

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.

wendy236

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?

enzian

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

Myer

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?

wendy236

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.

spirobulldog

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.

spirobulldog

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.

utahtea

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

wendy236

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?

spirobulldog

Where are you flying into or driving from?

wendy236

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.

utahtea

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

spirobulldog

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?

Myer

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.