Trillcation: Utah To Colorado 2020 Day 3

Wednesday, August 26 (PST): 

6:30 AM – Breakfast at Hotel

7:00 AM – Depart Best Western Plus

11:00 AM – Arrive at Arches National Park

11:30 AM – [Packed] Picnic at Delicate Arch Viewpoint

12:00 PM – Arrive at End of Arches Nat’l Park at Devil’s Garden

12:45 PM – Arrive at Landscape Arch

1:45 PM – Arrive at Double O’ Arch

4:00 PM – Check in at Under Canvas Moab

5:00 PM – Arrive at Mill Creek Trail

6:00 PM – Arrive at Sand Flats

6:30-7:30 PM – Moab Brewery for beer and dinner

8:00 PM – Arrive at Skyline Arch/Stop at Balanced Rock

9:00 PM – Back at Under Canvas Moab

Let’s pause here to talk about how we get through these somewhat long stretches of driving. We did A LOT of driving in Iceland and got through that with the Reply All podcast. I still get so happy thinking about all of the entertainment that provided us. During the very height of the pandemic, I found a lot of comfort rewatching The Office (only up to when Steve Carrell leaves, of course), and then starting it all over again a million times. We stumbled upon An Oral History of The Office podcast on Spotify when it first came out in July 2020, but saved it for this trip. We listened from the beginning to episode 9 (there are 12 right now and more to come, but we have another road trip planned so we’re saving the rest for that) and that was roughly 8 hours of listening time and it made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.

It took us 4 hours to get to Arches National Park where we stopped at a viewpoint to eat lunch. The first plausible stop would have been Balanced Rock but it was popping off so we drove on by like we are known to do. Let me tell you that the Delicate Arch Viewpoint is literally the worst for a view. There are 2 picnic tables and a restroom so unless you need to use the bathroom or have a picnic lunch to eat, just skip it. 

We decided that since it was midday, we could knock out a mini hike before checking in to our stay at Under Canvas Moab. Our theory was that since it was a pretty cool spot, we wanted to spend as much time there as possible so wanted to adhere as close to check in and check out time to make the most of our money. Unlike Bryce Canyon, it is a bit of a drive to get into the heart of Arches so we decided on going all the way to the end of the park earlier in the day and that could give us more time to explore the rest of the park later. We consulted the maps (one is a map and the other a visitor guide, but don’t sleep on the visitor guide because that’s the one that tells you how many miles the hikes are), and decided that Landscape Arch would be easy to knock out.

Since we drove directly to Arches and did not restock on water, we still had half a gallon to split between the two of us, and figured that should be enough because well, we were naive. I would say just always try to have at least 1 gallon of water per person in your car at all times during trips like this. It doesn’t even matter if the water gets hot because I rather have hot water than no water at all.

So we loaded up our backpacks (the ones with the bladder included aka off brand CamelBaks) with the little water we had and headed off to Landscape Arch because it is only 1.8 miles roundtrip. Piece of cake, right? It’s a very easy hike to Landscape, but as soon as we got there, we were underwhelmed. At one point, people were allowed to walk under the arch but due to the falling rocks and the fact that it could completely crumble at any moment, you can only view it from a distance. Don’t get me wrong here. I am not so jaded that I don’t see it as a thing of beauty at all, but it was the middle of the day and really bright, so no, it was not that impressive in the moment.

It was so unimpressive that we decided to keep walking towards the next arch: Double O’ Arch which is 4.2 miles roundtrip. No problem because Zach runs that 3 times a week, and well I’ve run that much maybe once before in my life. Let me just preface it by saying that this was one of our favorite hikes and I would do it again in a heartbeat. However, it was almost 2 PM and 103 degrees Fahrenheit and we had very little water. The trek there is on a primitive trail with lots of climbing rocks and very, very little shade. But it was well worth it and climbing the rocks was 80% of the fun. I just need you all to know that maybe not do it in the middle of the day in 100+ degree weather OR make sure you have enough water.

We get back to the car and just take off to our dwelling for the night. Luckily it wasn’t too far from the entrance of the park and there was a gas station right next to it for us to stop and get water. I loaded up on water and had thankfully brought along Liquid IV and pounded that right away, but we were still hot AF. We checked in and originally had booked a “Safari” tent which meant that it was the very basic of their options, because hey, we’re always balling on a budget. I asked if we could upgrade, but they were all booked and I’m glad they were because I would’ve definitely upgraded and blown almost $200 to do so. Regardless, it was a nice ass tent and close to the extremely well maintained communal bathrooms. Each stall has a sink, toilet and shower, so while shared, was still very private. There are communal grills, a communal bonfire at night, live music, and their reception is open 24 hours stocked with food and drink in case you did not bring your own. I cannot wait to book again with them at a different location (they have a few).

During check in, we were chatting with one of the employees and she gave us a physical list of local things to do and only then did I even realize there was water in Moab, Utah. It never occurred to me to look up swimming holes, so praise be with the locals once again. We had planned on hiking Delicate Arch at sunset because it was recommended on the visitor guide to not attempt it midday in high temperatures. But as soon as swimming was mentioned, that sounded like the best plan because our tent had misters and two tiny fans, but I couldn’t even imagine going back to that after another hike. I knew we had to cool down our body temperature because I was starting to feel overheated and if there’s one thing I have learned from watching Naked and Afraid, heat stroke is no joke.

So we took the recommendation to go swimming at Mill Creek Trail. The list provided typed up directions, but it’s popular enough to Google Maps it. As soon as we got there, we could tell it was a local spot, so again, respect the land and don’t trash the place please. We started walking towards “the falls” but was stopped by a teenager politely asking what we were looking for. She so kindly told us that the falls was more for cliff jumping (my eyes lit up but Zach was just trying to chill) and then showed us how to get down into the creek. The creek isn’t huge, but there were only a few people there since it was later in the day. It was less swimming and more sitting in water with small rapids which was just as pleasant. We only stayed long enough to cool down, which helped tremendously, but not long enough for it to get too cool because something I learned from a previous trip is not to get too cold you can’t warm back up again. That’s just as bad as heat stroke. It’s a fine line for sure. Not too far away via car are the Sand Flats (pictured above) and there are plenty of signs that point you in the right direction. If you like big rocks and cannot lie (sorry about that), it’s a nice pit stop for sure.

It was also recommended to hit up Moab Brewery which was basically a restaurant but it did have local beers and we definitely needed food, so win win. Aside from the TGI Friday’s at DFW Airport, this was only our second dine in experience since March 2020. It wasn’t overly crowded, the food came out incredibly fast, and we ate even faster so we were pretty much in and out. So far, everywhere we had been, people were very considerate and wore their masks so we felt at ease.

We were finally cooled down, fed, and filled with liquid courage which encouraged us to go back into the park to catch the sunset at Skyline Arch. It was one of the viewpoints that looked pretty cool as we passed on the way out after our hot ass hike but said hell no to pulling over for it at the time. We also got to stop at Balanced Rock right after the sunset and sans a lot of people. It worked out wonderfully.

So Moab does not cool down like Bryce Canyon and it was still 80 degrees as we started getting ready to go to sleep. We left all the vents available open in the tent and slept on top of the covers with our tiny fans blasting. I felt fine because I often run cold more often than I run hot (that Vietnamese blood I have running through me). I actually got a little cold and turned off my fan in the middle of the night, but Zach wasn’t as comfortable as I was. It was a pretty short sleep though because we had planned for a sunrise hike to Delicate Arch and since we wanted to spend some time before check out back at the tent, we hit the road back into Arches at 5 AM arriving right before 6 AM to the trailhead.