Moab highlights: Arches & Canyonlands
Arches & Canyonlands, located just a short distance from Moab, form two of the “Mighty Five” National parks in Utah. They are the prime reason why Moab’s tourism has flourished over the years & has managed to establish itself as the adventure capital of the U.S.
The parks stand in complete contrast to each other. Arches is small, compact & highly accessible, with the park’s paved road bringing you within short walking distance to the park’s attractions. The majority of the attractions here can be seen well within a day. All these factors lend well to it being the perfect park for newbie tourists, people who want to ease in to the desert experience & the less active tourists. This is likely why Arches, despite being 1/4th the size of Canyonlands, draws the lion share of all the tourists to Moab – a million + tourists from around the world every year and twice as many as to Canyonlands.
In contrast, Canyonlands, is extremely remote, rugged and vast. It has four distinct sections – ‘Island in the Sky’ is the most accessible and popular section, ‘Needles’ has spectacular rock formations and is remote, the ‘River’, where one can raft the Green River and the Colorado River, and the ‘Maze’, the most remote remote part of the park. Paved roads cover hardly a fraction of the park. Most of the park can only be accessed through backcountry hikes, & off-roading that is considered difficult under any conditions. Canyonlands is ideally suited for hardcore hikers and tourists that are familiar with backcountry terrain. Perhaps the park officials learned from the mistakes done with Arches and steered the opposite direction in ensuring the park doesn’t become yet another “Auto” park.
Either way, if you are someone that appreciates deserts, you should do both.
Arches Vs Canyonlands
While both the parks are absolutely stunning and worth visiting, here’s a comparison sheet if you are pressed for time, and have to chose between the two:
| Arches | Canyonlands | |
| Park Size | Much smaller at 76,679 acres (119 Sq Miles) | Much larger at 337,598 acres (527 Sq Miles) |
| Distance from Moab | Just 5 miles from Moab | The park is divided into three distinct sections: (1) Island In the Sky District Visitor Center – 40 mins (32 miles) from Moab. (2) Needles District Visitor Center – 1 hour 23 mins (74 miles) from Moab. (3) Hans Flat Ranger Station i.e. Maze District – 3 hours 40 mins (135 miles) from Moab. |
| Crowds | Tends to get over-crowded. The park is also compact, and you can feel the crowds. | Tends to get fewer visitors. The park is large, spread out and remote, due to which you do not feel the crowds. |
| Family Friendly | Definitely more family friendly compared to the two. Most of the sights can be accessed through short hikes and walks from the road. The park also has more facilities. | Less family friendly owing to the remoteness of the park. Much fewer facilities. Quite a bit of the park is only accessible through four wheel drives and long hikes. |
| Time Needed | One/ at best two days to see the whole park. The best parts of the park can be done in just a day | Remote, much larger, more spread out into three distinct sections, and only a very small portion of the park accessible through roads and most of the park only accessible through four wheel drives and long hikes, you need a lot more days to fully explore this park |
| Planning Required | You can get by with minimal planning. Most of the hikes here are short, easily accessible, and right by the main park road. The park is very close to Moab, and has excellent facilities. | Unless you are confining yourself to just driving to the viewpoints or short hikes like Mesa Arch and False Kiva, you will need to plan much better. Especially for places at the Maze District and Needles District that are highly remote. Backcountry conditions exist, and you should plan accordingly. |
11 Must Do Things in Moab
1. Delicate Arch
Ever wonder about the famous arch on Utah license plates? Well, this is it! A trip to the Arches National Park is not complete without seeing the majestic Delicate Arch. Sunsets here are especially magical, the brilliant colors of dusk, the towering arch framing the snow capped La Sal mountains all adds to this magic. Throw in the contrast of winter clarity & snow over red rock, and it is an intoxicating concoction. Having done this hike over 5 times now, I still get goosebumps when I first turn around the corner and see the Delicate Arch.
The arch can be accessed via a 613 feet, 3.1 mile heavily trafficked trail. You need to be in decent physical shape to do this hike. There is absolutely no shade throughout the hike, and sun exposure is high. You would do fine to pack a water bottle & wear a hat. The last part of the hike is through a sheer rock ledge for about 200 yards that holds the suspense until you turn around and see it. Nothing really prepares you for the sheer scale and grandeur of this arch – it is over 60 feet tall, and is perched at the edge of the cliff with one of the most beautiful backdrops. The photographs you have seen so far do not do it justice, this arch has to be seen to be believed.
