firedancer
New Member
It's become a bit of an annual tradition for me to take a vacation around the time of my September birthday and head out West to a National Park. This year I was able to get 10 days away and decided to head towards the Moab area. (I was driving from the Chicago area)
My last night on the road was spent in Silt, CO which left me a whole day to spend driving to Moab. I took Scenic Rt 128 which my uncle recommended as opposed to I-70 all the way to Moab. The views were astounding.
I drove straight to Arches National Park to claim my campsite and start hiking!
Double Arch was one of my favorites, although it was a very short hike from the parking lot
Delicate Arch, while beautiful, was crawling with people as sunset neared, so I opted not to join the crowds
The following day I had pre-purchased a 10am ticket for the ranger led tour of the Fiery Furnace. This didn't leave much hiking time in the morning, but I did venture into Devil's Garden for a short hike
I then joined Ranger Jon and 20+ other tourists for a 4 hour tour of the Fiery Furnace - it is a maze of fins and other cool formations, very easy to get lost so they are strict about allowing people to go in un-guided
This is what it looks like from the outside:
And within the Furnace:
After this, I toured the viewpoints and scenic lookouts of the park and headed back to Moab to find a cheap room and a much needed shower.
My last night on the road was spent in Silt, CO which left me a whole day to spend driving to Moab. I took Scenic Rt 128 which my uncle recommended as opposed to I-70 all the way to Moab. The views were astounding.
I drove straight to Arches National Park to claim my campsite and start hiking!
Double Arch was one of my favorites, although it was a very short hike from the parking lot
Delicate Arch, while beautiful, was crawling with people as sunset neared, so I opted not to join the crowds
The following day I had pre-purchased a 10am ticket for the ranger led tour of the Fiery Furnace. This didn't leave much hiking time in the morning, but I did venture into Devil's Garden for a short hike
I then joined Ranger Jon and 20+ other tourists for a 4 hour tour of the Fiery Furnace - it is a maze of fins and other cool formations, very easy to get lost so they are strict about allowing people to go in un-guided
This is what it looks like from the outside:
And within the Furnace:
After this, I toured the viewpoints and scenic lookouts of the park and headed back to Moab to find a cheap room and a much needed shower.