How Many Days in Arches?

My wife and I are planning a 2 week South West trip in September. Our preliminary plans are to fly to Vegas and rent an SUV. We plan to make a loop to Zion, Brice, Arches, Canyon Lands and Grand Canyon South Rim. We thought about the North Rim, but it is long loop added to the driving time between Zion and Brice.

Anyway, the whole concept started when we decided we wanted to go to Arches. We then noted that with proper planning we could do so much more. However, we do want to get a good Arches experience. So, are 3 full days in Arches followed by 2 full days in Canyon Lands - staying in Mohab the entire time - enough?

I know it does depend on what we want to do. Obviously we will drive the parks, but we will also do day hikes.

So, what do you think? Are we biting off too much?

Thanks for your input.

Hi Ed,

You may want to post this in the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers forum. We've got a lot of knowledgeable members including many that live in the southwest.

Adam

I forgot to add: keep in mind that the southwest is HUGE, you can easily spend a majority of your time driving between locations.

Three days is good for Arches since it's not that big of a park. But you could easily spend a week there as well. Both Arches and Canyonlands are near MoHab. tho I think going 4WD in Canyonlands backcountry would be more fun than seeing Island in the Sky as I thought Islands was rather boring.

Do yourself a favor. Make sure you are driving an SUV, and on one leg of your trips into Canyonlands take the Shafer trail. You can either originate just inside the gate of Island in the Sky and head downhill all the way or go through Potash, taking the turn to the left between Moab and Arches, just before you get to the Arches entrance. Truly one of the more spectacular drives in the area with access to the White Rim Trail road system. Lots and lots of dayhikes in there and blessedly few people. Along or above the river most of the way withs spectacular side canyons. Come to think of it, for a first-timer it is probably best to make the trip the first time from Island in the Sky simply because the route is easier to follow from there.

As for Arches, I never tire of the place. Early and late are going to be best for photos, but there are lots of trails to entertain you between. By the end of two days you are going to feel like you've done it all, but that's the time to start looking for the hidden treasures. We take the Salt Valley road up near Skyline Arch down toward Klondike Bluffs, etc, then continue on out through the untended northern gate of the park onto BLM land. You'll come to the a fork in the road about 3 miles outside the park. Left takes you a few miles back to Highway 163 for anothe left turn and back to Moab. But if you go right at the fork you access miles of BLM roads to remote locations. This is our favorite area for burrowing owls, badgers, antelope and more.

Thanks for all the fast replies. I know it's 9 months away, but we are "planners" and, to us, 1/2 the fun is studying, learning and yearning about our upcoming trips. Besides we had to get our frequent flyer seats now or we wouldn't be able to get any FF seats. As it was we had to use 50,000 miles each for "premium" seats!!

Hank, Gail and I ave learned long ago to rent SUVs so the 4WD is available. It also gives us plenty of room for our gear. Adam, I will post this in the Rocky Mountain Forum.

Again I appreciate all your help.

Ed:

I live in Moab and Arches is my "go to" park, so it is fair for me to say that 3 days in Arches is just enough to whet your appetite for more! Hank has made some excellent suggestions. Shafer Trail is a must drive trail for you during your visit. The 4 wheeling is easy (if it isn't icy) and the scenery is stunning.

Canyonlands Island in the Sky is far from boring, IMHO. Expansive views of canyon country, Indian ruins galore, bighorn sheep and more hiking than most are aware of. It's one of my favorite places to enjoy sunrise.

I suggest you purchase Laurent Martres' book, "Photographing the Southwest" as soon as possible. It will aid you greatly in your trip planning and provide plenty of inspiration. There are 3 volumes, each covering a different area of the SW, so be sure you buy the correct volume.

Hope this helps.

Keep in mind there are lots of opportunities in the Moab area, outside of the offical Arches NP. Be sure to drive up the Colorado river (Hwy 128) and hike in the Fisher Tower/Onion Creek area. Further up the road, I highly recommend a jeep trail up to the Top of the World viewpoint. It's a great place to overnight camp to catch sunrise and sunset. A loop trip into the La Sal Mtns, with great panaoramic views of the surrounding red rock country is always a welcome, cool break. So, as Bret said, 3 days is a good introduction to the area.

Don't overlook Capitol Reef NP. If you're going from Bryce to Arches you'll probably drive right through Capitol Reef. Don't blink. The highway goes across the park in the skinny direction, but the park is actually a huge place with spectacular features. I could easily spend a week in the back country of Captiol Reef and not see enough. Nothing is more charming than red dust on the back window of a rental SUV.

Pete D.

I'll second Pete's Capitol Reef suggestion. It's a very beautiful park with many interesting features.

Ed,

Make sure your SUV has 4WD. Not all come with it. I rented a Jeep Liberty in Wash. in the fall and found out it didn't have 4WD. Have a great trip! Can't wait to see some of your photos.

John

John, do you have any tips for ensuring you get a 4WD SUV?

I know the T&Cs of most rental companies forbid taking a 4WD offroad (side question: is this defined as off-pavement or merely away from designated trails?) so if you complain that you've been given a 2WD SUV and not what you requested they will point to the T&Cs and question why a 2WD won't be sufficient.

This happened to me on my trip to the Southwest last November when renting from Hertz.

Hi there,
Our family did Arches NP, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley in 12 days.
If I had it to do over, I would have taken probably taken 4 or 5 days in Arches. BRING PLENTY OF WATER in the summer.

Don Gorczynski