Dates we visited: October 12th - October 18th 2020
Where we stayed: Green River KOA
The fourth of Utah’s “Mighty 5” , we visited Arches National Park after Capitol Reef. Arches is a popular destination and one of the more well-known National Parks. It’s also the closest park to Moab, which is famed for its mountain biking and outdoors activities. We stayed in the city of Green River, which is a few miles to the northeast, but is much less busy, and offers more affordable accommodations if you are willing to drive a bit further to get to the attractions in the area.
Highlights
We made a few trips into Arches so that we could check out the various features along the main road that runs the length of the park.
As you might expect, we stopped to check out several of the arches around the park. Two of our favorite locations were Delicate Arch and Double Arches. Delicate Arch is one of the most photographed arches in the world, and when you think of an arch rock formation, most likely this is the one that your brain conjures up.
Double Arches is also a popular location, this one is a bit more kid friendly to approach. The two massive arches are situated in a way that allows you to hike up underneath them, and Owen really enjoyed checking them out from below.
Obviously Arches is known for its, well, arches, but there is more to it than that. We also enjoyed the short hike around Balanced Rock. The massive and precariously sitting boulder will eventually topple off of it’s perch due to erosion. Most likely, that won’t happen for hundreds of years, but we’re still glad we got to see it before then!
Potash Dinosaur Tracks
The Potash dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs are not inside Arches national park, but proved to be an exciting destination for us nonetheless. A few miles south of Moab, there is a short but challenging trail that leads to fossilized dinosaur tracks. It’s possible to hike right up to the rock face and actually touch the tracks if you choose. This little trek was especially enjoyable for us because the destination is a little off the beaten path, and we were the only ones on the trail. If you are in the area, and into fossils and petroglyphs, it’s worth taking a few hours to pop over to this location.
Arches is a popular destination for a reason, the arch rock formations found here defy logic when you see them up close. Due to its proximity to Moab, the park is often busy, and we experienced more lines and crowds than we are used to. Our take is that you should definitely check out Arches at least once in your life, but if you are looking for a more peaceful experience, perhaps check out some of the other less visited Utah parks.