Moab Day 2: Island in the Sky

We got up pretty early and had breakfast in the hotel. Then we headed to Canyonlands for a few hikes. The line into the park had no wait, though when we left after lunch it had at least 100 cars in it. We stopped only briefly at the Visitor Center. Then we headed out to our first hike.

Whale Rock is a massive rock in the shape of a whale. The trail was a little sketchy, but we found our way around to the tail and then walked right up the spine to the head. The view was really amazing, but we didn't stay long.

The kids ran up the rock no problem.

It was super windy on top!

Our second hike was another short one to Upheaval Dome. We'd done this hike, but we realized that we hadn't actually written any of the hikes in Canyonlands on our last visit, so we were keen to do some of them again. Upheaval Dome is cool because you climb to the rim of a crater and look down on the salty spikes below. They look just like large teeth jutting out of the bottom of the crater.

Upheaval Dome

Somebody's chipper this morning!

We also stopped to hike to the Granaries, which is a short hike up to the top of a small butte. We climbed quickly and saw the ancient structures tucked under the rim of the cliff. This hike didn't take us long at all. It was only mid-morning, and we'd completed three short hikes.

Next to the granaries.

We love watching the boys walk together and talk.

Our legs were tired, though, so we decided to drive the scenic loop and check out the overlooks. Most of them don't require much of a walk, and all of them look out over the vast canyons cut out of the rock. At the final one, called Grandview, we walked along the edge of the 300 foot drop for a little ways, gazing far to the south toward the Needles section of the park.

Green River Overlook

The boys at Grandview Point.

The view at this overlook is beautiful.

Dax still likes Dad enough to put his arm around him.

We wore everyone out.

You can see deep into the Canyonlands.

Grandview Point

We took pictures of everyone at the lookout.

It was a beautiful day.

We love this part of the park.

Just before noon we stopped at Mesa Arch. This trail is the busiest in the entire park, and this day was no exception. Though the trail is short, we passed hundreds of people along the way. We had to wait in line for a few minutes to get a picture at Mesa Arch, but it looked so much like the one we took last time that it was worth it. 

Mesa Arch is so beautiful.

Here we are exactly 10 years earlier. 

Eating lunch in the car because it was cold and windy. Dad ate outside.

We stopped for lunch back at the Visitor Center and then left Island in the Sky. We'd spent barely half a day, but we'd seen (and walked) so much. We had a bigger hike to do, though, that we'd had our eyes on for a long time. Corona Arch is just outside Moab, and it is really popular. This trail climbed to the top of the ridge and then wound around to 3 arches. We saw Pinto Arch in the distance. Then we came around the corner and saw both Bowtie Arch and Corona Arch. Corona is massive and stands out on the edge of a cliff much like Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell. As we approached the arch, we had to climb a ladder and use a chain to assist us up a steep part. Then we stood right under the arch. It was really beautiful. This was the highlight of our day!

Corona Arch is a new favorite hike.

Bowtie Arch

Climbing up the slick rock was a lot of fun!

These two hiked ahead of us and took their own pics.

We asked someone to take a family pic. Where is the arch? 😂

So we asked someone else. I had to crop this one in...we were so far away. Why can't people take normal pictures?

We'd planned a drive for the afternoon, which was good because our legs were aching. Mr. Herrmann, who teaches with Dad, had suggested the La Sal Loop Road, which circles east from Moab up into the La Sal Mountains. The drive is only about 60 miles, and it starts out along the Colorado River just north of Moab. From there, it turns south through a beautiful little valley called Castle Valley just east of those massive red rocks that border Moab. Then the road began to climb steeply and rapidly. Soon, we were passing through snowy fields high up in the La Sals. It was such a startling change of scenery, and we began to spot hawks and nutcrackers in the high mountains. Then, just as suddenly as it began, we dropped back to the valley floor. 

Dad was a little busy. Eating, drinking, and driving.

It was very snowy up top.

We loved the views on this drive!

Just before we got back to Moab, we stopped at Ken's Lake. This is a small man-made lake just south of Moab. There was a hike that we wanted to do called Faux Falls. This is because the waterfall is usually dry, but this early in the Spring, it is running heavily. We hiked through the campground and up the hill for a little over a mile. Suddenly, we came to a beautiful cascade that fell about 100 feet. It was really very nice, and as it was getting close to sunset, and the lighting was just right. 

