Arches National Park, Salt Lake City, Antelope Island

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Salt Lake City & Park City

Day 27 – Aug 5

We made an Airbnb reservation for the night in Salt Lake City. Before getting into SLC from our motel in Ogden about half hour north, we attempted to go to Antelope Island State Park to swim in the Great Salt Lake and tour the bison laden island, but we discovered that it was closed for a few hours due to a bike race. We did drive the narrow 7-mile causeway out to the entrance to the island as far as we could before we hit the bike race, at the other end of the causeway. We stopped along the causeway and attempted to walk to the lake but we were thwarted by an unexpected gauntlet…SPIDERS! Lots and lots of big, creepy spiders all along the roadside making webs between the brush. We are glad we noticed them before we committed another few steps. Turns out they are harmless orb weaver spiders, and Antelope Island plays host to an annual spider festival in their honor, however, we decided to head out at that point. This was our first unsuccessful event of the trip.

We decided to instead drive to Park City which is only about 45 minutes away. Once at Park City, we parked downtown and went for a walk and got some lunch on Main Street. This is a very posh resort town that does not die down once the skiing is over. We were lucky to find a pretty good lunch for less than $50 and minimal wait, at the Wasatch Brew Pub restaurant. After lunch we sauntered over to the Park City Mountain Resort and rode down the exhilarating Alpine Slide  and then took a chair lift up the ski mountain and walked around at the top for a few minutes. It was fairly busy, but not too crazy. A light rain probably kept the crowds reasonable.  It was a fun brief stop.

Then on to Salt Lake City to check in at the Airbnb townhouse. It was a townhouse in a nice, well maintained complex, and very convenient to the subway to downtown SLC.

We got there before the hosts did, let ourselves in, and napped from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. in a very comfortable bed.  We then met our hosts who just got home from work. Our host escorted us to the train station that was within walking distance, and we took the train to Temple Square in downtown SLC.  It took about 15 minutes to get there.

We were lucky and got into the last tour of the day at the ginormous Mormon Conference Center, with its gardens and trees and waterfalls on the rooftop.

This was quite impressive and highly recommended…such grandeur, opulence, and history. After the tour we walked around Temple Square. We listened to a pipe organ rehearsal from outside the tabernacle.

Then we had a cheap but tasty dinner at Kneaders Bakery and Cafe at the City Creek shops adjacent to Temple Square, eating out on the patio seating overlooking the shops. We got back to the Airbnb via the train around 10:30 p.m. and chatted and drank wine with our hosts until midnight. Off to bed.

Arches National Park

Day 28 – Aug 6

We woke up to a very nice breakfast cooked by our hosts. We enjoyed breakfast with our hosts, and then off to SLC by car to see the very impressive State Capitol building overlooking downtown SLC. It looks a lot like the U.S. Capitol. It was truly palatial inside with murals, marble pillars, and grand staircases. We checked out the Visitor’s Center across the street, and then visited Brigham Young’s home in the Temple Square area; got freshly baked coffee rolls at the Red Lion (hand delivered right out of the oven by the chef); tooled around the square for a short while; and then did some camping supply shopping at a grocery store nearby downtown SLC, and then off toward Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

Once near Arches about 4 hours later, we looked for a campground with the help of the Chimani app and the internet.  We found one site open at a small 11-site BLM campground about 10 miles from Arches, a few miles from Moab, and right on the banks of the Colorado River.  Here is a pic of the BLM website that helped us choose and find the campground. We ended up at Hal Canyon because it was the first one we found with an available site.

The site was likely vacant because it was right next to the pit toilet, as this was a primitive campground with no running water. We endured an occasional nasty smell depending on wind direction, but mostly it was unnoticeable. We pitched our tent and paid at the self-service post.

Wasting no time, we then went to Arches to begin exploring. We got there around 7:00 p.m.  We were in awe as soon as we hit the main road and saw one spectacular rock formation and vista after another. It was late and so we did not take our backpacks as we figured on just hitting scenic overlooks and very short hikes for now. Our first pull-out was shared with a bride being photographed with the red rocks behind her near and far.  We did the short .3-mile hike to Balanced Rock, which was remarkable both close up and as we continued to see it off in the distance from almost wherever we were in the park.

It was a balmy, comfortable night and so we ventured further up the road to the .5-mile Double Arch trail. The trailhead parking lot was almost full, and we realized it was because this was a destination point for sunsets in the park. We got to the Double Arch, along with dozens of other people, and we managed to climb a rather challenging and steep rock climb, up smooth red rock, to the base of the arch where we watched the sunset through the arch, all the while clinging to the rock base of the arch to avoid slipping down either side. After the amazing sunset, which everyone cheered, we climbed down with the assistance of two nice young guys helping people navigate safely.

 

We then went to a store to get some supplies and then back to our campsite, the entrance of which we kept missing because it was so dark and there was no sign for it. We enjoyed the night sky with the sound of the river behind us for a bit, then off to bed.

Delicate Arch Trail and Landscape Arch Trail

Day 29 – Aug 7

We woke up in the tent, had breakfast at the campsite and left for Arches at 7:15 A.M. We left early to be sure to get a parking spot at the Delicate Arch trailhead. This is considered one of the most iconic arches in the Park. The 3 mile round trip hike was not very difficult but it got scary as we approached the Arch, which is unseen until you actually reach it. The approach was along a ramp-like ledge for about 200 feet, it rounded a curve, and there it was. It was an amazing presence, basically a huge standing red rock ring with vistas of rock formations and desert all around, near and far. We got to the arch for some photos. There were scores of people hanging around the area.  The people waiting for photos ops helped others get their pictures taken.

