Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway, Moab UT

Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway (Formerly – Moab Valley RV Resort and Campground), Moab UT

Moab was our last stop in the “red rocks” region before our journey began to head east. Moab Valley RV Resort and Campground was a great spot as it was perfectly situated midway between Arches National Park and downtown Moab. The campground is nice with all the amenities like showers, laundry, swimming pool, life size chess board, cornhole boards, mini putting green etc. There were two big standouts for us at this site. There is an Airstream village that is stocked with several modern Airstreams in different sizes that are available for rent, and they have an impressive dog run in a gated section with large dirt mounds surrounded by rocks, a few trees that provide shade over the entire area, a nice bench for owners to relax on and a fancy fire hydrant. It’s the nicest dog run we have seen, and Sato was in heaven each time he paid a visit ;-).

The only downside to this RV park is the sites are small and tightly packed so there is very little room or privacy. Given that we were out exploring most of the time, it really wasn’t much of an inconvenience.

Much like the other red rock areas we experienced, the scenery in Moab was mind-blowing. As we sat there admiring the red sandstone and arches, it was difficult to fathom that everything there was at sea-level or under water at some point millions of years ago. Now it all sits thousands of feet high, exposed to the elements as an ever-changing landscape eroding away with time. Eventually the arches we see now will succumb to the elements and become a distant memory preserved only by photographs and textbooks. As those crumble away, new arches will form, and new stories will be told by future admirers for generations to come.

Moab Fault Overlook

Tower of Babel

We had scheduled 4 days to explore Moab which we felt was plenty of time to see Arches National Park however one area we did miss was Canyonlands. We heard many great things about the park including that it is much less crowded with equally impressive views. Perhaps a return visit is in our future.

One of the first things we like to do after setting up camp and before going on any excursions is to check out town. Moab has a fun and touristy downtown area with a food truck park, retail shops, restaurants, and artist galleries for hours of window-shopping enjoyment. We enjoyed a stroll up and down N. Main Street, had a quick bite at one of the food trucks then took our time eating Hawaiian shaved ice scoop by scoop to help beat the heat.

After we had our fill of checking out town, it was all about hiking and exploring the arches. There are so many arches, it’s impossible to see them all in one trip but here are the ones that stood out to us the most.

Bowtie Arch / Corona Arch
This trailhead is a few miles outside of Arches National Park, is fairly easy and is a lot less traveled than the more popular hikes in the area. We only ran into a couple dozen people on our way to the arches and back which was nice.

Kandace is always a good sport when I want to try some fun photo ideas….

Crossing the railroads tracks on the way to Corona Arch:

Takeaways:
– This trail is a primitive trail meaning there is no distinct path leading you to your destination. To make it a bit easier, there are faded blue dashes perhaps painted by park rangers or some brilliant hiker(s) to help newbies like us find our way without getting too far off track.
– There is a chain section and ladder that are both easy. In fact, the sandstone rock is so easy to grip with hiking boots or even tennis shoes, you can take a path around and bypass the ladder. We took the ladder on the way to the arches and walked around it on our way back.
– Across the road from the trailhead are several BLM campsites with views of the Colorado River. We drove around to scope them out and to take notes for a possible stay on BLM land somewhere along the way on our travels.
– On the way to this trailhead there are Petroglyphs that are hundreds of years old that are carved into the stone right next to the road. It’s definitely worth stopping to take a look. There are a few places to stop alongside the road that are pretty easy to spot as there will most likely be people there taking pics and admiring the ancient art. And if not, you will see a sign that says petroglyphs. 😉
– Another trailhead worth visiting is Poisonous Spider trailhead a mile or so before Bowtie & Corona Arch trail. Due to timing, we just stopped to take a look at the signs in the parking lot. It might be worth going on this hike on a return visit to check out the dinosaur fossils and footprints on the trail.

Ladder on the way to Corona Arch

Petroglyphs

Landscape Arch
It’s a beautiful long arch that is so thin that it makes one wonder how much longer it will be able to stand the test of time. The hike is easy to moderate with little elevation.

Additional notes on Landscape arch:
– There is ample parking at this trailhead.
– Not much shade on this hike so bring plenty of water and a hat.
– Nice viewing area for resting and taking pictures once you arrive.
– Path is clearly marked for easy navigation up and back.
– Additional arches beyond this point are accessible but are on unmarked primitive paths.

Partition Arch, Navajo Arch, Double O Arch, And Black Arch Overlook.
If you are up for a longer hike beyond Landscape Arch these arches make for a great choose your own adventure hike that can take a couple of hours or more considering you don’t get lost 🙂

Navajo Arch

Double O Arch

Partition Arch

Kandace enjoying the view on the way to Double O Arch

Takeaways:
– The path beyond Landscape Arch is primitive so finding your way around can be a bit challenging at times. The first section of rock after Landscape Arch is a narrow scramble to higher ground.
– There are some signs and marking posts that help guide the way, but it is possible to get off track and go in circles a bit as some of the landscape starts to look the same.
– There are a lot of people on these trails, so if you do get off track there is usually someone close by that can help point you in the right direction.
– These arches can be viewed in any order, so it’s truly a choose your own adventure experience.
– The final stretch to Double O Arch is about 10-12 feet across with a steep drop off on both sides. It can be a bit nerve racking for those not so fond of heights.
– There are some really cool rock formations near Partition Arch with several small holes in the rock that start to look like faces if you stare at them long enough – perhaps these are the start of a new arches being formed right before our eyes.

Faces in the rock near Partition Arch

Delicate Arch
This arch is the most visited and most famous of the arches in the park. It’s the arch you see in all the marketing for the park, it’s on the Utah license plate, it’s on the “Welcome to Utah” sign and it’s one of the most photographed arches in the park.

Takeaways:
– The majority of the path is primitive with a few markers to help guide you to the top.
– It’s uphill pretty much the entire way to the arch making this a moderate to difficult hike.
– Bring plenty of water and snacks!
– Best to go early morning or around sunset to beat the heat – there is zero shade on this hike.
– The last few hundred yards are on a narrow path with a steep drop off – if you don’t like heights, just stay close to the rock side and you will be fine 🙂
– The view is spectacular.
– There will be hundreds of people on the trail and several dozen at the arch when you get there. Even so, there are opportunities to get pictures without people in them, just be patient and the opportunity will present itself.
– You can get up close and personal and touch the arch, stand under it or simply just admire it from afar. And of course, there are plenty of selfie opportunities – Most everyone takes turns and there will likely be someone who will be willing to take your picture too.

Additional arches that are short hikes and super close to parking lots:

Surprise Arch

Double Arch

Final Takeaways:

Arches National Park:
Due to overcrowding, Arches National Park now requires timed entry from April 3 to October 3, 6am-5pm to cut down on wait times at the gate and to reduce the number of people in the park. The fee is $2 and reservations can be made on recreation.gov or by phone or you can bypass this step and enter the park before 6am or after 5pm. We booked our time slot online a month or so in advance for a 10a-11a entry. Click HERE for more information on how to get your pass.

Dog Boarding:
If you are traveling with your four-legged friend, we highly recommend Moab National Bark. We took Sato twice and he loved it there! It’s about 8-10 minutes south of downtown and they charge by half day or full day.

Cheers,

Tiny Trailer Trip Crew