Arches National Park and Beyond – A Camping Adventure

Iconic iron-laced Delicate Arch graces the license plates of cars as you approach your destination – one of dreams and postcards – and seems otherworldly. But, as you wind your way up the narrow two lane highway past the visitor’s center, you realize that your eyes are not playing tricks on you – Delicate arches, buttes, fins, and striated sandstone cliffs fill the horizon. You have arrived at Arches. Now what?

Fun Facts:

Number of Arches	over 2000
Established	1971
Park Hours	all day, every day
Closest Town	Moab, UT
Other nearby parks	Canyonlands, Dead Horse Point State Park
July High Temp Ave	Over 100 F
January Low Temp Ave	22 F
Activities	Hiking, Photography, Rock Climbing, Biking, Backpacking
Climate	High Desert

Arches with Kids in June

Kids + activity = good

Kids + mid day heat = bad

Kids + activity & mid day heat = ugly!

We know this scenario all too well, so on our impromptu trip to Arches in June (I scored 3 nights at the last minute at Dead Horse Point State Park) we knew that getting the kids up at daybreak would be the best way to beat the 98 degree heat predicted that week. Here is what we tackled before the heat (and the crowds) arrived at 10am:

Delicate Arch – We drove straight to the Delicate Arch Parking area and by 7 am, it was already packed. Since we were trying to social distance and knew that this out and back trail would be crowded (thanks, COVID), we decided to try the viewpoint instead. We had the 1 mile hike to ourselves AND the short hike left energy in the tanks for other adventures.

The Windows: Perfect 1.2 mile hike. We picked up the small “primitive” trail to the left of the main trail. This side trail loops behind the North and South windows and gives you a great view of both. After visiting the quiet side of The Windows, we looped around the front for a completely different view and a quick hike to Turret Arch as well. This was our favorite hike in Arches.

Just across the parking lot from Windows and Turret (with a convenient bathroom in the island between the two different attractions) lies Double Arch – a massive arch that you can explore from below or climb up to admire the view underneath the arch.

After viewing Double Arch, it was approaching 10 am and getting toasty and crowded. We drove through the park and flagged locations of future adventures, took photos, and headed back to our camper for an afternoon of air conditioned board games. Next trip, we plan to visit the Devil’s Garden Area and hike Tapestry, Broken, and Sand Dune Arch. . . and possibly arrange a ranger-hike to Fiery Furnace (but not in the heat of summer).

Junior Ranger Program:

We LOVE the National Parks Junior Ranger Programs. Both kids and adults learn from their books as we explore the park. It also allows us to reflect on what we see and do on the kids’ timeline before returning to the Ranger Station to be “sworn in” as Junior Rangers. This year, I printed the books out online ahead of time just to make sure the kids would have them. When we left home, many visitors centers were still closed and I didn’t want the kids to miss out on learning about what they were seeing (besides just a beautiful vista). We lucked out because the Rangers had just started meeting with kids outside the visitor’s center to ask them questions about what they learned and “swear them in” as Junior Rangers. Here is the national park link where you can print off the PDF of the Arches book: https://www.nps.gov/arch/learn/kidsyouth/beajuniorranger.htm

Dead Horse Point State Park

Have you ever experienced complete silence? Complete and utter silence? No wind rustling the leaves, no birds calling, no traffic in the distance, no water rippling over rapids? I did not realize how silent a place could be until we camped at Dead Horse Point State Park.

Dead Horse Point State Park at about a 45 minute drive from the entrance of Arches National Park is a gem of the Utah State Park System. Not only is it in an amazing location – encompassing a mesa peninsula (I’m sure there is a much more technical description than this) that sticks out over the Green River Valley Canyon, but it is across the canyon from Canyonlands National Park, has the most amazing sunsets, beautiful rim hikes, and a variety of mountain biking trails to ride to your heart’s content.

We pulled into Wingate Campground just before sunset, hurried to set up camp and drive to the canyon overlook (only a 5 minute drive up the road). My husband and I had spent an evening in 2005 here with his family and we still have that iconic sunset etched in our memories. We were excited to relive this with our kids.

