A Journey Through the Utah Mighty 5: Arches National Park
This September, my husband and I decided on the journey through the Utah Mighty 5 as our long vacation. The Mighty 5 are the five National parks in Southern Utah - Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion. Our trip was a total of 8 days, and we opted to travel from east (Arches National Park) to west (Zion). During this post, I’ll replay our time during the first park, Arches!
One thing to note: of course, we couldn’t see and do everything in every park. And maybe there are some things I would have done differently…instead of calling these “regrets”, I’ll call them “Notes for next time!” and post them at the bottom at the bottom of each post.
Did you miss the first post on our journey? Click here to learn more about how we got started!
Background on Arches:
Arches National Park is a vast landscape of red rock formations in Moab, UT. Why is it called Arches? Well - there are over 2,000 natural arches in the park! And we visited every. single. one.
…just kidding!! We hiked to 6 of them…a tiny sampling of all this park has to offer!
In addition to the arches, this park has pinnacles and other various red rock formations. It's easy to feel like you're exploring another planet as you hike through this unique landscape.
Photography Equipment I Used at Arches
Mighty 5 - Day 1
We flew into Salt Lake City, picked up our rental car right away (side note: super thankful for Enterprise Plus account - HUGE time saver!) and then made our way down to Moab, Utah for our first two nights of the trip. On the way, we decided to stop at a little town called Provo for lunch. It was not quite halfway but was a perfectly timed spot to grab a bite and stretch our legs. Bonus: they had a Farmers’ Market that day!
We arrived in Moab at about 4 pm and checked into our bungalow. We stayed at a nice little place called the Moab Springs Ranch which is about 3 miles south of Arches National Park and 2 miles north of downtown Moab. This was a cute little place with a number of bungalows and townhomes, a swimming pool and fire pit and a lot of other amenities. And, our bungalow had its own spacious, beautiful front porch. In other words, we weren’t exactly “roughin’ it”! After we got our backpacks set up we decided to head to Arches to start hiking so we could watch the sunset from Delicate Arch.
TRAVEL TIP! Going to the Mighty 5? Go ahead and get an Annual Pass for the National Parks. We purchased the “America the Beautiful” pass, which was $80 and is good for up to 4 people in a single car at any National Park!
So at about 5pm we drove to Arches and that was when I realized that when I was carefully planning out the timing of our trip from day to day, I didn't stop to think about the amount of time it would take for us to drive to our trail head once we got to the park. The Delicate Arch trail head is about 25 to 30 minutes, by car, from the park entrance. That included stopping just a couple of times along the way at scenic views to get pictures of some of the beautiful rocks and formations.
Once we made it to the trail head, we had about a mile and a half hike up to the Delicate Arch. My research prepared me for a steep incline in the second half of the hike, and then you have to go around some narrow curves around the backside of the mountain before you get to the actual arch. The hike was a little difficult especially considering I had my DSLR camera in my backpack, the water reservoir full, my tripod, and some snacks. (I’m not really known to be a light packer!) When you come around those narrow trails and curves, the Delicate Arch appears and is just absolutely magnificent. You have no idea that the Arch is there the entire time you are hiking.
Delicate Arch at Arches National Park
And what makes it so special is that while you could sit and watch the actual sun, what you're really wanting to see… or at least what I wanted to see…was the glow of the Arch as the sun was setting off to the side. And we were blessed with a perfectly blue sky with the moon sitting just above the arch.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Got a DSLR or mirrorless camera? Bring a Polarizing filter! I purchased the Breakthrough Photography X4 CPL 82mm filter for my Tamron 24-70mm lens. I used this filter almost exclusively through the parks so that I could get the best color contrast of the rocks against the deep blue skies.
There were quite a few people who were already at the Delicate Arch, getting their must-have souvenir photo. I had considered not getting our pictures under the arch (read as: I was hangry) but then I just couldn't resist and I had to make sure to capture the moment.
