Utah Roadtrip, part 2
Continued from part 1.
Arches National Park
Arches is quite a long drive from Bryce, and we left from Bryce relatively late in the morning, arriving in Moab around 6pm. After a pretty nice Thai curry dinner, I was tempted to chase a sunset photo, but FeFe successfully convinced me to go to bed early in exchange for sunrise tomorrow. Fair trade!
We pulled ourselves out of bed at 4am the next morning, checked out of our hotel, and headed for Wolfe Ranch, the trailhead leading to Delicate Arch. By the time we arrived at the trailhead, it was already bright enough to easily see the trail (although I still managed to lose my way once). The trail is a mostly gentle climb over some flat rocks. We finished the hike at 5:10am, just a few minutes after the sun’s first rays lit up the red sandstone of Delicate Arch.
View from Donut Arch, a small window arch off to the side.
Out of respect to the many other people here in the early morning, we stayed away from the arch initially to give them time for uninterrupted photos. Eventually, we had to get up closer to the arch. That’s the only way you can truly appreciate how enormous it is.
Looking up was dizzying and slightly nerve-wracking given the steep drop-off on the other side.
As more and more people streamed in, we decided it was time to leave. We hiked back to our car and hit up the next stop: the collection of North/South Window Arches, Turret Arch, and the Double Arches. The sunlight was already scorchingly bright - far from ideal light for photos - and at 9am, it was packed with visitors already - but as we found out later, we were fortunate just to be in the park.
You can climb into the North Window Arch from a slippery route in the back. It’s also possible from the front if you’re a good climber (I’m not). Of course, you’re not allowed on TOP of the arch.
People were packed into the Double Arches (by pandemic-area standards), but at least most were masked.
Perhaps the most striking feature of these arches is their sheer size, which can’t be truly appreciated from far away - you really need to get inside them and look up. Natural processes formed these arches over millions of years; one can only hope they survive for millions more.
It was around 11am by this point, and both of us were pretty tired from the early start. We did a quick drive through the rest of the park but skipped any more hikes. We had another long drive ahead of us again, so we headed out of the park, passing by a long train of cars waiting to enter. We made our way to Moab for another Thai lunch, then got out on the road.
Monument Valley
I planned our route to pass through Monument Valley and Forrest Gump Point. Very original, I know, but the views can’t be missed. Most of the park belongs in Navajo Nation, which was locked down due to COVID. Instead, I had some fun recreating that iconic moment in the movies during the moments when no cars were oncoming.
Speed limit sign helpfully reminds me not to run faster than 65mph.
I wonder what the views would look like from the top of those structures…
Vermillion Cliffs National Monument
This national monument is home to The Wave, famous for its swooping curves of striated red rock layers. Access to this site is by lottery only with strict penalties awaiting anyone who attempts to come without a permit. Sadly, we didn’t win the lottery. Furthermore, the beautiful (and overphotographed) Antelope Canyon is nearby, but it was still closed due to COVID. Instead, we made our way to Buckskin Gulch, a much lesser-known slot canyon requiring a lengthy drive over unpaved roads to access the trailhead.
It was over 90 degrees that day. We hiked 1.5 miles in the beating sun before arriving at the canyons. It was wonderfully cool inside, and with far fewer visitors than Antelope, we had entire stretches of the canyon to ourselves, only interrupted now and then by the occasional crow streaking in between the narrow walls.
Sunlight bounces off the tall canyon walls, illuminating the sides with a warm glow.
The trail extends on and on for nearly 20 miles. You could hike to the southern edges of the park if you wanted, although the canyon widens towards the latter stretch. But after awhile, every turn of the canyons ends up looking the same, so we headed back after about a mile or so into the canyons. Overall though, it was a fantastic experience. The canyons are much much narrower than the Narrows at Zion, which creates the perfect subject or backdrop for photos. I definitely wouldn’t want to get trapped here during a flash flood!
Horseshoe Bend
Our final stop on this epic roadtrip! We had plenty of time after hiking the slot canyons, so we swung by Horseshoe Bend, which was very close to us, for sunset. As expected, this place was packed with people. Finding a good spot for photos was tough, but that’s half the challenge!
And that’s it! An unforgettable trip through the Utah wilderness. Can’t wait to come back again and visit all the many places we didn’t get to see the first time, and hopefully, one day, finally win lottery tickets for The Wave.
See more photos here.
