On June 19th 2020, our little family embarked on a high-desert adventure to Moab, Utah. The morning was somewhat hectic as my wife, Carolynn, and I worked feverishly to pack our rental camper with all the required gear and simultaneously corralled our 4 ½ year old, EJ, and our 1 ½ year old, Stella. After numerous trips from the house out to the trailer, we finally left, headed westbound on the glorious mountain passageway that is I-70. That is, until we decided to return home to pick up a couple of forgotten items!
As we worked our way West, the theme inside of out Toyota 4-Runner was finding out of state license plates, playing I-Spy, and snacking. We watched in awe as the metropolitan area gave way to beautiful rocky mountains, which shifted to a canyon with a river flowing through, and a final metamorphosis to high-desert with towering canyons and rock formations in the distance. As we got closer to Moab, our excitement grew at the prospect of finally getting to see a place none of us had been.
Travelling south on Utah State Highway 191 became a real-life version of the Disney movie Cars. The canyon walls became all-encompassing outside of our windows- so massive and beautiful that it made you feel the size of a flea. Off-road trails began sprouting around the highway like roots of a tree-signs abounded for adventures calling our name. As we continued making our way to the small town of Moab, we saw the entrance to the Arches National Park, and saw cars slithering up the side of the canyons on a curvy road.
Main Street of Moab was filled with restaurants, shops, and Jeep rental establishments. Everywhere we looked, we saw outfitted vehicles ready for the numerous off-road and exploration adventures that the landscape beyond the town offered. After stopping in town for some small provisions, we worked our way to our campsite, which was nestled between the walls of canyons and the peaks of the La-Sal mountains in the distance.
Once camp was set up, EJ and Stella played without a care for getting dirty. Jeep toys were driven over dirt and rocks, lizards were promptly located and tracked, and nectarines on a nearby tree were picked and eaten. We immediately felt the stressors of everyday life dissolving away, as if evaporated in the hot desert sun. We eventually went to sleep, dreaming of the sights to be discovered the next day.
The crisp morning air was the perfect backdrop to our freshly scrambled eggs and warm apple-banana muffins. After quite some discussion, it had been decided that today’s adventures would be inside of the Arches National Park, with hiking, 4-wheeling, and exploration on the agenda. The family was loaded into the 4-Runner, and coffee was picked up at a small drive-thru espresso joint off of Main Street in Moab. A short time later, we were waiting in line to enter Arches National Park.
The weather was predicted to be hot- with a high of 95 degrees. Digital signs posted on the side of the Park entrance stressed the importance of water for all Park visitors. Carolynn and I were happy to have our 6-gallon water jug filled to the brim with fresh water in the back of the 4runner. We also had made sure our powder-blue Rtic 65 cooler was fully stocked with foodstuffs and ice for the day. To say we were mesmerized by our surroundings as we drove up the paved entrance road to the Park is an understatement. We immediately felt a great sense of respect for nature, for having created such monolithic displays of rocks with arches, towers, and canyons as far as the eyes could see.
We attempted to capture the magic with our iPhone cameras, but could not do justice to the beauty and sheer size of our surroundings. It truly was a place you must go experience yourself. We stopped and did short hikes out to various rock formations. EJ and Stella embraced being able to run around, hike, and tell mommy and daddy about everything they could see. As we continued driving through the park, we felt like Lightning McQueen dashing through the canyons on the smooth asphalt.
One of our many stops was the Sand Dunes Arch, where the shade was a welcome respite from the sun. The shady ground was made up of fine sand, and shoes were removed to enjoy the beach-like texture. After taking pictures and watching the children play, we moved on to a picnic area for lunch. The picnic table was shaded by trees, and rock formations were close by. After a delicious lunch of turkey sandwiches, we started down the Tower Arch off-road trail inside of the Park.
The trail started off with a steep and rocky incline, but was overall a moderate trail with rocks, sand, and beautiful views. The 4runner performed flawlessly, and Stella even managed a short nap on the trail. We welcomed the ice-cold air conditioning and made sure to drink lots of water to combat the dry desert heat, a product of the blazing sun at 5,000 feet above sea level. The trail was on the shorter side, only taking a few hours to complete.
