I sometimes feel it’s hard to really understand the geography of a place, or what the fuss is about until you get there. Moab is one of those places. It’s a small tourist town about ten minutes south of Arches National Park and about 45 minutes south east of Canyonlands National Park.
It is just so different from anything we see in the Pacific Northwest, so red, so grand, so arid. We were eager to get to Arches National Park, so we set out early to try and beat the heat.
Our first stop was the first turnoff lot (isn’t it always?!) and immediately, the kids were so happy to play on the rocks. They wanted to stay there and run and jump, but there was so much more to see! We did Double Arches – a short, easy walk with a rewarding climb.
There were quite a few people there. Parking can be a challenge as that spot has a number of short hikes including North and South Windows. As it started to get hotter and later in the morning, we opted to drive more, visiting the rest of the park and taking notes on the campground for future visits.
It was a hot day, so we headed back to the RV to cool off. Kids had lunch and napped while I did calls outside. After naps, we went to the pool, but left when it got too crowded for COVID comfort.
In the evening we went into town to find stickers for our door, and decided to grab dinner out. It was the first time we’d had dinner at a restaurant in months, and it was glorious. We chose Antica Forma, a great little Italian place with lots of outdoor seating. Not only was the food and service amazing – the kids sat and devoured their pizzas contentedly. But for once, it was so nice to not have to cook, do the dishes, or tell the kids to sit down and eat their dinners. Such a treat.
The next day set out for Arches again to see Sand Dune Arch, having read that it is kid friendly. We got to the park at about 9am to see a big line. (We arrived 9:30am the day before with hardly any line, but when we left about lunch time on both days, we noticed that they were turning away visitors with a sign that said “PARK FULL. COME BACK IN 3 HOURS.” Yay for visitor management and handling carrying capacity! I also wonder if it has anything to do with COVID?
In the afternoon, I took the kids to Canyonlands while Charlie did some calls. We headed for Island in the Sky, which is the closest to Moab, and it was beautiful! The section we visited is not too big, about 11 miles from the entrance to the Grand View Point Overlook. Unlike Arches where you’re amongst the hoodoos and the arches and windows, Canyonlands you are above everything looking down – talk about vertigo! But you’re so high up, it feels like you can touch the sky. No time to go back to Canyonlands this trip, but I would love to explore more with Charlie.
A couple notes about Moab town – we all know Charlie’s favorite part of Moab. Mae loved the Moab Rock Shop – this might be every 2 year old’s dream! Stewart was ecstatic he ran into Tow Mater AND Monster Truck Mater.
Hell’s Revenge off-road tow truck!
Meanwhile, for me, while there was no recycling at our campsite, there is a recycling center in on the way to Hell’s Revenge. (Check out the website, there are some really great resources.) There are also yellow recycle bins on the sidewalks, which we took advantage of. (More about waste management in a future blog article!)
Onto the next stop!
Tales of RVentures 