A Complete Guide to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

A Complete Guide to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

There is something about autumn that makes me want to go on one last trip before the summer is over. It’s like I want one last hoorah before it gets cold and I don’t want to leave my house anymore. Collin and I spend many of our weekends in the summer months camping, so then every fall we feel the urge to take one last big camping trip “out west.” Last year we went to Glacier National Park, and the year before that we went to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. This year we were going slightly later in the year, so we thought heading south might be our best option for warmth– so we chose Utah. There are five different National Parks in Utah, but we knew that we wouldn’t have time to do more than two in one week. Although I am dying to visit Zion someday soon, we decided that Arches and Canyonlands might be our best bet this time.

In this post I am going to share everything we did and what we wished we knew before going. This is going to be a long post, so scroll and skim to the parts that are the most helpful to you.

How we got there

We were driving from Minneapolis to Moab, so we decided to drive to Denver in one day, and then Denver to Moab the next morning. We rented a room in this Airbnb (link) in the mountains outside of Denver, which was great (and really cheap). If you end up staying around this area, I recommend the Westbound & Down brewery. We did hit bad blizzard-y weather in Idaho Springs through Vail, but we journeyed through the snow like good Minnesotans. We were definitely the only ones without chains or a four-wheel drive vehicle on I-70 that day, which I do not recommend (it might actually against the law now but we didn’t understand the road signs). We were not expecting a blizzard in October when the weather only day before had been in the 70s.

On our way back to Minneapolis at the end of the trip we stopped at the Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I wrote about it in my post here: 8 Incredible Hot Springs You Have to Visit

The most important thing I will say about this is that if you are driving I-70 westbound into Utah, you HAVE to take highway 128 into Moab instead of highway 191. 128 is a scenic byway and it takes a little bit longer, but it’s one of the most beautiful drives I have been on. It’s worth every extra minute.

Stopped along 128

Moab

Moab was such a great little town with plenty of things to do. There were great little shops and restaurants and outfitters. We liked the Moab Garage Co, which was clearly the main coffee shop in town and also had delicious homemade made-to-order ice cream. One of our friends recommended their lunch to us. The only thing that we felt like we were missing was a good brewery. There was the Moab Brewery, but we were not impressed (it smelled like fried food, was overly crowded and loud, and was really just a restaurant with a bar area). Hopefully there will be more options for beer when we come back someday. If you are looking for a drink in Moab, you are much better off grabbing margaritas at one of the Mexican restaurants or stopping by Garage’s back bar called Parlor. Unfortunately we did not know about this place until our last day.

One of Collin’s coworkers recommended that we go to the Moab Diner for breakfast one day and it did not disappoint. It’s inexpensive and delicious! We were also told that Love Muffin had great baked goods but we did not get the chance to check it out this time.

Camping or Hotel?

We were planning on camping the whole time we were in Utah. In fact, on our way there I wrote a whole post about everything we brought with us. However, the week we were in Utah ended up being unusually cold (the lows were in the 20s overnight) so we stayed in the Red Stone Inn in Moab for part of the time and camping later in the week when it was a bit warmer (lows in the 30s overnight; still a cold experience). The Red Stone Inn was nicer than your typical motel, but it was still much cheaper than most of the area hotels (about $120/night). The rooms were nice with a kitchenette and there was a hot tub and grill for guest use. I was thankful for and used that hot tub every night after our long hikes during the day. There were a few different low-cost, but nice hotel and motel options in Moab (about 20 minutes from Arches and 50 minutes from Canyonlands). The Rustic Inn and Kokopeli Hotel were other places we were considering for lodging.

When we camped, we stayed at the Grandstaff Campground. This campground was bordering Arches National Park, so it was a great location. There were other campgrounds along highway 128 that were also good options. All of the campgrounds along there, including the Grandstaff one, are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and range between $5-20 per night. Grandstaff was my top choice just because it was closer to the National Parks, but the other ones were good options as well.

