The problem with Moab...

Park Avenue, Arches National Park

...Is that there's just so much scenery to look at! At first there's a real risk of developing whiplash and causing an accident as you drive by and strain to look at one spectacular vista after another. After a few days you become more accustomed to it and start to pay attention to only the really, really good stuff. After leaving, you go up to lookouts in other places that are supposed to highlight a special view, and wonder, "what's the big deal?" With five national parks and 45 state parks in Utah featuring mountain ranges, canyons, rivers, rock formations and forests all set against a red rock backdrop, the people in and around Moab are certainly spoiled when it comes to gorgeous landscapes.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

Crazy photographers

I visited two National Parks: Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park, both of which are near Moab. In Arches I did what about a hundred other people did that night: hike out to the Delicate Arch and take pictures as the sun sets, highlighting the red and orange in the sandstone. Some of those people are serious! You should've heard them rip into this one hapless American guy who was posing in front of the arch for a photo. But I see their point - some of these photographers had traveled halfway around the world to get a picture of the Delicate Arch at sunset and they didn't need some dumb jock ruining their shot.

Landscape Arch, Arches National Park

The next day I went back to Arches National Park and  hiked the Devil's Garden primitive loop, saw tons of lizards and more arches. Out on the loop (~8 miles round trip) I passed by a group of what looked and sounded like French cowboys who didn't appear to have anywhere near enough water to last them through a desert trek. I was a bit concerned for them, but I saw them again at the parking lot at the end of the hike, so I guess they were ok. Still, walking in the desert is definitely no joke - you get dehydrated in a hurry!


I finished off my Moab stay by driving through Canyonlands National Park on the way out. I'd been hoping to do some hikes in Canyonlands (specifically in the Maze District) but four days into my Moab stay I was getting tired of the heat and the dryness.

Things to do next time I'm in Moab (and there will be a next time!):

• Hike the Canyonlands Maze
• Bike Porcupine Rim (or better yet, the Whole Enchilada)
• Camp in one of the BLM-managed campsites by the Colorado River

  
  

  Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll let the photos do the talking. Check them out on my Flickr page!