The incredible array of sandstone arches within Arches National Park has made this park one of the most popular national parks in the United States. With more than 1500 arches in this park, many of which are easily accessible via convenient (and often short) trails, any visitor will find awe in interacting with these incredible formations up close. Adventures abound as well, and the chance to “get lost” in this magical place is a very real opportunity.
Our family first visited Arches National Park on our Summer 2019 RV Road Trip, while exploring the “Utah 5” on our journey.
In plotting our itinerary for our Summer 2021 RV Road Trip, we knew that we wanted to return to Arches, partially because we had some unfinished business there. You see, there were a few hikes that we had not yet completed and that had come highly recommended. We hoped to make these adventures happen. And, in addition, we had some unfinished business at the Fiery Furnace.
The Fiery Furnace is amazing maze of red sandstone, definitely worth a venture, especially for the adventurous traveler. This hike is only open to those who join a ranger-led hike (3 hours, 2x daily March-October), or to those with permits (limited in quantity and arranged ahead of time through www.recreation.gov or procured on site at the visitor center the morning of). This hike is moderately strenuous, and involves jumping from rocks, squeezing though narrow cracks, and hoisting yourself up onto boulders in an attempt to “find your way out.”
During our visit to Arches in 2019, we were able to secure permits to complete the Fiery Furnace on a self-guided tour. That being said, we actually did “get lost,” and had trouble navigating through, eventually making our way out of the rock area and skirting around the perimeter of the Furnace to get back. As a family, we kind of felt like we were “gipped” of the full experience that the hike offered (as fun as it still was!), so we hoped for a re-do in 2021.
After our visit to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, we drove three hours to Arches National Park, arriving at one of our lodging destinations, the Moab Valley RV Resort. We had stayed at this property before, and LOVED it, especially for its proximity to the park and for the amazing pool there. This amenity was especially clutch because the temperature on our day of arrival was 115 degrees!
We all had a lovely afternoon swimming and playing with some dear friends of ours who were en-route to Arkansas, also in an RV. We stayed up way too late that night, and had the time of our lives.
We knew that the temperature the next day was expected to be just as hot, so we woke up at sunrise the next morning to head into the park first-thing. The park is open 24 hours a day, so you can enter and exit whenever you’d like, and we made it to our destination by 7am, the trailhead for Delicate Arch.
Our family had done the 3.4 mile roundtrip hike to Delicate Arch during our 2019 visit to Arches, but, with this site being one of the most iconic sites in the park, wanted to revisit this favorite.
It was a relatively cool and crowd-free morning climbing the sandstone cliffs up to Delicate Arch, and we all enjoyed the spectacular views at the top.
That afternoon, we headed to our campground for the evening, the Devil’s Garden Campground, located at the end of the park road within Arches National Park. We had stayed at this campground before, in the Summer of 2019, and it is one of the most gorgeous campgrounds we have ever stayed in, so we knew we had to return! We enjoyed the afternoon and evening relaxing at the RV and bouldering around the campground. If you plan to stay at this campground, keep in mind that it is consistently full, and reservations should be made six months ahead of time through Recreation.gov. Also, there are no hookups.
We even hiked to Skyline Arch, located right by the campground.
Sunset that evening was fantastic!
Day 2 of our “Arches Round 2” tour began again at sunrise, as we were hoping to beat the heat of the expected 108 degree weather that day.
Our destination for the morning was a STUNNING 6.5 mile hike through Devil’s Garden, at the end of the park’s main road (conveniently, for us, the trailhead was located right next to our campground). We first took the trailhead 0.8 miles to our first destination, Landscape Arch. This arch is just spectactular, and we often remark that it is so delicate-looking, that who knows if it will be there the next time we return!
From the Delicate Arch Overlook, we continued on to complete the Devil’s Garden Primitive Trail Full Lollipop. We highly recommend this hike, though it is a strenuous one, and most appropriate for older children. At many points, we were bouldering, shimmying up the “fins” of sandstone, and trekking through sand. SO MUCH FUN.
Arches Reboot Day 3 began with a return to the Fiery Furnace, a long-awaited re-do for our family. Like I said, we had first completed this hike in the Summer of 2019.
The Fiery Furnace is an amazing maze of red sandstone, definitely worth a venture, especially for the adventurous traveler. On this hike, you will jump from rocks, shimmy through sandstone crevices, and hoist yourself from boulder to boulder in an attempt to “find your way out.” This hike is only open to those who join a ranger-led hike, or to those who obtain a permit. These permits are limited in quantity, and can be arranged ahead of time through Recreation.gov, or procured on-site at the Visitor Center the morning of. This hike is moderately strenuous, and only open to children ages five and over.
Last time our family attempted to hike the Fiery Furnace, we got a little “lost” on our way, and ended up eventually having to make our way out of the rock area, skirting around part of the perimeter of the rocks, in order to get back to where we started. Getting lost is a very real reality if you attempt this adventure! Because of our experience two summers ago, we were dying for a re-do!
Navigating the giant maze in the furnace this time was phenomenal, and a great way to start our day. The views within the Furnace were spectacular, and navigating through was another incredible adventure!
After our adventure at the Fiery Furnace, we set out to explore the Moab area via a new mode of transportation, a UTV.
Our family rented a six-seater UTV from High Point Hummer and ATV Rentals, and set out to explore a trail through Kanecreek Chicken Corners in Moab. This dirt trail led us over the most insane ridges, and up and down cliffs overlooking Dead Horse Point State Park, another one of our family-favorite sites in the Moab area. This was an unforgettable and thrilling experience for all of us, and something we had never done before! At the end of our five-hour journey, we were all covered in a layer of dirt!
Moab, once again, you were TOO GOOD.
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