Brandi CyrusNovember 08, 2020Comment

MOAB

Brandi CyrusNovember 08, 2020Comment

If you’ve ever wished you could travel to Mars, I highly recommend a trip to Moab, Utah.

Utah is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite states. After seeing Zion and Lake Powell last year, a trip to Moab climbed to the top of my travel bucket list. Known for it’s incredible rock formations, red desert landscapes, and off roading adventures - it’s a place you definitely do not want to miss! Ry, Astra, and I chose to start in Denver and rent an RV to turn the adventure into a bit of a road trip. The drive was about 6 hours including stops, and Ry got a chance to see the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado along the way.

We rented the sickest little RV from Outdoorsy (check them out HERE, it’s like Airbnb for RVs!) - complete with a king size bed, sink, refrigerator, and more - it was perfect for us, and made the long days exploring the parks much more comfortable. Especially traveling with Astra, it was nice to have somewhere climate controlled for her to stay while we explored inside the national parks, as dogs aren’t allowed on the trails. There are plenty of dog friendly hikes outside the park though, and we packed quite a lot into our four days! I thought i’d lay out our itinerary for each day for you guys below… so much to see, so little time!

Day 1 - Arches Nat’l Park, Delicate Arch hike, & Corona Arch hike

Day 2 - Canyonlands Nat’l Park, Mesa Arch & Highway 128 scenic drive

Day 3 - Hunter Canyon hike, trail ride with Moab Horses

Day 4 - Fisher Towers hike

Keep reading for the deets on each day!

DAY 1

The very first and most important suggestion I can make for anyone exploring a national park, is GET UP BEFORE THE SUN! One of our biggest motivations for this is of course, optimum lighting for photos, but content aside - there is nothing better than seeing these majestic sites as the sun rises. It was still dark out as we pulled into Arches National Park the first morning, and the sun had just started to cast light as we started the hike to Delicate Arch. I researched a bit before hand and it seems that sunset is the most popular time to visit this spot, and while the light is probably incredible then it seems it’s also very, very crowded. We were more than happy with out decision to go at sunrise, as there were very few people around and made for a much more peaceful experience. We were also easily able to get photos without anyone else in the background!

Perhaps the most famous landmark in Moab, Delicate Arch, did not disappoint. It is truly magnificent in size, and a very cool experience to stand underneath of it while gazing out into the canyon.

Pro tip: pack a blanket, a small breakfast and some coffee in insulated travel mugs (we love the Yeti ones) and park yourself on one of the rocks for awhile after you’ve made the hike in. Take in the beauty of this incredible place!

The hike is not difficult, but does take about 30 minutes or so to reach Delicate Arch. There is zero cell reception in the park (per usual in national parks) so download the trail map beforehand! We do this for every hike using the AllTrails app.

After exploring a little further in Arches National Park, we drove back through the town of Moab and stopped for coffee & donuts at a highly recommended spot called Doughbird. It was BOMB.COM and hands down the best coffee we had on the entire trip! Definitely stop in here at least once while in Moab.

Every day we took a couple hours between 12-3pm to rest and recharge before heading back out for an afternoon adventure. We wanted to make sure Astra had a fun activity each day, and we heard from many different people that Corona Arch is a must hike for dogs. I would HIGHLY recommend this, dogs or no dogs! It’s a beautiful area, and we only saw two other people the entire time. This is a moderate hike, about 2.5 miles out and back, and while there isn’t a ton of elevation gain… there are some places where you have to climb up the rocks. It was super fun, and the dogs had no problem at all with this. Astra was having the time of her life and loved this hike!

DAY 2

We kicked off our second day with another up-before-the-sun alarm and made our way into Canyonlands National Park. The first stop was of course, the famous Mesa Arch. This spot was much more crowded at sunrise than Delicate Arch, and we could see why. As the sun rises it casts a gorgeous golden light through the window of the arch! There were several people with very nice cameras already set up when we arrived, but a little patience paid off and the crowd thinned quickly. We were still able to get photos with stunning light just after the sun came up! I have to say, for me this was my favorite landmark we saw on the trip.

It took about 50 minutes to reach the trail head for Mesa Arch from the town of Moab. The hike is easy and very short, about 10 minutes, but make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get here before sunrise... it is so worth it!

We spent the rest of the morning driving through the ‘Island In The Sky’ section of the park. Ry really enjoyed the view at the Buck Canyon Overlook - we spent a good 45 minutes here just enjoying the silence and taking in the vastness of the canyon. We also stopped at the Green River Overlook on our way out!

We spent the last half of the day driving the scenic Highway 128 that soooo many people recommended as a must-do, and they were sooo right! Although Moab is a small town, there are so many different surrounding areas you can spend time exploring. Each one is really something unique and special, but this one was my favorite. There’s nothing better than a drive along a river, and the green waters of the Colorado River make a stunning contrast against the red-orange rocks that make up the southeastern border of Arches National Park.

There are several spots to pull over and enjoy the scenery, including many campsites if you’re looking for a spot to camp. We packed some food and coffee in the RV and found a nice spot by the river to have an early dinner and enjoy our surroundings. On a warm day, the river would be the perfect place for a swim!

We also passed a few boutique ranch accommodations, including Sorrel River Ranch which i’ve heard is a great place to stop for lunch. Definitely leave yourself some time to take this drive and take it slow. The popular Fisher Towers hike is about 35 minutes down this route from downtown Moab and could easily be added into a day exploring this area.

DAY 3

Keeping our early morning routine, we decided to start out last full day in Moab with a sunrise hike. Hunter Canyon was another highly recommended trail to do with dogs, but again this hike is a must for anyone! We absolutely loved it. Where the Corona Arch hike had us climb high for stunning views, this trail starts down in the bottom of the canyon, and takes you along a creek running through the narrow slot the entire way. How far is the entire way? Alltrails states it as a 3.2 mile hike, but we hiked in for about 90 minutes and it seemed as if the trail would just keep going! We stopped for a quick snack before turning around and following the trail back out.

Astra loved this trail just as much as the first one, and believe it or not we didn’t see a single soul the entire time. Maybe we got lucky, but I think this is a good hike for anyone looking for something away from the crowds. There are also loads of camp sites in this area that looked beautiful too. If we had come at a warmer time of the year, it would’ve been a great place to land.

This trip would not have been complete without seeing Moab from horseback. We took a trail ride with Moab Horses at Hauer Ranch, which is located down scenic Highway 128, and the area looks like something out of a movie! Which is appropriate, considering they’ve actually filmed countless movies & tv shows here - including Westworld and Rio Grande!

We chose a sunset ride, and it was just gorgeous. True to backcountry fashion, you’ll ride through creeks, the river, climb up & down sand dunes, and stop for an epic photo with Fisher Towers just behind you. The horses were in great condition, and knew their jobs well - all we did was sit back and enjoy the epic scenery! Ask for Trace as a guide - he was super cool and full of knowledge about the ranch and the area as he grew up in Moab.

WHERE TO STAY

There are LOTS of options when it comes to accommodations in Moab - from camping, to budget motels, and even luxury boutique ranches. I cannot say enough great things about our adorable Airbnb… the Wayward Desert Casita! It’s a cozy 2br condo just south of downtown Moab, and the decor is what desert dreams are literally made of. I found myself obsessing over all of the little details - the pink Pendleton towels, the Native American art, the Chemex pour over (hallelujah!), and the hammock on the back patio which quickly became my favorite spot. Every nook is super Instagrammable, and it was the perfect place to rest and recharge in-between adventures. Major plus that it’s dog friendly and even comes stashed with toys for the pups!