While there were more people admiring the view than the last time we visited, we could hardly fault them. This is a canvas made for the sunset, with all the canyons, cut-away cliffs, and different hues of rock catching the last sun beams as they stretch across the deserted land. As we shared this moment with others, everyone watched in silent awe (well, the kids were not as revarant as the adults) as the landscape changed in front of us, allowing us to ponder the beauty of our world.

How Did Dead Horse Point Get its Name?

One legend tells that cowboys used to corral wild horses on this point. (Which has steep cliffs on three sides that plumet 2,000 feet to the Green River). They would then choose the horses they wished to keep and let the rest run free. Apparently one time, the horses were left corralled in this point and perished from dehydration while able to see the water in the river 2,000 feet below.

What to do?

Hike – There are about 7 miles of hiking trails around the rim and across the plateau that makes up the park. Since we visited in the middle of the summer, we chose to hike the rim close to sunset. We loved the peacefulness of the West Rim Trail hike from our campground to Shafer Canyon Overlook and Meander Overlook. The views were breathtaking, the terrain was relatively flat (with some rock and uneven ground but nothing too difficult), and had plenty of cairns to help keep us on the straight and narrow. We also visited the Visitor Center Nature Trail where we learned about the various flora, fauna, and geology of the area. It was paved, easily accessible for all levels, and only 1/8 mile. If you are bringing your furry friend, dogs are allowed on leash on all park hiking trails! We love exploring the great outdoors with our pooch. Here’s a link to their trail maps: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/hiking-at-dead-horse-point/

Mountain Bike – There are 16.6 miles of non-motorized mountain biking trails within the park. Levels range from moderate to intermediate and cover dirt, sand, rocks, and slick rock. We always bring our bikes camping and loved having this option to stretch our legs. The views from the trails are fantastic. My adventurous 7 & 11 year olds didn’t have any problems with the “easy” level Intrepid and Raven Roll Trails. I am not a mountain biker so I found the slick rock to be more difficult to navigate uphill. But then again, I’m not super comfortable offroad. . . and my mountain biking husband loved them. Here’s a link to the mountain bike trails: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/intrepid-trail/

Junior Ranger – YEEESSS! They have a program here, too. Just stop into the visitor’s center and pick up their small booklet. It teaches about the geology, plants, animals, and preserving the night sky. They even have ranger-led star parties throughout the week. A huge bonus to this region is that there is very low light pollution and excellent air quality which allows a phenomenal view of the night sky. Check this out at the visitor’s center and dig deeper into what Dead Horse Point has to offer.

Canyonlands National Park – Island in the Sky Region

Canyonlands National Park lies in the shadow of superstar Arches National Park and offers a unique perspective less than an hours’ drive from Arches. Its geologically diverse landscape has been sculpted by the elements – wind & water over millions of years. We only had a morning to explore this park, but would love to spend more time here in the future (preferably in the spring or fall).

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How we spent the morning:

We knew we wanted to explore the rim of the canyon, so we opted for the Grand View Point & Mesa Arch Trails. Grand View Point is a 2 mile out and back trail that is along the top edge of the canyon. It has breathtaking views (and is fully exposed so do this early or late in the summertime). Most of this flat trail is along a fairly wide shelf so I didn’t have any worries about our active boys getting too close to the edge. It ends at a point where you can scramble up some rocks to see the view of the valley (or rest in the shade of the rocks), so there is a pleasant ending for all levels of adventure-seekers. It did seem longer than 2 miles… or that could’ve been because the boys didn’t enjoy the heat that much. Mesa Arch Trail is a highly traveled, easy .5 miles and was the perfect cap after our longer rim hike. The views through the arch are well worth the hike.

When we return:

We would love to raft through the canyon, to explore the layers of rock from a different vantage point. We would also like to hike Upheaval Dome, Aztec Butte, and explore the Needles area as well. There is definitely a plethora of activities to choose from here no matter what time of year you visit. Just like Arches and Dead Horse Point, the weather is that of a high desert – extremely hot and dry in the summer (with thunderstorms later in the summer), so if you travel during school holidays like us, be prepared to slow down, and get up early or stay out late to keep everyone healthy and in good spirits.

Where to Camp?

We love camping in national parks, however, they do not have any hook ups….. So, if you are camping in a trailer (or RV) like us during the summer and find it much more enjoyable to at least have electric hook ups for ac, check out Dead Horse Point State Park.

This is our favorite place to camp in the area. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of Moab but within easy striking distance of Arches and Canyonlands. It has 31 camping sites of which 20 have electrical hookups. The other 11 are hike-in tent sites. There are also 4 yurts to rent. All sites have a covered picnic table and fire ring. The hook up sites are nice and level asphalt pads. The website says their sites can accommodate up to a 56′ vehicle. We had absolutely no problem with our 23′ trailer + truck. We had room to spare for sure. There is a second campground – Kayenta – that has tighter corners and seemingly smaller sites. But, since it’s older, the vegetation is more mature, providing more privacy between the sites. Both campgrounds have trails leading to the West Rim Trail which is a super peaceful way to cap off the day. ** Make sure you fill up with water in Moab before camping – there is no freshwater fill for campers here. We found a hose near the food truck area that we used to fill jugs of water during our stay. You can also fill at gas stations in town. There is a dump station without potable water at the entrance to the campground, however.

Other Camping Options:

Devil’s Garden – Arches NP – If coming in Spring or fall and not needing air conditioning, this is where I would stay. It is right in Arches and you can hike from the campground. There are quite a few sites that would accommodate up to 40 feet of vehicle, so that fits the bill. Sites are paved with a picnic table and fire ring. But as with all national park camping, planning ahead is crucial to getting that coveted spot.

Horsethief Campground – Just outside Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands is this little unpaved campground. No water or hook ups but they have generator hours that would allow you to keep reasonably cool in the heat of the day. Sites are gravel and some are spacious enough for larger rigs, just plan on dust if it’s windy. This is a first come, first serve campground that is great if you want to extend your stay or try to nab a spot at Canyonlands or Dead Horse early the next day.

Variety of RV/camping in Moab – lots and lots of places to stay here. We just opt for camping outside of town when we can.

Food, Laundry, that sort of thing…

The nitty gritty details – the things you don’t want to think about on vacation but you sometimes have to deal with. Well, when visiting this area, you’re in luck! Moab is a huge adventure-seeker destination with plenty of options to choose from – food, groceries, laundry, atv or rafting trips, you name it. We popped into town one day to do a bit of laundry and stock up on food before heading to Capitol Reef National Park.

Laundry – We parked right outside the Moab Laundry Express around 1:00 in the afternoon – at 16 West 100 North. I was able to walk right in & wash & dry my loads in about an hour. It was not cheap ($6 for a large wash and $0.25 for 4 minutes on the dryer) but it was convenient and we needed to do laundry, sooo….

Moab Food Truck Park – Right across the street from the laundromat is an awesome food truck area where we picked up some food from Tacos El Gordo who had no problem making gluten-free and dairy-free tacos. Win! They were delicious. We capped it off with some shave-ice from Hokulia which hit the spot on the hot day.

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Groceries – Normally I wouldn’t write up a grocery store but I was super impressed with City Market in Moab. Not only was it huge (it had everything we needed) but it was clean, well-stocked, and had tons of employees stocking the shelves that were happy to help find items if you needed it. It was seriously the most friendly grocery store I have ever been in. There are other grocery stores in town as well but we only needed to stop here for everything we needed so we did not visit the others.

Cleanliness in the time of COVID

How safe did we feel? Well, coming from the Seattle area, a lot less people were wearing masks than back home. But, we spent most of our time outdoors where social distancing wasn’t too difficult. When we went into stores, everyone had masks on and was respectful of each other. When hiking, we had plenty of space early in the day, but as it got past 9 am, we found it harder to social distance. We would wear masks in these moments, but many other hikers did not. It really just depends on who you crossed paths with so to speak. We did do research before hiking each day, though, and had back up plans just in case a hike was crowded. Bathrooms at Arches were not super clean, but they were pit toilets so no airborne toilet flushing, either. There was hand sanitizer at the entrances of each bathroom, too. We really didn’t use the restrooms anywhere else as we tried to just stick to our trailer. All-in-all, this was an area of wide open spaces and since there weren’t any tour busses, the crowds were much smaller than a normal summer at Arches. I really enjoyed not having hordes of tour groups to navigate around…. and would love to see this a more permanent change…. I know that’s a pipe dream but hey… one can hope! Camping in the time of COVID was a great way for us to get away from people but feel a little more normal at the same time…. because I at least head to the great outdoors to experience nature…. not millions of people.