Moab Hiking
|
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park |
Fish and Owl Creek Canyon
Fisher Towers Road Canyon |
Arches National Park
The highlight of Arches National Park is the short uphill hike to Delicate Arch
Double O Arch
The longest hike in Arches NP is through Devil's Garden (8 miles). Not to be confused with Devil's Garden in Escalante or the nearby Devil's Kitchen.
Skull Rock in Fiery Furnace
The other extended hike in Arches is through the Fiery Furnace, which is by permit or tour only.
The roadside stop that caught my eye most was Balanced Rock
Canyonlands -- Needles District
Chesler Park
The walk to Chesler Park was my first backpacking trip where I had to carry water. A good place to learn as the campgrounds are no too far from the trailhead.
I spent a night in Chesler Park and took side trips to the Joint Trail and Druid Arch. If I went back again I would spend a few nights, but the walk was more about gaining experience at the time.
Druid Arch
A longer backpacking trip is required for the Salt Creek Canyon section of the park in the Needles District
The trail is a combination of overgrown sections and wide open meadows
Arriving at the first spring a few miles into the walk from the trailhead at Cathedral Butte. There were good water sources near each campground
I walked from Cathedral Butte to Angel Arch (40 miles return). It would be possible to do a one way hike of similar distance and exit to the north with a shuttle
The flowing streams make this canyon a unique home for wildlife in the desert. The howling coyotes at night and a bear encounter made for a memorable trip.
The area above SC4 is similar to Chesler Park
Angel Arch and Molar Rock
The nearest campground to the arch is SC4 which meant walking in the dark to see it at sunrise..
Kirk's cabin near the SC1 campsite
Late evening at the final campground in early October
Canyonlands -- Island in the Sky
My favorite walk in Canyonlands is the White Rim Trail. Although more commonly done with a jeep or mountain bike, the road can also be walked in 4-5 days
The slower pace allows for more time to explore and enjoy the scenery
Zone camping is allowed for walkers, no need to compete for the limited car/bike permits. They allow 60 walkers per day- after booking my reservation there were 59 spots remaining. Advanced reservations recommended though as water drops require the head rangers signature
Overview map of the walk
Elevation is level aside from the days where climbing up and down the canyon is required. A water cache was placed at the top of the mesa off the Murphy Point Trail. Weather is the main variable to how much distance can be covered per day. No drinkable water on the road
A possible side trip on the route to break up the road walk is the one mile walk to Mesa Arch
Sunrise near Airport Tower
Sunset near camp at Monument Basin
Beautiful sunrise at Monument Basin
Monument Basin Panorama
The clouds made the walking easier in the morning. I found myself hiking before sunrise and stopping in the early afternoon each day to get out of the sun
Sunset with Candlestick in the distance
The weather cooled from the storm which allowed the section around the Green River to be walked quickly. A 30 mile day followed by the climb out of the canyon in the morning
Fish and Owl Creek Canyons
I walked the Fish/Owl Creek Canyon loop clockwise, going down into Fish Creek on the first evening (18 mile loop)
There is one short drop on the descent, but with the tree branch and some footholds in the rock it's not too bad
A permit is required to walk in the canyons, so I chose to do the walk at a relaxing pace spending two nights camping. Keep in mind that not every trail down there is for this loop - there are often cairns leading into side canyons. Water is mostly on the western side closest to the official trailhead in both canyons, completely dry in the east when I visited in mid-March during the spring runoff.
The leftover snow made the walking easier at times
Reservations were close to full when I booked the permit, but I only saw one group of hikers. I think the cold nights in March keep the crowds away before the busier season in April
Nevills Arch - the gem of Owl Creek Canyon
Fisher Towers
The skyscraper-like Fisher Towers
Road Canyon
Road Canyon has several well preserved cliff dwellings, highlighted by Fallen Roof Ruin.