There are not a lot of camping options in Arches or Canyonlands, and it appears that those campgrounds fill up quickly– we heard that you needed to book six months ahead of your trip to get a spot. We planned this trip only about two weeks before we left, so we needed to look at campgrounds that were first come first serve (noted as FCFS below) anyways. Here are other campgrounds that we considered in order of our preferences (each bullet point is hyperlinked to info about the campground):

Manti-La Sal National Forest nearby also had cheap FCFS campground spots open. We really like staying in national forests as much as possible because the camping is usually really cheap ($5-10) and with fewer people around. Horse Thief state park was also close that looked like it had plenty of low-cost camping options if we ran out of options.

Pine Tree Arch

Hiking

These two national parks share some similar features and geology, but overall are extremely different. Arches feels more like a place where you drive from site to site, and the hiking trails are more like avenues to see the things. On the flip side, the trails at Canyonlands are more primitive, with fewer people, and there were longer hikes for us to do.

Make sure to bring plenty of water (~half a gallon per person if not more). I do not drink much water normally, but there is something about being in the desert air (even when it’s not hot out) that dries you out. I was also glad to bring a sweatshirt over a t-shirt because the temperatures change so drastically depending on where you are and the time of day. I’ll include what I think are the best times to do these hikes as well.

Canyonlands

  • Mesa Arch (My favorite short hike)
    • 1 mile round-trip
    • Time of day: Sunrise is a MUST- I captured a photo of this arch at sunrise and it was perhaps the best picture I have ever taken– so naturally it is the key photo at the top of this post. The trail and the parking lot are crowded any other time of day, so you just need to commit to getting up early one day during your trip and visiting this arch. The views are spectacular.
  • Grandview Point
    • View point and optional 2 mile hike.
    • We visited this after watching the sunrise at the Mesa Arch. We were the only ones there (which I hear is rare) and it was breathtaking. Park your car and take a moment to look at the canyons below.
    • We did hike about a half-mile down the trail and then back. It was a nice trail to just take our time on and look at the canyons below.
  • Syncline Loop
    • 8.5 mile loop; it took us five and a half hours to complete this hike, but the rangers told us that they tell people to expect 6-7 hours. Apparently this is the trail that requires the most rescues because people do not give themselves enough time to do it.
    • Take the loop clockwise in the afternoon or counter-clockwise in the morning for more shade.
    • DO NOT start this hike after 2pm. This is a primitive trail with limited markings (called “cairns”), so it seems impossible to do it after dark.
    • This hike was unlike any other I have ever been on. I have been on longer and more vertical hikes, but I think this was one of the most difficult hikes I have ever done. There were times where we were literally bouldering and climbing rocks, walking along dried creek beds in the desert, standing at the top of the canyon, following countless switchbacks down rock fields, and hiking in forested areas. However, this diversity in landscape was also part of what made this hike amazing.
    • Collin’s favorite hike of the trip 🙂
  • White Rim Overlook
    • 1.8 miles round trip (not to be confused with the white rim road, which is only accessed by 4WD vehicles)
    • Another one we did not get the chance to do, but I was told that it’s lovely and best to do in the morning.
  • Upheaval Dome or Whale Rock
    • Both hikes are 1-2 miles long round trip. If you only have time for one, choose the Upheaval Dome hike according to this blog.

