Moab, UT Arches National Park

We’re staying at the Archview Campground just north of Moab, Utah. But, we upgraded our campsite to a basic cabin with air conditioning to accommodate our baby dog, who does not tolerate the heat very well. While Bob and I drag our butts up the steep slopes of sun beaten rock at midday in the Utah desert, Deefer stays home and sleeps. It’s a pretty sweet cabin with views of the mountains and Arches. I’m pleased as punch because there’s a small fridge, so I don’t have to tear my hair out trying to keep the lunch meat on ice for the next 5 days.


So, today was our first venture into Arches National Park. We hung out at the Visitor’s Center and then did a 1 mile hiking loop around “North and South Windows” and Turret Arch. A really cool introduction to how awesome this place is.


We decided to take on “Delicate Arch” later in the afternoon. We started out at 4pm on the 3 mile trail that will get you up close and personal with Delicate Arch, the most famous of the arches. In fact, it’s front and center on the Utah state license plates… or at least it was for a long time.




This was a strenuous hike, billed as “uphill” and “hot at midday” by the ranger. It was actually “vertical” and “inferno”. But, I decided not to complain after we passed a 3 year old on his way back down who calmly stated to his father, “whew, I’m running low on energy.” If he can do it, we can do it. And the payoff was spectacular. It was waves of sandstone, deep valleys, vistas for miles, and of course the delicate arch.


We had a snack at the top and took some photos before descending back down . Bob’s snack got ruined as he happily pulled out an “energy bar” he had bought the day before, but then saw that it read “Luna Bar: Nutrition for Women”. He was so concerned about what they put in those “lady bars” that he gave it to a lady on the trail. We had cheeseburgers for dinner: Bob’s choice.