Arches!

Moab, UT is the perfect place to stay to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.  We stayed at Slickrock Campground which was approximately 5 miles from the entrance to Arches.  The best part about the campground was that there were mature trees and each site gets some shade.  It reached temps of just over 100 degrees while we were there so shade helped a lot.  Brother begged us to visit Arches because a friend of his who had visited many National Parks said he loved it.  We were unsure if we would be able to visit Utah this summer, but we made it happen and Brother was thrilled!

Arches is such an amazing place.  When you reach the park entrance you realize that you have to drive up a mountain to enter the park.  It is a great drive with switchbacks up to the top.  From the bottom I was grateful we were not pulling the rig!  I only took one picture of the "front" of the park. 

We planned 2-3 days at Arches so the first day we stopped at the visitor center to obtain the Junior Ranger books, drove through, stopped at some of the scenic stops, studied the map and planned which hikes we could take the next day.  I think that most of the parks we have visited are best visited over at least two days - especially if you are interested in completing the Junior Ranger booklets.  Trying to squeeze in everything in one day can become a bit of a marathon.  We are in the habit of packing in our lunch and water, but in the extreme heat we had to find water refill stations (which are sparse). 

Here are some of the best observations we made on day one:

Above is the Courthouse Towers formation.  It is really cool to view because the base looks like it is made of brick or some sort of block, but these are just naturally occurring cracks and crevices in the rock layers.  However, you can see where the name came from!

 Next we stopped at Balanced Rock.  This thing looks like it is going to roll down on top of some unsuspecting tourist any moment!  The key characteristic of all the rock at Arches is that there is hard rock above the softer sandstone which is eroding away.  This is what leads to the amazing arches and other formations like Balanced Rock. 

This was the best picnic spot by the Devil's Garden Trailhead.  There were tables under trees and under built ramadas.  We saw a couple lizards and a raven while eating.  It was a very nice spot to sit and relax in the heat. 

Skyline Arch

Though you can see some arches as you drive through (like this one - Skyline Arch).  The best views come from hiking back to them.  We didn't do any hikes the first day because it got to late in the day and too hot.  Instead we took in the view from the air conditioned seats of the truck with a few more brief stops on the way out for pictures like these:

Fiery Furnace

Lastly, here are a couple of views exiting the park and coming down the switchbacks.  In the picture to the left you can see three roads.  The most distant is the highway 191 that leads to Moab.  The other two are connected to the one we are driving upon.  You can see the entrance station in the middle of the photo and you can see the line of cars entering the park in the late afternoon. The picture on the right gives a view of the entrance road as we travel down the switchbacks. 

In retrospect, despite feeling that day one was amazing, day two was the best.  We started early and headed to the Windows Trail.  One of the activities in the Junior Ranger book was to sit quietly in a special place in the park for 10 minutes and observe nature and contemplate the surroundings.  That 10 minutes was a highlight of the day and our experience in Arches.  Brother has talked about it a number of times since then.  I found myself getting emotional as I contemplated the arches.  Though they seem sturdy, stable and permanent, they are really only there for a geological moment and they change continuously.  We were privileged to witness a moment in the life of the arches.  We were privileged to experience that moment and many other moments together as a family this summer and despite the sense that our moment is lasting, it is really very fleeting.  One glance at Brother and Sister and I am reminded how swiftly the time is passing.

On the path to the North Window

North Window

Turret Arch

North Window on left, South Window on right - "the Spectacles"

We found a spot by the South Window where we conducted our 10 minute contemplative silence.  It was awe inspiring.

Our next adventure was to Sand Dune Arch.  This is a fun spot for the kids. It was also in the shade and there was a nice breeze through the rocks.

We also walked the trail to Skyline Arch to get a closer look.

The last stop of the day was at Delicate Arch - the iconic arch of Arches National Park.  Unfortunately the trail was too long for us to manage, so we just visited the viewpoint and got a glimpse of it out in the distance.  While at this stop a couple from British Columbia Canada struck up a conversation with us.  The kids' vests and hats often draw comments from others and these folks were particularly interested.  Brother had a great time telling them about our adventures.  It was cute to see him shine with pride after earning all of those Junior Ranger badges!

Of course the kids earned their Arches badges and we bought some patches for their vests.

Arches is beautiful.  When we visit Utah again to see it's other parks we will certainly have to stop here again and hike one of the trails we missed this time!