Road Trip Month post #7: Sand Dune Arch @ Arches National Park, Moab Utah

   I love Moab, Utah. It's one of my favorite places to hike, photograph, & relax. The Colorado River is close and so is Arches & Canyonlands National Parks. In the summer it's dry, super hot in the afternoon (it's high desert so the evenings/mornings are pretty nice), and there's lots of adventure to be had whether you're in to hiking, biking, paddling, or backcountry 4x4-ing (it's a nice place for toy photography too:).

   We really like to hike when we're in Moab - get up really early and make it out to the trail before all of the tourists in their giant RVs (with small water bottles…what's with folks not taking enough water with them on the trail?!?) We finish our hikes around 11 am, right when it's getting super hot, and head back to our hotel and chill inside or by the pool. In the evening we grab some dinner in town & sneak in another hike right before it gets dark. Arches is close enough to town that you can get over there pretty quick. The next day? Repeat!

   On this trip we stayed at the Gonzo Inn. It's a hip little place just off the main drag in town. Rooms are modern & clean and the grounds are quiet & secluded. After check-in on our first day we drove into Arches National Park. We stopped at a few lookouts and decided to check out Sand Dune Arch (one of my favorites), just off the scenic drive.

   It's nice to see this arch later in the day since it can get a little crowded otherwise. It's pretty close to the road, a.k.a. lots of tourists will be here checking it out around midday. 

   It's so fun to explore the sandy tunnels and narrow rock valleys around the arch. I brought my Australian bullroarer to test out the acoustics in this place - watch and listen in the video below!

   We got back to the car and out of the park right around sun down. Back to the inn to rest up for an early morning hike in Arches (one where my wife almost killed me!).

   ~Paul & Amber     ETC

Links:
Gonzo Inn
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Bullroarer