We have been talking about utilizing Talia’s fourth grade National Park Pass for national parks visits. Finally we were able to plan a trip to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah this summer. Our itinerary called for leaving Houston on July 20, 2021, flying to Canyonlands Airport (CNY) in Utah, and then driving to Moab. It was United flights with transfers in Denver to CNY. Everything went smoothly and we got to Moab around 3PM.
Friday, August 6, 2021
July 20, 2021 - Fly to Moab, Utah
This was the first flight for some of us since the pandemic and we all followed the recommendation of wearing masks. The checking-in process at the airport and flights were relatively smooth. This was Maisie’s first airplane flight which was on the same day as Amazon’s Jeff Bazo’s first space flight. She did a good job of experiencing her first airplane flight and just did her normal routines of eating, sleeping and playing.
The transfer of flights in Denver had a very short window, we had to figure out gates layout at Denver airport. We managed it well and even had time to grab burgers from McDonald for lunch. When we got to Moab, it was 103 Fahrenheit, however there was no humidity. But it was still hot and dry.
This was Fei and Tony’s 2nd visit to Moab and it was Jason’s family’s 1st visit to Moab. The canyon rock formation on both sides of the road still impressed Fei and Tony. For Jason's family, it was just astonishing to them.
The process of checking in to Comfort Suites was normal and we got 2 rooms close to each other. Per front-desk's recommendation, we rested a little bit and then headed out to Broken Oar Restaurant across the street from the hotel for 5PM dinner. It is a normal American restaurant and the food was decent. After dinner, we got back to hotel and called off the day.
By the way, Talia has been interested in photography and she was the one took our first photo in Moab.
July 21, 2021 - Arches NP, Balanced Rock, Windows, Double Arch and Park Avenue Viewpoint Areas
Comfort Suites provides free and yummy breakfast, therefore we took our time and had nice breakfast before we started our vacation.
Recently, we learned that there were big crowd in the Arches NP and people have been waiting in line for getting into the park. Therefore, we planed to drive by the park and then decided today’s itinerary depending on the crowd. Luckily, the waiting line outside the NP entrance was not bad at all, therefore, we decided to visit the Arches NP first.
There is a 0.3 miles loop trail around the Balanced Rock, therefore, we all started on walking the trail and took many photos. This was the first attraction spot for us in this park, we were all wowing the beauty of rock formations and we took it in slowly and enjoyed it as much as we could. We spent quite a long time there.
The next stop was the Double Arch. There is a short trail leading to the Double Arch from the parking lot. We saw the arch the whole way up there and it was very impressive. You can climb up to the arch for a closer look. Jason was holding Maisie and carefully got onto the arch as we did. Of course, there were more Kodak moments in front of this magnificent arch.
After some rest, we all went to the hotel pool to cool off a little bit.
Around 4 PM, we went out to Arches NP again, we stopped at the Park Avenue Viewpoint first. The rock formations in this area is majestic and impressive. The sun was still pretty strong and the temperature was high. However, it did not stop us to get out and enjoy this beautiful scenery.
Then, we stopped by the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint area to see the Tower of Babel, Sheep Rock, Three Gossips and the Organ. So happen the sun was behind the clouds, therefore, it was pretty comfortable to look and take photos there.
Next stop was the Delicate Arch Viewpoint area to see the famous Delicate Arch. There are Lower Viewpoint and Upper Viewpoint areas. The view of Delicate Arch from Lower Viewpoint area was impressive, however, it was too far. We tried to go to the Upper Viewpoint area and we found out that rock formations were blocking the arch, therefore, we did not go to the end point of the Upper Viewpoint area. By this time, it was pretty late already and we decided to call off the day.
We finally agreed to dinning at the Desert Bistro. When we got there, we found out that we need a reservation to avoid the long wait time. Therefore, we just went to a nearby food truck area to have pizza. Then, we had yogurt from Moyo Moab Frozen Yogurt as dessert to end this fruitful day.
July 22, 2021 - Arches NP, Landscape Arch, Skyline Arch and Sand Dune Arch
After another nice breakfast, we headed out to Arches NP again. The first attraction we planned to see was the Landscape Arch. There is a 0.8 mile trail each way to see the Landscape Arch. The weather was still very sunny and hot. It was tough for the baby like Maisie, however, she hang in there and just act like normal without any complaint.