Lovely waterfall.

Seth and Mom stood at the bottom.

Dad climbed all the way to the top.

There was a rope swing at Kens Lake.

Back at Moab Diner.

We grabbed dinner at the same Moab Diner as the night before. Then the boys relaxed in the pool for a little while before bed. It was long, great day. 

Moab Day 1: Arches

We were excited for Spring Break because we had a hotel booked in Moab. Mom was playing some piano numbers for Easter Sunday, so we didn't leave until Monday, but we still had plenty of time. On Monday morning, we got an early start as we had a timed entry reservation for Arches National Park. We got in about 11 o'clock and only waited for around 30 minutes at the gate. As soon as we got to the Visitor Center, Mom made lunch in the parking lot.

This was what we drove through on the way to Moab.

Mom thinks the weather in Spring is hilarious!

Once we got inside the park, we stopped to do a short, famous hike that we'd never done before. This was a little walk called Park Avenue not too far from the gate. With the reservation system, we had no problem finding parking. Then we walked the trail downhill. It was really beautiful winding through the towering red rocks, and we enjoyed the nice, easy walk. When we got near the bottom, Dax and Mom headed back up to the top, while the rest of us walked down to be picked up at the bottom. 

Mom is a champion van lunch maker.

Park Avenue was really pretty.

We enjoyed this hike.

The towering rocks made for great pictures.

The three wise men and a few teens!

We love being in Arches!

Our next hike was one we'd had our eye on for a long time. Tower Arch is a 2.5 mile hike that is very doable, but requires an 8-mile drive on a dirt road. The road is often closed or rough, so we've never made this trip. This time, though, the road was in really great condition. We had no problem with the drive, and we arrived just after noon. The hike started out almost straight uphill, but we enjoyed this part of the park that we'd never seen before, and there were very few people on the trail. 

The fins and rills in the rock were gorgeous against the blue sky and the drifting clouds. We went along slowly, enjoying the easy walk until we reached tower rock. It was really impressive, sitting like a massive round frame, just right for pictures, and we took a lot of them. There was a massive tower behind the arch that soared hundreds of feet into the sky. There was also a small tower standing just in front of it, and we weren't sure which gave Tower Arch its name. Still, we enjoyed this arch, and another smaller arch that the boys found nestled into the wall next to it.

The views on this trail were amazing!

We also loved the clouds!

There were some great rock features.

We survived climbing through the sand.

So many great photo spots!

Mom and Dad are still doing good at taking pictures together.

This is the bonus arch that the boys found.

Seriously the views were amazing.

There was a tiny slot to walk through in front of the arch.

The arch was pretty big!

Look at the gorgeous views through Tower Arch.

Mom was the only one who would take pictures in the arch!

But she got some good ones!

Heading back to the van and eating Dum Dums!

The hike back seemed a lot longer, but we still had a few miles to go. Mom wanted fresh pictures of Landscape Arch, as we hadn't done that hike in a long time. It's only a mile each way to the arch, we managed that pretty quickly and easily, including the short detours to Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. We could have gone farther, but we decided to head out of the park for dinner. 

Pine Tree Arch 

Someone saw us taking this selfie and offered to take a picture for us....

This is their photo! Ummm. . . Thanks?

Tunnel Arch.

I like the hike through Devils Garden, but apparently Seth does not.

Landscape Arch is pretty cool!

We couldn't get over the blue sky, clouds, and red rocks!

After a short detour to see the Windows and Double Arch, we drove back to Moab. There was a wait at Moab Diner, but the boys were really hungry, and the food was really good. Everyone finished up pretty quickly, and we rewarded ourselves with ice cream. 

The ice cream portions were huge!

Mom had one more hike in mind. This one was on the north end of town where you cross the river, and it visited some petroglyphs. It was very short, and we found out these petroglyphs can easily be seen from the road, though we'd never noticed them before. We enjoyed them for a few minutes, and then found our way to the hotel. Seth and Dax took a short swim, and we got ready for bed. It was a long, fun, day.

Up by the petroglyphs.

The sunset was pretty nice.

We love watching the boys hike together.

Why is Seth mad in every picture? We don't know.

The boys love relaxing in the hotel room after we hike them to death each day!