Arches

  • Delicate Arch
    • 3 miles round-trip
    • The arch was also larger and even more beautiful in person than I thought it would be. A good portion of the hike is just on slickrock and uphill with other parts along a narrow path, which makes this a fairly strenuous hike. I consider myself an excellent hiker and this one is more challenging and tiring than I anticipated. There are easier ways to see the Delicate arch from other view points further away if needed.
    • Time of day: This is one of the sights that gets really busy and you want to go during an off-peak time (like early morning or evening) but if you want to take a photo in front of this arch, the sun position and lighting is best in evening.
  • Tower Arch
    • 3 miles round-trip
    • This arch and the views were really beautiful. We packed a lunch and then ate it under this arch.
    • Much less crowded due to accessibility. In fact, this part of the park is not accessible after it rains unless you have a 4WD car. You have to drive nine miles on a rough gravel road to get to this portion of the park. Even in dry weather this was not a great drive to do in a two-wheel-drive sedan, but we just had a rental car so… whatever.
    • Since this one is less crowded, time of day does not matter as much. We actually did this one in the middle of the afternoon while the rest of the parks were busy and it worked out perfectly.
  • Balancing Rock Trail
    • Just a short walk, but you can also see it from the road. It’s cool looking and another popular stop.
  • Devil’s Garden
    • The length of this hike depends entirely on how far you go along the trail (it is not a loop), if you go off on the side-paths to see some of the other arches, and if you take the primitive trail back.
    • The trailhead is at the end of the scenic route in Arches. It’s about a half hour from the park entrance.
    • This is the trail with the most arches in one area. It’s a very popular hike, but most people do not go the whole way on it. The gravel trail ends at the Landscape Arch (amazing), but if you’re up for it, you have to go at least until the “Double O Arch”– that one was my favorite of the whole trail. I would not take a young child past the Landscape arch because the trail is primitive and requires climbing up rocks and along narrow “rock fins” with steep drops below. (what is a rock fin?)
    • Time of day: You’ll want to keep in mind how long this will take you so you are not hiking after dark, but we did this in the evening and watched the sunset here and it was really gorgeous. Since this is one of the most popular hikes at the park, steer clear of it between 9am and 2pm.
    • Here’s the map of the Devil’s Garden Trail:
Hiking along a rock fin on the Devil’s Garden hike near the Double O Arch

Other Hiking

  • Corona Arch
    • Highly recommended to us from other blogs and a friend that lives in Moab. This hike is not in either National Park, so I am under the impression that it is less crowded but also quite beautiful.
  • Grandstaff Hike (off 128)
    • 4 miles round trip
    • Very pet friendly and kid-friendly trail
    • We really enjoyed this hike at the end of our trip. We were tired and not looking for a long or strenuous hike. This was pleasant and easy and was mostly through a forested area along a creek.

Final thoughts and tips

Utah is very hot in the summer, so we were told that spring and autumn are the best times to visit these parks, especially if you’re planning on hiking and camping. The average temperature in Moab is 100 degrees in July vs. 74 in October. As I mentioned before, the weather changes drastically even during the day, so be sure to dress in layers.

Both Arches and Canyonlands are very busy with long lines to get into the parks between 9am and 2pm. We heard this about the parks prior to going, but it’s true– you’ll wait for an hour or more to get into the park if you don’t get in before 9am.

Entrance fees— there are a few different options. We buy an interagency National Parks pass every year, which is $80. The cost is worth it if you go to at least three national parks per year–which we do. On this trip alone we used the pass to get into Arches, Canyonlands, and the Colorado National Monument (which all together would have cost $80), but now we can use it at other parks throughout the year. If you are just paying the entrance fees, it’s about $30 for a one-week pass per National Park. There is another park pass that you can get for $55 to get into specifically Arches and Canyonlands for a year.

You might like these similar posts:

40 Packing Essentials for Car Camping

8 Incredible Hot Springs You Have to Visit

Your Guide to the Apostle Islands

What we listened to

When we go on short vacations, we typically just leave our cat, Beatrice, with extra food water and she’s fine to be by herself. This time we decided to hire someone from Rover to stop by to feed and play with her every few days. It was cheap and definitely gave me some peace of mind while we were away. Plus our sitter sent me pictures every time she saw Beatrice! I thought I’d add this short blurb at the end in case anyone wanted to try this out and use my referral code (then next time we both get $20 off!). Click on this link to check it out: http://share.rover.com/zn66W #ad