After a little bit tough hike under the sun, we finally got to the Landscape Arch. It was totally worth the effort. The scenery was magnificent and we took a lot of photos to justify the hike in this hot weather.
Then, we stopped by at Devils Garden picnic area for our lunch. After the lunch we relaxed a little bit and even got a chance to climb up to a nearby rock for fun.
Next attraction was the Sand Dune Arch. On the way there, we saw the Skyline Arch which is just on the road side. It was too hard not to stop for more photos.
Sand Dune Arch is reachable from a 0.3 mile trail and it has sand like the beach sand; interesting! The arch itself is beautiful.
Then, we went back to the hotel to get away from the hot sun and rest a little bit.
After dinner, we ventured out to Balances Rock area again to watch the sunset at 8:34PM. The temperature had dropped and we had a relaxing walk on the trail. While we were waiting for the sunset, we took more photos around the Balanced Rock. The sunset was not as specular as we hoped for, however, we still enjoyed it and even has a chance to see the moon peeked out from the heavy cloud. We had a photo to prove it. Of course, it was the master photographer who took the photo and made all differences on the effect of the photo. It was a long and fruitful day for all of us.
July 23 2021 - Canyonlands NP, The Island in the Sky Section
We went to Island in the Sky Section of the Canyonlands NP. It was about 50 minutes drive from our hotel to the visitor center. We stamped our NP Passports as the 1st activity. We even got a NP Passport for Maisie.
The 1st attraction was the Mesa Arch. It has a 0.3 mi trail hike to get to the arch. Mesa Arch is one of the most impressive arch in this area. Even with a lot of visitors around the arch, we were able to take great photos.
Then, we stopped by the Green River Overlook to see the incredible views of where Colorado and Green rivers meet. Stand at 6,000 feet and look out over the Soda Springs Basin toward the Green River. The seemingly unending views are among the best in all the Canyonlands NP.
We had lunch at the nearby camping / picnic area. It was sandwiches for all again.
After lunch, we stopped by the Grand View Point Overlook at the southern edge of the Canyonlands NP. It offers wide and spectacular canyon panoramas. It is the southernmost point of the Island in the Sky Section.
On the way, we decided to stop by the Dead Horse Point State Park to see the famous breathtaking views of the Colorado River and adjacent canyon country some 2,000 feet below. When Fei and Tony visited here last time, it was late and the gate agent had already left. We got in free of charge. This time we had to pay 20 dollars for the entrance fee. However, the breathtaking views were worth it.
A small incident made this visit more memorable. While we were use an umbrella to protect Maisie from the hot sun, Jason handled it whenever he carries Maisie. When we were at the overlook point trying to take a photo for the family, Jason tossed the umbrella down to have a better photo. The blue umbrella attracted Maisie and she just did not raise her head to look at the camera. After we tried to attract her attention without success, Jason decided to move the umbrella away by throwing it further away. Coincidently, there was strong wind blowing at the same time and the wind blew the umbrella to the canyon below before anyone can catch it. It made us not following the “leave no trace” rule. However, it made this moment even more memorable.
We went to Antica Forma of Italian food for dinner.
July 24, 2021 - Wilson Arch and Lion Park Area
We drove about 26 miles south on Hwy 191 to visit the Wilson Arch. It is a road side arch with not much of hiking to get to the arch, However, it requires some climbing to get to the top of the arch. We all made it. Especially, Jason holding Maisie and did the climb effortlessly to the top. The views from the top were just magnificent. Of course, there were a lot of Kodak moments.
We finally got a chance to have delicious and famous quesadillas from Quesadilla Mobilla. There was a line for ordering the food, therefore it should be good. Surprisedly, it was delicious and the portion was huge. We enjoyed it just like all the other tourists under their tents.
We went to the nearby Lion Park to see the Colorado River and had some good time there.
Later we went to see the Courthouse Wash Rock Art Pane. It was a little bit of hike to get to the art pane. After we got there, it took us a little while to spot the rock art (Theresa, the artist, was the one who spotted it first).
Then, we had to dip into the pool to cool off.
We had some sushi at Sabaku Sushi. It was surprisedly good Japanese restaurant in a little town like Moab.
At evening, we all went to an ice cream social outside the Moab Museum.
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