Be prepared for a recurring drama at the top, especially if you picked a long weekend to do this hike – tourists love to get photos multiple photos with the arch throughout the day. Some continue well into the sunset hour. Until the sunset hour, the patiently crouched photographers are perfectly fine with all this. But as soon as the sunset hour starts, the photographers begin losing their patience & start screaming at people to get off the shot!
2. Stargazing & Night Photography
The parks in and around Moab have some of the darkest skies in America. The International Dark Sky Association, an organization that is committed to fighting light pollution worldwide has ranked Arches as a Silver Tier Dark Sky Park, and Canyonlands as a Gold Tier Dark Sky Park. A gold designation is awarded to areas where one can see the faintest stars with just the naked eye. Celestial objects such as meteors, Milky Way and auroras should be visible due to faint or minimal light pollution. A silver designation is awarded to areas where brighter sky phenomena can be regularly viewed, and are impacted by minor light pollution. If you ever want to view the Milky Way or the pristine star studded sky, you are in the right place.
We had a blast doing some great night photography in Arches and Canyonlands. Even if you are not into photography, pick a fairly clear night, head back to one of the parks (Arches especially, since it is so close to Moab) after dinner, and just park your car in a quiet place and look up to the heavens – the sight will move you!
I’ve recently taken to photographing star trails. The cover photo is my third attempt at it – a 250 pic composite star trail photo at the Balanced Rock in Arches National Park in Utah. I was a bit worried about the composition; since getting the North Star in your pic is so crucial (all the stars appear to revolve around the North Star), and you never quite know until you process it, if you did nail the angle. It was also peak winter, and I’m normally one of those folks that is under prepared for winter photography. Not this time – wicking & heat trapping layers, toe and hand warmers, a photographer’s ephemeris app on my iPhone, tons of patience and little things to nibble on while you wait did the trick.
3. Devil’s Garden
The Devil’s Garden is both a trail and the lone campground in the Arches National park located 18 miles from the park entrance at the end of the park road. It takes about 45 minutes to get here from the park entrance. If you are a family with kids, this is the ideal place to start your Moab adventure – this trail is filled with arches, spires & narrow rock walls called ‘fins’. Even at the peak of summer, the trail manages to stays cool. A 7.5 mile loop, you can customize this hike to your needs. You will be seeing the following arches in this hike:
- Tunnel Arch (spur trail – 0.5 miles)
- Pine Tree Arch (spur trail – 0.5 miles)
- Landscape Arch (1.6 miles)
- Partition Arch (spur trail – 0.8 miles)
- Navajo Arch (spur trail – 0.8 miles)
- Double ‘O’ Arch (4.2 miles)
- Dark Angel (5.1 miles)
Tunnel Arch & Pine Tree Arch are spur trails at the start of the hike, whereas Partition Arch & Navajo Arch are sour trails between Landscape Arch and Double ‘O’ Arch. The trail becomes challenging & fun after Landscape Arch, and requires a little bit of scrambling.
4. Mesa Arch (Canyonlands National Park)
The hapless tourist is forgiven in wondering why this arch is even a big deal. Compared to the scale and majesty of the arches in neighboring Arches National Park, this is miniscule, almost insignificant.
But then the magic happens only once a day – at sunrise. For a brief few moments just after daybreak, when the rays of the rising sun hit the Mesa Arch at a certain angle, it glows golden, transforming the arch into an exquisite frame to the stark landscape in the background. The arch is located >1000 feet high, and the view from here stretches to miles. The far away snow capped La Sal mountains, the Washer Woman’s Arch, the Mars like surface beneath, and the spires and sandstone formations in the backdrop all add to the aura.
Catching a sunrise in summer means waking up at 4AM-4:30AM, and heading out to the spot. Mesa Arch is in the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park, a full 50 mins (38 miles) drive from Moab. The arch is very small, and is a favorite haunt among photographers. Getting here late means you’ve lost the choice spots, and will have to jostle for space (see picture below). A sunrise here is a must-do for anyone visiting Moab.
5. Windows & Turret Arch
The North and the South Window are two arches that stand side by side, formed from the same sandstone fin. They are also called the spectacles (one look at the pic below and you will know why).
