Capitol Reef, Arches & Canyonlands
Three Utah National Parks: Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands.
October 28, 21:30
Capitol Reef is so nice! The rock formations are so different, with all the lines and round holes and colors, it makes it a totally unique park here in Utah. We went to Sunset Point and Gooseneck overlook this morning, and what a view! We looked into the canyon and walked on the rim. Just so pretty and so interesting to see how these structures all came to be. And again - the colors! Shades of red and orange, sometimes yellow, and the occasional green and dark blue. Really cool! We also walked through a dry river called the Grand Wash and followed the path up to Cassidy Arch. A total of 12 km, which totally immersed us in the scenery of the park and rewarded us with a huge natural arch at the end. And if that wasn’t enough hiking, we also decided to go to Hickman Bridge. Just a 3km hike, so not that bad, if you’re not already exhausted from other hikes. We went anyway cause you’re only here once, right? The bridge or arch at the end was definitely beautiful, and it was really nice to see another area of the park. But were we happy when we were back down with the RV? Very much so!
October 29, 22:03
And we’re in Moab! We left Capitol Reef around 11 in the morning after a slow morning in the campground and a quick stop to buy an apple pie at Gifford House. It was a boring and very windy drive through the desert, but about three hours later, we arrived in Moab - our gateway to Arches National Park. We picked up the maps at the entrance and, after choosing which hikes we wanted to do, reserved a time slot for our entry tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is going to be a full day of viewpoints and short hikes. I’m excited! We didn’t do much else today, other than grocery shopping and going out for dinner. A very welcome day of recharging.
October 30, 21:17
WHAT A DAY! Arches is such a beautiful park! We entered at 8:30 in the morning and left around 18:30. A full day in the park and perfect to see A LOT of it. We started at Park Avenue viewpoint for breakfast and then headed to Devils Garden, all the way at the back of the park. We only hiked the first 3km (one way) to view Tunnel, Pine Tree, Landscape, Partition, and Navajo Arch. The whole round trip was about 12km, so we thought it was a good idea to do some smaller hikes instead of a big one this time. We then had lunch at Skyline Arch and afterwards hiked to Sand Dune Arch. We stopped at Salt Valley Overlook and then drove to the parking area for Delicate Arch. First to the viewpoints further away and then hiking to the arch itself - a longer and more strenuous hike, but so worth it! It’s the arch you see on all the advertising for the park, and rightfully so, because the whole scenery is beautiful! Then we hurried to see the North Window and Double Arch cause it was golden hour, so the lights were gorgeous. And we ended our day, just a minute too late, for sunset at Balanced Rock. The colors were still super pretty, especially when the snow-capped mountains in the distance turned pink. We ended up having to leave the park in the dark, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing except for when you still need to find a camping place. That was definitely a little tricky when navigating the gravel road, but we did it! Parked in BLM land and ready for bed.
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October 31, 21:45
Next National Park baby: Canyonlands. We went to the easiest accessible area: Island in the Sky. There we went to a few viewpoints, did two short hikes (Grand View Point and Buck Canyon), and watched the sunset at Green River Overlook. An easy day today!
For tomorrow, the alarm is set for 6:45, when it’s supposedly gonna be 1 degree and 1 hour before sunrise. The plan is to drive to Mesa Arch, where we’ll enjoy (or suffer) a cup of coffee/ tea with pretty colors in the sky. It’s one of the 10 top things to do in this park, according to my National Park book. And if it’s not, then it will at least be an experience and something checked off in my little guide. But since we’ve also managed to secure a spot on the 12-site first-come, first-served campground, I feel like luck is on our side, and we’ll enjoy rather than suffer.
November 1, 21:42
We woke up early today to watch the sunrise at Mesa Arch. Totally worth it cause it was BEAUTIFUL. The colors were gorgeous, and it was such a cool thing to see the sun come up under the arch. Also, a good thing we brought tea cause it was definitely cold. Afterwards, we went to Upheaval Dome for a short hike and then did the most fun hike of Canyonlands: Aztec Butte. The hike was divided into two parts, first to a granary: an old storage place, still intact, located almost inside a mountain, and used by the indigenous. Really cool to see! And the other part was up on a mountain with a 360-degree view of the surroundings. It was a bit of scrambling to get there, but that’s what made the hike so much fun!
Panorama of Mesa Arch during sunrise, Canyonlands.
When we had seen most of what the area, Island in the Sky, had to offer, we left the park and drove south to our next destination: Monument Valley. On our way, we stopped and looked at the rough road to the Valley of the Gods, but decided against it because of the RV. We also stopped at Mexican Hat and Forrest Gump Point. Two quick and beautiful stops on the way.
