Arches National Park

My friends and I took a road trip last summer around the US that took us just over 6 weeks. We saw amazing places and had awesome experiences. On this day in the picture, we had went skydiving (all our first time going) that morning and spent the rest of the day hiking through Arches National Park in Utah. The sun was setting as we were driving back to our campsite and we saw this scene. The sun was hitting perfect off the stone structures. It also helped the experience that there was three of us on the trip. This is still one of my favorite moments in my entire life.

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If you could take just one photo: Arches National Park

Possibly you feel inhibited to traverse the riveting, rock canyons of Moab, Utah because you have yet to purchase that two-person, backpacker, friendly tent from REI. Or maybe the burly vision of gear, clad, mountain bikers racing down single-track dirt paths prevents you from loading the family in the car for a vacation. I recently visited this geological anomaly, leaving the tent, mountain bike and the husband who knows how to blow up the tires on the bike, at home. My mother and I, both native Coloradoans, chose to finally drive just to the other side of the Western Slope and see for ourselves the reality beyond the various billboards stating “Visit Moab” that are sprinkled along the Denver roads. Our first excursion involved entering Arches National Park in a vehicle of four wheels, not two, but the park rangers still happily collected our seven dollars and let us pass. Undaunted by the Trek bikes whizzing past, we began our own climb on the paved road destined to find the truth beyond the billboard. Though it may have seemed mythical, the gigantic, burnt, red, rock formation of arches resembling a doughnut turned on its side, was very real, and there was more than one. We chose a less popular trail opposite of the infamous site to attempt a view of the whole valley though there is a trail directly to the Arches Monument as well. Our dusty trail, easily navigated in my simple tennis shoes, led to a partially blocked viewpoint of the Arches where most people happily snapped a few photos and descended back down. Glancing at my mom, we both shrugged and as in an unforeseen pack, starting taking the “rock less traveled” to a higher elevation. Standing on top of a rock, overlooking a vast canyon, feeling the wind whip around me so strongly that I felt if I tried to sit, it could hold me up like a chair, relinquished me of my worldly concerns for a moment. Others may just love the view; regardless, it is worth it. For me, gazing at the array of colors, allowed a moment of tranquil connectivity with the natural phenomenon of the park: the mossy, green base of the canyon seeming almost like a sea one could kayak quietly upon, the light dropping in creating a kaleidoscope of amber, orange, and golden hues and the vibrant red and weathered brown rocks that are art by simply being. It was intoxicating. It was peaceful. It was Moab. No tent. No hiking shoes. No mountain bike. It is accessible to all.

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After a rejuvenating hike up a rather steep red rock hill and scaling a picturesque bending path on the side of a mountain, you round a corner and your breath leaves you for a moment as you take in the view from the Delicate Arch. On one side there are snow caped mountains, on the other desert. As you sit down on the warm bedrock, you will experience true beauty and serenity for the first time. With the miles of captivating scenery it will be next to impossible to pick a place to watch the sunset, but take comfort in the fact that there is not a wrong choice to be made. You will be in awe regardless.

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