We finished our time at the Park by hiking up to the upper viewpoint for the Delicate Arch, and then taking a short hike to see some ancient Petroglyphs. The trail to the Petroglyphs originated from the Delicate Arch trailhead, and was very easy. It passed by an old cabin and farmstead from the late 1800s, and EJ was enthralled by the fact that it was still standing. It was tough to believe people farmed in this area in the hot summer heat, and we recognized the fortitude and determination of our ancestors.
We stopped in downtown Moab, where we found a restaurant, the Spoke on Central, which had a shaded patio and a full drinks menu. Carolynn enjoyed a tasty watermelon mojito, which brought a content smile to her face after a full day of adventure and exploration. EJ proclaimed the Mac N Cheese to be the best he had ever had. Stella made a tremendous mess below her high chair, which the waitstaff assured us was no problem.
We then reported back to the campground in Moab, where we took a much-needed dip in the swimming pool. EJ swam laps around the pool with his duck floatie. The only method to extract EJ from the pool was to remind him that we had a fire and S’Mores to be made. Watching EJ enjoy the crackling embers of the fire while holding a marshmallow on a stick for the first time in his life brought a sense of true contentment to Carolynn and I. It was clear as crystal that this adventure was bringing us closer together as a family through new experiences.
After a full night of rest, we set off in the 4Runner to today’s destination: Utah State Highway 128, which snakes along the beautiful Colorado River just east of downtown Moab. We all enjoyed watching stand-up paddleboards and rafts glide down the river as we drove towards our first trail of the day: the Dome Plateau Trail. The scenery as we travelled was majestic: the snow-capped La-Sal mountains in the distance with the west side of the Arches National Park flanking the Colorado River. The dichotomy of the two terrains was striking in our minds.
As we launched the 4Runner onto the Dome Plateau Trail, I stopped and tried again to capture the beauty before our eyes with pictures. We opened (and then closed) a wire Bureau of Land Management gate, unaware of the truly special adventure that lay ahead. Carolynn became a de-facto navigator, using mapping and waypoints to ensure that we stayed on the trail. We worked our way over sand and rocks to the Boca Arch. On the way, Carolynn and I commented on how unique it felt to be the only people around for miles. As we approached the arch, we realized the best shady spot to enjoy our picnic lunch would be inside the arch.
We easily setup our tables and chairs on the flat ground underneath the arch, and recognized the name “Boca Arch” must originate from a mouth-shaped opening on the top of the arch, visible only from the inside. As the kids played with toy Jeeps inside the arch, Carolynn and I ate in the view of the La-Sal mountains framed by the arch’s opening in the cayenne-peppered colored rocks. We breathed in the fresh air, and were truly at peace.
With full stomachs and hearts, we moved on, after taking numerous pictures, to the giant caves on the side of the trail. EJ marveled at how dark the cave was underneath the rocks, and how sandy the ground was. We quickly realized the history of these caves was almost beyond our comprehension: millions of years of existence. We completed the trail with time to spare before returning to camp.
Carolynn took over the helm of the 4Runner and piloted us along the Onion Creek Trail, which boasts twenty-seven water crossings over a small creek. The trail was nestled between the canyons with towering rocks on both sides. Onion Creek was an easy trail and lulled EJ to sleep in his seat. A quick break was taken with Stella with a no shoes-on adventure in the creek, where she was mesmerized by the gentle flow of water.
We worked our way back to our campsite, where our hungry bodies were nourished by chicken sausage bratwurst, pan-seared veggies, and left over Mac N Cheese from the night before. Of course, desert was provided via campfire with S’Mores. We slept soundly, with mixed emotions: happy and elated to have experienced true adventure, and sadness because we wanted to stay longer and continue the journey. We vowed to return for further exploration with a rooftop tent setup. Stay tuned.
Get Out There Colorado 