The Turret Arch sits southwest to the Windows Arches, and is accessible through a very short trail. The section also features another popular arch – the Double Arch.
This section is a fantastic place to start off your Moab adventure and get the feel for the place. It is full of very interesting formations, and is highly photogenic.
6. Island In the Sky viewpoints & the False Kiva
The Island In the Sky district is the easiest & most accessible district in Canyonlands National park, especially of you are strapped for time. The entire mesa here is on an elevated plateau over 1000 feet high, offering spectacular views into the Canyonlands. Beware though, if you don’t actually do a hike to experience the canyonlands, and just shuttle from one viewpoint to another, you will not be able to experience the Canyonlands adequately and it would appear as if you are seeing the same thing over and over again. The following viewpoints are not to be missed:
- Upheaval Dome
- Green River Overlook
- Grand View Point Overlook
- White Rim Overlook
The False Kiva is an archaeological site located in the Island In the Sky district of Canyonlands National park, and does not show up in any park map. It’s location is purposefully kept “secret” – the National Park System tries to shield people away from this site in order to protect the site. However, if you walk up to a visitor center and ask a park ranger, they will provide you details on the trailhead and the hike. I have devoted an entire post just on the False Kiva for those interested in the specifics.
7. Needles Overlook
Don’t get confused by the name – Needles Overlook is not part of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. It is actually managed by the Bureau of Land Management, not the National Park System.
You will need to drive 32 miles south of Moab, UT on US 191, and another 22 miles off the highway to access this viewpoint. The rural road, the cattle guards, the desert landscape all lull you into thinking you are in the middle of nowhere, until the big reveal at the end – expansive views of the spectacular Canyonlands landscape. Even though a railing runs across the point, do be careful with kids – there are sheer drop offs of >1000 feet here. Set at least an hour and a half to see this viewpoint.
8. Newspaper Rock
The Newspaper Rock is a rock panel that has one of the largest, most well maintained, and most easily accessible collections of petroglyphs. These carvings date back to almost 2000 years ago, and are said to be left by Anasazi, Navajo & Fremont Native Americans. The petroglyphs have a mix of human, animal, material and abstract forms, and to date nobody has been able to fully interpret their meaning. It is located in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, just 53 miles south of Moab along Utah State Route 211.
9. Dead Horse Point State Park
Although Dead Horse Point State Park is a separate state park, it can really be thought of as part of the Island in the Sky district of the Canyonlands National Park. Every visitor on their way to the Mesa Arch will see the turn-off to the Dead Horse Point State Park (it is just 20 miles from Mesa Arch, and 33 miles from Moab, UT).
Its appeal is the spectacle that unfolds from its famous overlook – a soaring 2000 feet over the winding Colorado River beneath and the seemingly infinite backdrop of buttes and red rock sculptures. It is no wonder that it is one of the most recognized photos of the Southwest.
Utah is full of places with names that have mysterious origins. Dead Horse Point State Park is one of them. Legend has it that at the turn of the century, this point was used by cowboys as a natural corral for wild mustangs found on the mesa top. However, left waterless and due to exposure to the high sun, they would often die of thirst, tragically in full view of the Colorado River below.
Planning Aids
If you had only a day…
- Stopover and short walks at the Park Avenue to stretch your legs – see Three Gossips, the Courthouse Towers, Queen Nefertiti and Queen Victoria Rock, the Organ, and the Tower of Babel
- Head to the Windows section and spend an hour exploring the rock formations in & around the spectacles and Turret Arch
- Head to the ‘Devil’s Garden’ and hike to your heart’s content
- Picnic lunch at Devil’s garden or late lunch at Moab
- Late Afternoon hike to Delicate Arch, with a plan of catching sunset at the Delicate Arch.
If you had two days…
Day 1:
- Do everything listed above on day 1.
Day 2:
- Early morning sunrise at Mesa Arch
- Brunch at Moab
- Head to Dead Horse Point State Park for a spectacular view
- Head to ‘Island In the Sky’ and stop at each of the viewpoints
- Short hike to ‘False Kiva’
- Head back, take a nap
- Early dinner at Moab
- Head to Balanced Rock, Windows Section, Fiery Furnace, or Mesa Arch for night photography.
- Alternatively, stay back at Delicate Arch after sunset for night photography on the first night, and cut out Mesa Arch sunrise from Day 2.