When Ryan and I went on our first cross country summer road trip back in 2009, we didn’t make it to Arches National Park. I’ve always wanted to visit, and the awe inspiring pictures that pop up on daily on my Instagram feed have only added to that desire. And this stop was even more special because it was when my sister Ashley joined us! She drove from San Diego to spend 10 days of our trip with us, and we were beyond excited to see a familiar face three weeks into the trip.

Arches is awesome right from entry into the park. There is an 18 mile scenic drive that starts just past the visitor center. There are several arches and amazing rock formations visible from the road. Pullouts along the way allow you to stop and enjoy the views. We camped at Devil’s Garden campground, the only campground located in the park. This may be my new favorite national park campground. We had a big spot in the back, surrounded by big rocks that we could climb up to watch the sunset. It was a quiet, magical place. We only spent two nights, but our days were full of exploration. These were our favorite activities:

Fiery Furnace Hike

The Fiery Furnace is an area of the park with a maze of tall, sandstone fins. In order to enter this section of the park, you must either be guided by a ranger or obtain a permit from the Visitor Center. This is because there are no marked trails in the Fiery Furnace, and the ecosystem is extremely fragile. We purchased tickets ($8 per person) for the ranger-led tour, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable hikes of the summer. Because of the nature of the terrain, there were times that we had to squeeze through small openings, jump across gaps in the rocks, and spider climb to make our way through.

Ranger Kat led our tour, and she was fantastic! She focused on creating an experience that used all of the senses. We had the opportunity to smell naturally growing sage and taste lemonberries (they taste like warheads!). A portion of the hike was done in silence so that we could appreciate the sounds of the area. There were several “dead ends” that we ventured down, each with something interesting. One stop had a small hole with a black widow spider inside. Another had a small cave for us to crawl through. At the very end we were shocked to look up and see that we were directly under an arch, aptly named Surprise Arch. There were some sections of the hike that were a little challenging for Liam, especially since he’s so cautious, but most people in reasonably good shape could navigate this course. This was different from any of the other hikes in the park because we were walking among these awesomely big and beautiful geologic features, rather than admiring them from a distance. Definitely worth the time and money!

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Sunrise Hike to Delicate Arch

I like to focus on the things I love about each of the locations we visit, but if I had one complaint about Utah in July is that it is HOT. Really, really hot. It was well over 100 degrees each day that we spent in Arches, and there is very little shade. Although its dry heat, unlike what we’re used to in the northeast, the heat can still be extremely dangerous. The whole family would have like to hike up to see the iconic Delicate Arch, but it was just too hot during the day for the family to make the 3.2 mile strenuous hike. We stopped at the lookout, but the arch was so far away that Ashley and I agreed we couldn’t leave Arches without an up-close encounter with Delicate Arch.

On our final morning, we woke up before the sun, and made the short drive to the trailhead. There were already quite a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived just after 5am. We hit the trail with our flashlights guiding the path. It was pretty much straight up a steep section of exposed rock. There was some signage, but it was easy to lose the trail in some locations. Just as we got to the top, the sun was coming up. Because it was a cloudy morning, we didn’t get a colorful sunrise, but it was still magical in its own way, with the sky taking on some beautiful shades of blue. We stayed for a bit to enjoy the moment, then booked it back down the hill, stopping only to check out a scorpion (so cool!) and the petroglyphs near the start of the trail. We made it back before the boys even woke up. This predawn hike was a special experience to share with my sister!

Devil’s Garden Trail

On our first evening in the park, we wanted to get out and see some arches, and Devil’s Garden Trail was the perfect after-dinner hike. At just under two miles round trip, this hike took us to three very different arches. This highlight of the trail is Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park at 306 feet. The trail was nice and easy, perfect for families with small children or people who just want a leisurely walk. Along the way, there is a short turn off for Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. Tunnel Arch is exactly what it sounds like – a tunnel through the rocks. Pine Tree Arch took us right up close to a big arch (with some pine trees nearby, hence the name). We were actually able to walk along the rocks that made up the bottom of this arch. What I really liked about this walk was that we got to see three very different arches without expending too much energy (and in this weather, sweat!).

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Side Trip to Canyonlands

Okay, I mentioned the heat. It was so hot that after finishing our Fiery Furnace hike, a nice drive with air conditioning sounded amazing. We decided to drive the hour to Canyonlands National Park, and it made for a great afternoon. We made a quick stop at the visitor center so the boys could pick up Junior Ranger books, and we watched the park film. We enjoyed some of the beautiful views of the canyon right outside and then headed out on the scenic drive. We made several stops at various lookouts along the way, but the highlight was the Grand Viewpoint. We could see storms in the distance while looking out at the canyon, but it was sunny where we were. We drove to Upheaval Dome, a giant crater in the earth, and hiked up to the first viewpoint. Although it wasn’t far from Arches, the landscape was very different and well worth the drive.

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We had a wonderful stay in Arches National Park. The formations and natural beauty left a lasting impression. The ability to get up close to these iconic arches and appreciate the unique characteristics of each one made the experience even more special. It’s hard to talk favorites because each national park is protected for a reason, but if I had to choose just one Utah park to visit, Arches would be the winner!