Utah and Colorado Trip Part Five
June 9th, 2023
Our next stop after Grand Junction, was Moab, UT where we went on two hikes and two bike rides. This post will be the last post from this Utah and Colorado trip (excluding the summary, which will be similar to East Coast Trip List/Summary).
Here is a list of the hikes we did here:
And then the two bike rides:
Hikes:
Grandstaff Canyon Trail to Morning Glory Arch
Our first hike here in Moab was Grandstaff Canyon Trail to Morning Glory Arch, primarily due to the fact that the original planned trail for today was going to be in Arches National Park, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the park was doing ticketed entry. So, we drove down the road and did this instead.
This hike was very unusual for a desert hike for several reasons. 1. There was a stream running alongside the trail. 2. There was tons of poison ivy (literally, we saw a poison ivy tree!). 3. The water for that stream came from a tiny hole/crack in the wall at Morning Glory Arch. 4. Morning Glory Arch is not a typical arch and is parallel to the wall and about 10' away from that wall.
This hike was my favorite due to the water and the unusual style of arch.
Sand Dune Arch Trail
Our second (and turns out, last) hike here in Moab was Sand Dune Arch in Arches National Park. Today (unlike yesterday) we got up earlier and drove into the park before 7AM (which is when the timed entry starts). Then we were planning on doing a different hike, but you need to have a special permit to go do it (I think that the Arches curse has hit us) so, we did this hike instead. This hike in my opinion was just a walk in the desert until we came upon Sand Dune Arch looking towards the east (for a photo, look at the top of this page or the bottom left photo right above). After crossing under the arch (unlike Delicate Arch or Landscape Arch, you can walk right up underneath it), giving the arch an entirely different view.
Bike Rides:
The Half Enchilada
Our first bike ride here in Moab was the Half Enchilada, which was definitely my favorite ride on our entire trip (we have done some biking in Montrose, and Grand Junction) and was very fun due to the fact that over 12 miles of the 17.8 mile ride was "roll-offs"/jumps which was super fun. It had amazing views the entire ride and was something I would want to do again (maybe due to the fact that we were the only people out there).
Lazy Trail to EZ Trail with return trip by Moab Canyon Pathway
Our last activity on this trip was a bike ride on Lazy Trail to EZ Trail at MOAB Brand Trails with us returning to Moab by the Moab Canyon Pathway which the first mile was very boring, and then they had a sign at the top of this 1-2 mile long downhill that the speed limit was 20 mph (I went at least 45-50 mph!). The ride was about 6 miles at MOAB Brand Trails and then about 7 miles on the way back.
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