Moab UT (05-08-2019)

Trails, trails and more trails.  If we weren't hiking on a trail, we were driving on one. That's what our visit to Moab was all about. But first we had to find a campground.

The last time we were in here, we had the trailer, so we stayed in an RV park.  This time, with the camper, we were lucky enough to snag a first come/first served Federal site right on the river. The only drawback was that we had no cell signal, but we made it work.









We drove several trails with the Jeep- and one of the ones Paul really wanted to do, we couldn't. White Rim Road can't be done in one day, so we would need to have a tent, food and sleeping bags.  Maybe some other time (don't hold your breath).

There were several other "scenic drives" that we were able to do, so all was not lost.  One of the easiest was Gemini Bridges Road. We actually drove part way down this road  one day, but didn't go all the way, on the advise of a ranger, because it had just rained and the road was wet.  We drove it again a different day, and made it all the way through.



Halfway down Gemini Bridges Road there was a hike to a natural bridge. This area is full of natural bridges and arches, and this trail had a blurb explaining the difference.  An Arch is formed by the erosion of the underlying rock, which results in a hole being formed. A bridge is formed by erosion caused by water.  Sounds pretty similar to me, but whatever.

The more adventurous "scenic drive" we took was Shafer Trail. This was longer, timewise, and more intense- at least for some of us. 

It started out scenic and innocuous, with great views and gorgeous rock formations

We got out several times to look around.  And actually "Thelma and Louise" Point is along this road but it isn't marked, and I forgot to look for it. 

And then the road went up.  Up a very narrow, windy, dirt road. (note in the picture the section of road on the right)  I was not a fan. Paul would try and point things out to me and I would just about freak because his eyes should only be on the ROAD. We made it up just fine of course, but I was really glad we had the Jeep and not the truck.

We tried to alternate days- hiking one day and driving the next. I am shocked that we didn't even drive in to Arches National Park (the line to get in was ridiculous anyway). 

We have done many hikes in that park already and there are tons of trails outside  the park.


One of our favorites was Grandstaff Trail- about 4.5 (RT) miles into a canyon, with several stream crossings along the way. Its what we call a Twofer. The trail was great, with  the sound of running water, and easy stream crossings....











And it led to a grotto at Morning Glory Bridge. It was a great place to have lunch before heading back down the trail.

Even though we had gorgeous views everywhere we went, they only got better when we made the trek up to Dead Horse Point State Park.  A park pass gives you 3 consecutive days to visit, so we went back more than once, and did some hiking on the trails.

 The trails were OK but this place is all about the scenery:

Soon enough it was time to leave Moab.  We had a trip planned for Mother's Day weekend and needed to get home before that. But...we made one more stop along the way....To Antelope Canyon.
We had managed to get tickets to tour both Antelope Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon.

Antelope is the most famous of the canyons, but it's also the most crowded. Rattlesnake was pretty cool, and we were the only group in there, so it was easier to get pictures without a bunch of strangers in them. Our guide was awesome and would show us good shots to take and many times took over  someone's camera and took the picture for them.