Our day in Moab: 24 hours, 15,000 steps, & 100+ temps

We had planned to spend five days in the Moab area but ended up leaving after 24 hours. Please don’t take it personal, Moab. It wasn’t you; it was the weather. The hot, hot weather. But we’ll be back. Promise.

We started out our day by hiking in Arches National Park. After a hot hike we sat in what little shade we could find and tried to cool down. When we realized this is what it was going to be like for the next five days we decided to power through the rest of the day and head to someplace cooler. There were three things I wanted to do before we left the area: visit Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park, and eat waffles at the Love Muffin Café. A girl has to have priorities, right?

Dead Horse Point State Park is on the way to Canyonlands National Park so we headed there first. I really wanted to see the iconic Dead Horse View Point. Done. Get back in the car and power on.  Next up, Canyonland National Park. There are three areas in this park but due to time constraints we only visited Island in the Sky. It is the most popular of the three areas because it is so easy to access. I have heard great things about the other two though, so if you have the time explore the less traveled areas I suggest venturing out.We took the scenic drive through the Island in the Sky and stopped at many of the scenic vistas. I was completely wowed by Canyonlands.  ^See that road to the right of our heads? It’s called the White Rim Road. It’s a 100 mile trail that you can drive (with a four-wheel drive vehicle) or mountain bike. I’d love to drive or ride that trail. And camp along the way. Next time.

The one hike I forced the family to take was to the Mesa Arch. I do not actually recommend powering through a day such as this one, but I could not fathom leaving the area without seeing a few of the reasons we were in Moab. Venturing out in dangerous conditions is how bad things happen. Don’t follow in our footsteps, friends. Do as we say; not as we do. The only saving grace is that we didn’t go very far in the heat, we were drinking a ton of water, and were constantly in our air conditioned car. The hike to Mesa Arch is a half mile and not hard at all. It is on the other side of a hill and there are some steep steps so a stroller would probably not be an option. You can visit Mesa Arch anytime of day to catch a good photo, but many of the iconic photos are taken during sunrise because magical things happen through the arch.

On our way out of town the next morning we stopped at the Love Muffin Cafe so I could get waffles. Gluten free, vegan waffles. They were the best waffles I have ever eaten. I still dream of going back and getting more.

There is so much to do in the Moab area. There are two national parks, one state park, several rivers, mountain biking trails, and four-wheel drive trails. If you visit Moab plan to stay for a while so you can truly enjoy the area.

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SUMMER ROAD TRIP 2015

This post is one of several from our summer road trip. Visit these other links to read about the rest of our travels.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Arches National Park

Durango, CO with a side of Petrified Forest National Park