Can you see us???? Delicate Arch, Arches National Park
There were also plenty of photographers, but given the large space, if you can't get the perfect spot that you think you want, just walk around a few feet and you might be surprised by getting a view that you may like even a little bit better.
Delicate Arch at Sunset
After sunset, we made our way a mile and a half back to our cars, headlamps ready to light the way.
What goes up must come down...hiking down before it gets too dark!
Mighty 5: Day 2
On day two, we booked a Ranger-led hike through the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, after reading through our books and some of the many resources online. PRO TIP: Book early!! When I booked this hike 4 months before our trip, we got the last two tickets available for the days we would be in Moab. The research on this hike was that it was difficult with some challenging obstacles that you would be required to complete. I decided that I would be up for the task and I was going to challenge myself to do it.
Top of Fiery Furnace
This hike also requires that you have at least 2 L of water with you and excellent hiking shoes because of the type of scrambling and obstacles that you'll have to encounter. You do have the option of embarking on this hike without a ranger but it does require a permit. Some say that it is very easy to get lost during this hike, if embarking on your own. The park ranger made sure we all had enough water and she gave us a rundown of the type of hike that this would be and its level of difficulty. She also mentioned that there would be a 3 foot gap that we would have to jump over and it was non-negotiable. Now, I know I am physically capable of more than I give myself credit for, but that did give me some pause! I told myself that I could do this…after all, I'm sure I jump more than 3 feet during normal hikes, when my life’s not at stake, right?!?!? As we started our hike, the clouds were rolling in. About 5 minutes into the hike, our ranger said that unfortunately, mother nature had a change of plans and that we would only make it a short way into the hike.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Our ranger reminded us that the Fiery Furnace hike is not a "photo tour" - in other words, the group isn't going to stop while you take your time getting the perfect shot. She suggested taking photos only when we made stops along the way...which unfortunately for us, was only once. I recommend having either your smartphone or a compact point-and-shoot readily available in a pocket, instead of a larger camera.
We went about half a mile in so that we could go under one small arch, take a quick look around, and then turn back. (read as: no obstacles!) Honestly, it was a bit of relief for me, despite how disappointed I was that we would miss this experience.
On the upside, we were able to see more of the park than we would've been able to see had we done the three hour Fiery Furnace hike. So, we pulled out our maps and we decided to head towards the Double Arches, The Windows, and the Turret Arch. These are not difficult hikes - all have paved trails and some stairs. Hiking into the Double Arches is a little more difficult since the rock is slick and steep, and requires some balance and patience. Yes, the Double Arches are enormous…you don't really realize how big they are until you get up inside and realize that everyone below looks like ants!
After spending a few minutes inside the Double Arches, we made our way down and walked across to visit the Turret Arch and a little bit of the Windows. We kept it easy and took in the scenery at this section of the park. After all, it was about time for lunch and I was starving! (are you noticing a theme here??)
On the way out, we stopped at Balanced Rock for some photos and to take in more scenery.
We definitely missed some key hikes and scenes at Arches - in addition to Fiery Furnace, we missed the Devils Garden trail, which includes quite a few scenic arches. Good news is that it leaves places for us to see next time! The next stop for us was to get lunch in downtown Moab and then make our way to Canyonlands National Park for an afternoon hike before hitting up some shops and dinner in downtown Moab.
Tips that worked for us:
Arrive Early - whether that be early morning, or early evening/(or late afternoon)!!
Bring and fill a water reservoir - much more efficient than bottled water
Sturdy hiking shoes that will grip the slick rock
Research the hikes, and know your limits!
Buy an annual pass
Pace yourself
Bring yourself some snacks, and maybe even a lunch!
Notes for Next Time:
Consider a smaller backpack for some hikes - the big bag isn’t always necessary!
Practice that 3-foot gap to build confidence for the Fiery Furnace hike
Hike the Devil’s Garden trail
Hike Arches for sunrise