 

We walked around the arch a bit and then had a snack there sitting on the long, wide curved rock facing Delicate Arch that dozens of other people were sitting on. It was like an amphitheater. Though there were lots of people it really wasn’t an issue.  I’m sure it can get much busier, but with the open space and vastness of the rock formations, there was plenty of room and it never felt crowded. I think going early in the morning was a smart move.

On the return hike we stopped along a spur trail to view petroglyphs depicting horses and big horn sheep. Then off to the Devil’s Garden area for the 2 mile Landscape Arch trail hike, which turned into a 4.2 mile hike that included the phenomenal Double O Arch trail. This was truly a magnificent desert red rock hike; one of our favorite hikes of the whole trip, though difficult. We stopped for photo ops at Landscape Arch, one of the most famous rock formations in America.  Landscape Arch is the one that looks like it’s going to fall down any minute so we kept incorrectly referring to it as Delicate Arch.

We hiked atop massive “fin” rock formations to get to Double O Arch, all the while looking out at other “fins”, red rocks, and desert landscape as far the eye could see….just amazing. The fins resemble those old cast iron radiator heaters. Emilie tripped a couple of times and scraped her knee, but she kept going…I think only a broken pelvis would have stopped her from this hike. We were both physically challenged on this arduous, hot hike, but the scenery was just so unique and awe inspiring. This was a lifetime experience! There were other people, but once we passed Landscape Arch at about the 1 mile mark, the small crowd really thinned out quite a bit.

On the way back we did Navajo Arch and Partition Arch.  I almost fell asleep lying on a fallen tree log under Navajo Arch, but then Partition Arch had amazing views and a concave shape beyond it allowing for Zen moments for us as we walked out into it overlooking a deadly fall and vistas. We also saw a few pronghorns lying below the arch about 50 yards down.

We were pretty beat after these hot, tiring, amazingly rewarding hikes, so we drove into Moab to explore the town and get some food. We had lunch around 3:00 at a pasta restaurant. The very nice waitress confirmed that a good place to swim in the Colorado River was right near our campsite. After this late lunch we went to the small, hidden beach 1/4 mile from our campsite on the river. We laid out a beach towel and cooled off in the Colorado River with high red rock formations towering directly above us on both sides.

After enjoying the water and relaxation we headed out to see the sunset at The Windows arch section of the Park. Here we saw another gorgeous sunset from within a golden arch, but this time with the added bonus of lightning flashing near the sun on the horizon. Another round of applause for the sunset from the twenty or so people with us at this arch. We then walked about 200 yards to Turret Arch and got a great view of the actual North and South Arches that we just came from.

We then joined the many cars heading out of the park and got to our campsite. We gazed at the awesome night sky and then went to bed.  There was thunder and lightning overnight so Em slept a few hours in the car. I joined her but opted to take my chances in the tent on the more comfortable air mattress not long after.

Park Avenue Trail

Day 30 – Aug 8

Drove 255 miles.

Woke up in a very hot tent, packed up camp, and went to that same beach on the Colorado River so I could bathe. There was a lot of sediment in the water so it probably made me dirtier than when I went in, but when camping along the Colorado River what is one to do?

We went back to Arches for one more hike, just because we could. We hiked Park Avenue trail, which was the first trail past the Visitors Center. The trailhead was down a steep stairway that started from a busy scenic pullout. There were dozens of tourists, but only a small handful went beyond the end of the staircase to venture into this canyon floor trail. The recommended hike was to do 1 mile through the canyon floor and have a car waiting at the other end to drive back. We opted to do the round trip hike. It was an extremely hot 2 mile round trip hike that we did without our hiking clothes, and it was over 90 degrees. Towering above us on both sides were huge monolith-like smooth flat rock formations, as well as more fins and balanced rocks; it looked like the lofty monoliths would just fall over in a strong wind and fall flat. We definitely should have had our better gear with us for this hike, but no regrets as it was another stunning Arches hike we won’t forget. Did I say it was hot?

Then off toward Grand Tetons. We decided to spend the night in Ogden again, just north of SLC, so we could be in a good starting point to re-visit Antelope Island State Park the following morning.

So, we drove from Moab to Ogden and checked into a Sleep Inn about 20 miles north of Antelope Island in Utah. We had dinner at the family restaurant next to the motel, did laundry, and went to bed.

Antelope Island

Day 31 – Aug 9

We got to Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake State Park around 10:30 am.

We drove around the island and saw lone bison, and bison herds, and a pronghorn from the car. We stopped to hike the 1 mile round trip Buffalo Point Trail. This was a fairly steep and rocky trail that offered spectacular views of the island, its rocky coastline, and the Great Salt Lake.

After the hike we stopped at the only beach along the Salt Lake. We swam in the warm Great Salt Lake, or rather floated effortlessly due to the large amount of salt in the water.  Floating in the lake was truly unique.  It was like lying on a mattress, just lay back and relax.  It was warm, too.  The walk to the water is long, like a long low tide, but well worth it. After about 15 minutes in the water we took the long walk back up the beach back to the car where we had lunch on a picnic table on the shore of Great Salt Lake. We ate our leftovers from dinner the night before.

 

 

We left Antelope Island around 1:30 p.m. and headed toward Grand Teton National Park.

 

Next: Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP