moab, utah.

Logan had been talking about Arches and Canyonlands National Parks for years. Honestly, neither of the parks were at the top of my list so I brushed off his desire to go. The extreme lengths you have to go to actually arrive at the park truly turned me off. The closest airport is at least four hours away. The parks just didn’t seem worth the effort.

In 2020 when we moved from California to Indiana, we drove across the country and our route just so happened to take us about 20 miles from Moab, Utah where both of the parks are. We were ready! We planned to knock out both parks on our venture across the country. To our dismay, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the parks just days before we were supposed to arrive.

Well fast forward two years and we finally set out to cross the parks off Logan’s bucket list. Moab does have a very small, municipal airport, however, the airport is extremely hard to get in and out of and very expensive. Our others options were to fly into Salt Lake City or Denver. We chose Denver since we wanted to add on Rocky Mountain National Park while we were at it. We certainly don’t rest much on vacation!

Once we landed in Denver, we had about a five hour drive to Moab. The drive is beautiful, we had done the drive two years prior when we drove across the country. Even though we had done the drive before, we were still speechless at some of the views as we drove through the mountains.

This drive does provide several good places to stop and sight see or even just stretch your legs. To break of the drive, we stopped for dinner in Grand Junction, CO. We had stayed here before on our drive across the country so we were semi-familiar with the area. We ate at Grand Junction Ale House which had a nice and large patio area for Tustin to run around, there was also live music! Right across the street was a grocery store so we stopped and stalked up on breakfast items and hiking snacks so we could immediately go to sleep once we got to Moab.

I was honestly shocked at what a booming town Moab was. Driving into the town you are truly in the middle of the desert, not a light to be found other than the millions of stars shining down. The lights of Moab feel like an oasis in the middle of the desert. The downtown area was booming with dozens of restaurants and shops. We visited Moab in September and it was in the 90’s each day. Most of the restaurants had large patios with misters. There were multiple resort like hotels, with large swim areas. I did not expect Moab to be this built up and popular!

WHERE WE ATE:

Okay the name may be funny but the Love Muffin Cafe was so good, we went back twice! The muffins were warm, coffee delicious, and they even had a breakfast burrito which kept Logan happy.

After a long day of hiking, we went to happy hour at Josie Wyatt’s in the Hoodoo Hotel. This isn’t the most family friendly place, had we not had Tustin, we definitely would have stayed for dinner. I still think about their mango margarita! Thankfully, there was a large outdoor space for Tustin and I to play while we waited.

We had dinner at Zax Pizza on the upstairs, outdoor patio. Even at sunset, we were hot in the 90 degree heat though the pizza was good!

We also drove up to the Sunset Grill for an appetizer and drink with a view. We followed the appetizer at Sunset with dinner at Pasta Jay’s (we had been here before in Boulder and loved it!).

WHERE WE STAYED:

We stayed at this Airbnb for three nights which was a perfect location! The Airbnb is just one block off the main street in downtown Moab. Traveling with a baby, I have found Airbnb’s to be more convenient. I prefer to have a fridge and just a little more space than a hotel room; though this Airbnb was smaller, we still had a full kitchen.

BREWERIES:

Moab Brewery was more of a restaurant than a brewery but we had to stop and at least check it out!

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Arches has become increasingly popular year over year and because of this, you MUST make reservations to enter the park. Reservations open three months ahead of time. From April - October, timed entry is in effect from 7a - 4p. Make sure to plan ahead and get your reservation; I recommend booking the earliest time you can to avoid the heat.

We visited Arches over Labor Day and the temperatures were in the 90’s. Though the desert doesn’t get humid like the midwest, 90 degrees with little to no shade is still hot. We hiked most days from sunrise until early afternoon (any later and it just wasn’t safe, especially with a baby!).

Arches is a smaller park that can be experienced in just one day. There are several longer hikes that could take up multiple days but to get a feel for the park and see the most popular sites, you only need one day at the park.

We arrived right at 7am when our timed entry was for and drove straight to the Delicate Arch trailhead. Upon our arrival, the parking lot was already full (it seems many arrive before the timed entry starts). Thankfully, we found parking across the street and proceeded to the trail. Due to the time of day, most of the hike was shaded until we got to the end. Round trip, the Delicate Arch trail was 3 miles. Though this is the most iconic arch in the entire park, and therefore the most busy trail, I still highly recommend this hike (just make sure to go early).

Next, we moved onto the Sand Dune, Broken, & Tapestry Arches trail which was just under 3 miles. The first arch is nestled in a canyon full of bright orange sand. Of the three main arches on the trail, this was a favorite. The canyon was shaded and Tustin loved playing in the sand.

The remainder of this hike does not have much shade at all and can get confusing. Make sure to follow the signs and stay on the trail.

Our final hike in Arches was the Windows Arch loop, more iconic arches that were crowded but accessible via a short stroll.

All in all, Arches is a beautiful park that makes you feel like you are on a fiery red planet. I am so glad that we went and experienced it but I do not think it will be a park that I return to over and over again.

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Canyonlands is like the little sister of Arches that gets less attention than her bigger, older, more popular sister.

From Moab, the entrance to Canyonlands was about an hour away. The drive was very easy with clear signs and no traffic. Unlike Arches, you do not need a reservation for the park. As per usual, and to avoid the heat, we woke up before sunrise and headed to the park.

Immediately after entering the park, we came to Shafer Canyon View Point. We pulled off to watch the sunrise over the canyon. It was beautiful and we had the place to ourselves!

After sunrise, we drove to Mesa Arch trailhead (less than 1 mile round trip). The Mesa Arch was our favorite arch of the entire trip! The arch was not nearly as crowded as the arches at Arches National Park and you could get much closer to the arch. The view was stunning. Mesa Arch is a much do.

Next, we drove to Grand View Point trail, which had plenty of parking. The trail takes you out on a plateau looking down into the canyon. Though the plateau is very wide, the drop off is extremely sudden and steep. I would be nervous to do this trail with kids that are running. This was an easy 2 mile trail that provided great views of the canyon.

Finally, we drove to the Whale Rock trailhead. This trail is 1 mile round trip with absolutely no shade. Essentially you climb onto a giant rock that overlooks the canyon. This trail reminded me of Joshua Tree.

Canyonlands is another small national park that you can drive through pretty quickly. To see the entire park, you only need one day. Similar to Arches, I’m so grateful to have experienced the park but I wouldn’t place Canyonlands at the top of my list.

All in all, Moab along with the two parks exceeded my expectations. There is so much more to do in Moab than just the parks too! We even snuck in a swim in the Colorado River! It felt like bath water, so warm!

When planning your trip, be sure to account for weather. Though September was hot, I’ve heard it can snow as early as October!

After checking Arches and Canyonlands off our list, we packed up the car and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park!

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring or fall

rocky mountain national park.

iceland.